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Maximum Games

From Alfawiki
Maximum Games, Inc.
Company typePrivate
IndustryVideo games
Founded2009
FounderChristina Seelye, Len Ciciretto
Headquarters
Walnut Creek, California
,
United States
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Christina Seelye (CEO)
ProductsVideo game publishing and distribution
ParentMaximum Entertainment (since 2024)

Maximum Games, Inc. is a United States-based video game publisher located in Walnut Creek, California. Established in 2009 by CEO Christina Seelye alongside former president Len Ciciretto, the company originally concentrated on family-friendly titles for the Nintendo DS and Wii platforms. It later broadened its scope to publish games spanning various genres and multiple platforms.

With operations worldwide, Maximum Games acts as both a sub-publisher and North American distributor for prominent publishers such as Nacon, Microids, Funcom, and Focus Home Interactive. Its portfolio features notable franchises including the Farming Simulator series, Five Nights at Freddy's, Bendy and the Ink Machine, Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid, Divinity: Original Sin, and the WRC series.

In 2018, the company introduced Modus Games, a publishing division dedicated to financing and development to enhance its market footprint. The following year, Maximum Games expanded internationally by acquiring Brazilian developer The Balance, Inc., which was rebranded as Modus Studios Brazil. By 2024, several publishing entities were consolidated under the parent company Maximum Entertainment, streamlining its corporate framework and strengthening its strategic position within the gaming sector.

History

Founded in 2009 as "Maximum Family Games," Maximum Games is a privately owned corporation based in California, created by Christina Seelye and Len Ciciretto. During the 2009 holiday period, it released successful Nintendo DS titles such as Junior Brain Trainer and Junior Classic Games, achieving distribution through major retailers across the United States. By 2010, Maximum Games had published sixteen products on Nintendo DS, Wii, and PC platforms, earning third-party publishing agreements with Nintendo of America and Sony Computer Entertainment America. These partnerships extended to Europe by 2011, followed by a licensing deal with Microsoft in 2012. That May, the company adopted the name Maximum Games.

Following its rebranding, Maximum Games expanded its role to include North American sales and physical distribution services for European publishers during the seventh generation of consoles. The firm typically released approximately eight titles annually while overseeing packaging, logistics, and retailer negotiations for physical game distribution. By 2015, it had invested $2.5 million into upcoming projects and shipped over one million units.

In March 2016, Maximum Games acquired UK-based Avanquest Software Publishing Ltd to enhance its international distribution capabilities and launched a European branch named Maximum Games Ireland Limited. The company developed its first wholly owned intellectual property with Extinction, which debuted in 2018. This project served as a foundation for its AAA-focused publishing label Modus Games aimed at independent developers. Concurrently, Maximum broadened its European presence to cover more than thirty countries.

Len Ciciretto departed from the organization in 2018. In October 2020, Maximum Games formed a partnership with Nacon to manage third-party logistics for RIG computer and gaming accessories. Later that year in December, it began direct-to-consumer shipments through its digital storefront, offering titles from partners, releases under Modus Games, and exclusive collector’s editions.

In November 2021, Swedish company Zordix AB purchased Maximum Games for $42 million with additional earnout opportunities up to $30 million. By February 2023, Zordix merged Dimfrost, Invictus Games, Mane6, Modus Brazil, and Zordix Racing into Modus Studios while acquiring FUN Labs. In February 2024, publishers Maximum Games, Modus Games, Just For Games, Merge Games along with developer Modus Studios were unified under the umbrella brand Maximum Entertainment.

Modus Games

Maximum Games introduced Modus Games in December 2017 as a dedicated division providing comprehensive publishing services to independent video game creators. The division’s inaugural published title was the action-adventure game Extinction, developed by Iron Galaxy.

In 2019, Modus Games expanded by acquiring the Brazilian developer The Balance, Inc., which had previously collaborated as a publishing partner on Override: Mech City Brawl. Following the acquisition, the studio was renamed Modus Studios Brazil and now functions autonomously, concentrating on porting, development assistance, and creating original intellectual properties.

