KingsIsle Entertainment
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | January 2005 |
| Founder | Elie Akilian |
| Headquarters | Round Rock, Texas , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Elie Akilian (Founder, former CEO), David Nichols (President), Dave Rosen (VP of Marketing), Craig Beers (VP of Product Management) |
| Products | Wizard101, Pirate101, WizardBlox, Grub Guardian, EverClicker, Animal Cove: Match 3 Adventure |
Number of employees | 120+ (2024) |
| Parent | Media and Games Invest |
KingsIsle Entertainment, Inc. is a United States-based video game developer situated in Round Rock, Texas. The company was founded in January 2005 by entrepreneur Elie Akilian and maintains its primary development studio in Round Rock, employing over 120 staff members as of 2024. KingsIsle is best known for its well-received massively multiplayer online role-playing games Wizard101 and Pirate101. In January 2021, the firm was acquired by Media and Games Invest, after which Akilian separated the mobile gaming division to form Wimo Games.
History
KingsIsle was created in January 2005 by Elie Akilian in Plano, Texas. Motivated by his son's enthusiasm for gaming, Akilian assembled a team of seasoned professionals formerly associated with id Software and Ubisoft to develop Wizard101. The startup was financed through the proceeds from the sale of Akilian's previous enterprise, Inet Technologies, to Tektronix in 2004. In December 2007, key executive J. Todd Coleman joined as the third employee, spearheading Wizard101 development alongside Tom Hall (co-founder of id Software), who took on the role of creative director.
The company officially launched in April 2008 with a workforce of 100 employees distributed between Plano and Austin. Leadership comprised Akilian as CEO and chairman, with David Nichols serving as president. The card-based MMO Wizard101, designed for children and teenagers, quickly amassed popularity, achieving over 30 million registered users by September 2012.
To accommodate expansion, KingsIsle significantly increased its office capacity in Austin by late 2008. Employee numbers grew to 135 by early 2011 and further expanded to 220 by mid-2012. The company broadened its offerings with titles such as the mobile game WizardBlox (2010) and the multi-platform tower defense game Grub Guardian (2012).
In October 2012, KingsIsle introduced Pirate101, which shares the same universe as Wizard101. Executive shifts included Coleman's exit in January 2013. In 2014, the company encountered patent infringement litigation concerning digital distribution technologies but was ultimately removed from the lawsuit under confidential conditions.
In May 2016, KingsIsle reduced its workforce by 72 employees amid a strategic move away from mobile projects. Despite this shift, mobile titles like EverClicker (2017) and Animal Cove: Match 3 Adventure (2018) were released subsequently. The company enhanced its leadership team in 2018 by appointing Dave Rosen as VP of Marketing and Craig Beers as VP of Product Management.
The acquisition deal with Media and Games Invest in January 2021 valued KingsIsle at $126 million plus performance-based earn-outs. Following this transaction, Akilian led the separation of mobile operations into Wimo Games as executive chairman. Later that year, KingsIsle entered into an agreement to relocate its headquarters to a new facility in Round Rock, consolidating its workforce with plans to increase staff by 150 over the next three years.
Games developed
| Year | Title | Platform(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Wizard101 | macOS, Microsoft Windows |
| 2010 | WizardBlox | iOS |
| 2012 | Pirate101 | macOS, Microsoft Windows |
| Grub Guardian | Android, Browser, iOS |