Inkle (company)
Company type | Privately held |
---|---|
Industry | Video games |
Founded | November 2011 |
Founder | Jon Ingold, Joseph Humfrey |
Headquarters | , United Kingdom |
Website | inklestudios.com |
Inkle is a video game development company based in
Inkle has also created inklewriter, a tool for creating interactive fiction that was online from 2012 until 2018. inklewriter was subsequently revived as free and open-source software in 2019.
History
Inkle was founded in November 2011 by Jon Ingold and Joseph Humfrey.[2] Their first project was an interactive, choice-based version of Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, written by gamebook author Dave Morris and published by Profile Books.[3] It received mixed reactions, earning a Kirkus Reviews “Best of 2012” star, while The Guardian described it as “digital butchery”, noting its “bewildering” format and how, despite being billed as “interactive”, users cannot change how the base story plays out.[4][5]
In May 2013 they released the first game in a fantasy series,
They have collaborated with Penguin Books on two apps. “Poems by Heart” is a memorisation game intended to help readers learn poetry and was chosen as one of Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2013.[8] In the same year they worked with author Kelley Armstrong on The Cainsville Files, a visual-novel style interactive prequel to her Cainsville book series.[9]
Pendragon, a “narrative roguelike” game based on Arthurian legend, was released in fall 2020.[14]
Inkle subsequently announced the development of A Highland Song, a 'rhythm survival story' that retained narrative elements but departed further from their text-based roots.
Authoring tools
In 2012, Inkle created inklewriter, an online tool for creating interactive fiction.[15][16] It was used in schools and was awarded a “Best Website for Teaching and Learning” award by American Association of School Librarians in 2013.[17][18] It was also used by some game developers, such as Stoic Studios to aid in development of their game The Banner Saga.[19][20] In August 2018, Inkle closed inklewriter[21] citing lack of time to solve its issues, but was later as free-to-use open-source software. Instead, Inkle promotes ink, a markup language for interactive fiction and a specialised editor inky. The language is available under the
Games
Year | Title | Genre(s) | Platform(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | Frankenstein | Interactive novel
|
iOS | |
2013 | Sorcery! Part 1: The Shamutanti Hills | Graphic adventure
|
iOS, Android, Microsoft Windows, macOS | |
2013 | Sorcery! Part 2: Kharé: Cityport of Traps | Graphic adventure
|
iOS, Android, Microsoft Windows, macOS | |
2014 | 80 Days | Interactive fiction | iOS, Android, Microsoft Windows, macOS, Nintendo Switch | |
2015 | Sorcery! Part 3: The Seven Serpents | Graphic adventure
|
iOS, Android, Microsoft Windows, macOS | |
2016 | Sorcery! Part 4: The Crown of Kings | Graphic adventure
|
iOS, Android, Microsoft Windows, macOS | |
2019 | Heaven's Vault | Adventure | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch | |
2020 | Pendragon | Strategy /Adventure
|
Microsoft Windows, macOS | [14] |
2021 | Overboard! | Murder mystery
|
Microsoft Windows, iOS, macOS, Nintendo Switch | [24] |
2023 | A Highland Song | Adventure/Rhythm | Microsoft Windows, macOS, Nintendo Switch |
References
- ^ "These Are the Top 10 Video Games of 2014". Time. Retrieved 2018-09-23.
- ^ Batchelor, James (2023-07-03). "The fluctuating scope of Inkle's games". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2023-12-14.
- ^ "Blog - 'Frankenstein' Reborn: Profile, inkle, Dave Morris and Jamie Thomson launch new app - Profile Books". www.profilebooks.com. Archived from the original on 2015-07-11. Retrieved 2018-09-23.
- ^ FRANKENSTEIN by Mary Shelley , Dave Morris , Inkle Studios , Profile Books | Kirkus Reviews.
- ^ Baddeley, Anna (2012-04-14). "Digital butchery makes a monster of Frankenstein". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-09-23.
- ^ Sorcery! - IGN.com, retrieved 2018-09-23
- ^ "Sorcery! Part 2 due late Sep/early Oct on iOS". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 2018-09-23.
- ^ POEMS BY HEART by Penguin Group USA , Inkle Studios | Kirkus Reviews.
- ^ "Kelley Armstrong's Cainsville Files Review | 148Apps". www.148apps.com. Retrieved 2018-09-23.
- ^ Staff. "The Top 10 Game Developers of 2014". Retrieved 2018-09-23.
- ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2018-09-23.
- ^ Suellentrop, Chris (23 November 2014). "Virtual Worlds Invite Visitors Into the Story". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-09-23.
- ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2018-09-23.
- ^ a b "Pendragon review". PC Gamer. 22 September 2020.
- ^ "Write 'Choose Your Own Adventure' Books Through This Clever HTML5 App". 25 July 2012.
- ^ Alexander, Leigh. "New, free tools allow any novice to make an accessible text adventure". Retrieved 2018-09-23.
- ^ "Tech for Teachers". teachinghistory.org. Archived from the original on 10 March 2014.
- ^ "Best Websites for Teaching & Learning 2013 | American Association of School Librarians (AASL)". Archived from the original on 2014-12-13. Retrieved 2014-11-27.
- ^ "If you've ever wanted to create your own gamebooks, inklewriter could be the website for you". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved 2018-09-23.
- ^ "The Banner Saga – Single Player Progress". stoicstudio.com. Retrieved 2018-09-23.
- ^ "inklewriter - Getting Started". www.inklestudios.com. Retrieved 2023-12-14.
- ISSN 1469-4832. Retrieved 2023-12-14.
- ISSN 1469-4832. Retrieved 2023-12-14.
- ^ Marshall, Cass (2021-06-02). "Overboard! is a game that lets you murder your husband and cover it up". Polygon. Retrieved 2022-01-13.