History

Modus Games underwent a soft launch in 2018 with Iron Galaxy’s Extinction, followed by an official full launch in March 2019. Its first significant publishing project was Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince, developed by Finnish studio Frozenbyte, which garnered favorable critical reception.

Since then, Modus Games has collaborated with multiple developers to release titles worldwide in both physical and digital formats. The company also ventured into collectible editions, notably announcing a collector’s edition for Dreams Uncorporated’s action RPG Cris Tales.

October 2020 saw the launch of Modus’s charitable initiative, Games Giving Back, which allocates a portion of game sales to meaningful causes. The initial recipient was the Exceptional Women Awardees Foundation, an organization dedicated to advancing women’s careers through mentorship programs.

In January 2022, Modus Games broadened its development capabilities by acquiring Mane6, the studio behind Them's Fightin' Herds, strengthening its portfolio and industry presence.

Modus Studios Brazil

Following the release of Override: Mech City Brawl, Brazilian developer The Balance, Inc. was acquired in 2019 and rebranded as Modus Studios Brazil. Functioning independently from Modus Games’ publishing arm, this studio produced the sequel Override 2: Super Mech League. This acquisition marked Modus’s first direct purchase of a development team. Additionally, Modus Studios Brazil offers co-development and porting support for other titles under the Modus umbrella.

List of video games

Published and/or developed titles

Year Title Platform(s) Developer(s) Role Publisher
2018 Extinction Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One Iron Galaxy Publisher Maximum Games, Modus Games
Ninjin: Clash of Carrots Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch Pocket Trap Modus Games
Override: Mech City Brawl Modus Studios Brazil (formerly The Balance, Inc.) Publisher, Developer Modus Games, 3goo
2019 Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince, Trine: Ultimate Collection Frozenbyte Publisher Modus Games
Bear with Me: The Lost Robots, The Complete Collection Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS Exordium Games Modus Games, Exordium Games
Degrees of Separation Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch Moondrop Modus Games
2020 Ary and the Secret of Seasons Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Stadia eXiin, Fishing Cactus
Skully Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch Finish Line Games
Them's Fightin' Herds Windows, iOS, Linux Mane6
Lost Words: Beyond the Page Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Stadia Sketchbook Games
Super Animal Royale Windows, Macintosh, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox One & Series X/S, Stadia Pixile Studios Publisher Modus Games (self-published by Pixile Studios as of May 2024)
Override 2: Super Mech League Windows, PlayStation 5 & 4, Xbox Series X & One, Nintendo Switch Modus Studios Brazil (formerly The Balance) Publisher, Developer Modus Games
Remothered: Broken Porcelain Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch Stormind Games
'Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break' 'Windows', 'PlayStation 4', 'Xbox One', 'Nintendo Switch', 'Stadia' 'ACE Team', 'Giant Monkey Robot' 'Publisher' 'Modus Games'
'Rustler' 'Windows', 'PlayStation 5 & 4', 'Xbox Series X & One', 'Nintendo Switch' 'Modus Games', 'PlayWay'
'Cris Tales' 'Windows', 'PlayStation 5 & 4', 'Xbox Series X & One', 'Nintendo Switch', 'Stadia' 'Dreams Uncorporated', 'SYCK' 'Modus Games'
'In Sound Mind' 'Windows', 'PlayStation 5', 'Xbox Series X', 'Nintendo Switch' 'We Create Stuff' 'Modus Games'
'Soulstice (video game)' 'Windows', 'PlayStation 5', 'Xbox Series X' 'Reply Game Studios' 'Modus Games'
'Teslagrad 2' 'Windows', 'PlayStation 4 & 5', 'Xbox One & Series X/S', 'Switch' 'Rain Games' 'Publisher'
'Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons' 'Secret Base', 'Arc System Works' 'Publisher'
'Paleo Pines' 'Italic Pig' 'Publisher'
'Until Then' (2024) 'Windows', 'Linux', 'PlayStation 5' 'Polychroma Games' 'Maximum Entertainment'
'Maximum Football' (2025) 'Windows', 'PlayStation 5', 'Xbox Series X/S' 'Invictus Games'

Distributed games

External links

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