WayForward
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | March 1990 |
| Founder | Voldi Way |
| Headquarters | Valencia, California , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Matt Bozon (Creative Director) |
| Products | Video games, including the Shantae series |
| Website | wayforward |
WayForward Technologies, Inc. is an independent American video game developer and publisher based in Valencia, California. Established in March 1990 by entrepreneur Voldi Way, the firm initially focused on creating games for platforms such as the Super NES and Sega Genesis, alongside TV games and educational software for PCs. After a reorganization in 1997 to operate as a contracted developer for other publishers, WayForward developed original intellectual properties, most notably the flagship Shantae series, which debuted on the Game Boy Color and was published by Capcom. Their development work spans a wide range of platforms including Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, 3DS, PlayStation Vita, WiiWare, Nintendo Switch, PC, and mobile devices.
History
Voldi Way founded the company in 1990 after his earlier ventures in software. Initially, WayForward concentrated on producing titles for consoles and handheld devices while also developing educational programs for PC and Leapster systems. In 1994, the company formed a collaboration with American Education Publishing to produce licensed educational software, earning recognition for innovation at the 1995 Consumer Electronics Show. By 1997, WayForward resumed work as a "developer for hire," securing consistent projects through smaller contracts.
In 2002, WayForward launched Shantae, its first self-owned intellectual property title; although it garnered critical praise, its commercial performance was limited due to its late release on the Game Boy Color platform. The company ventured into Nintendo DS development early but encountered difficulties obtaining publishing agreements for sequels to Shantae. Contract projects during this period included THQ’s Ping Pals (2004) for Nintendo DS and Justice League Heroes: The Flash (2006) on Game Boy Advance; both received mixed critical responses.
WayForward broadened its Nintendo DS portfolio with games like Looney Tunes: Duck Amuck, followed by WiiWare offerings such as Lit (2009). They introduced new original IPs including Mighty Flip Champs! (DSiWare, 2009) and puzzle-platformer titles like Mighty Milky Way and the Mighty Switch Force! series available on the 3DS eShop. Licensed productions featured titles such as Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why'd You Steal Our Garbage?! (2012) and Regular Show: Mordecai and Rigby in 8-Bit Land (2013).
The Shantae franchise progressed with releases like Shantae and the Pirate's Curse (2014) on various Nintendo consoles and a crowdfunded follow-up entitled Shantae: Half-Genie Hero (2016). An April Fools’ joke concept evolved into a full game release titled Cat Girl Without Salad! (2016). In 2017, WayForward published the game Mystik Belle for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Looking forward, creative director Matt Bozon has indicated interest in producing a 3D installment of the Shantae series, suggesting potential future growth of the franchise into three-dimensional gameplay.
Games
| Year | Title | Platforms | Co-developed with | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | FunPack | PC | ||
| 1994 | Mickey's Ultimate Challenge | Sega Genesis, Super NES, Game Boy, Game Gear, Master System | ||
| My Paint: The Animated Paint Program | Sega CD | |||
| 1997 | Star Warped | PC | ||
| 1998 | FunPack 3D | |||
| Casper: Animated Activity Center | ||||
| Microshaft Winblows 98 | ||||
| Outburst | ||||
| 1999 | The Land Before Time: Preschool Adventure | |||
| Life's Little Lessons with The Berenstain Bears: How to Get Along with Your Fellow Bear | ||||
| Xtreme Sports Arcade: Summer Edition | ||||
| 2000 | Xtreme Sports | Game Boy Color | ||
| Bear in the Big Blue House: Bear's Sense of Adventure | Windows | |||
| Delirium | ||||
| Sabrina: The Animated Series: Zapped! | Game Boy Color | |||
| 2001 | Sabrina: The Animated Series: Spooked! | |||
| Pearl Harbor: Defend the Fleet | Windows | |||
| Wendy: Every Witch Way | Game Boy Color | |||
| WWF Betrayal | ||||
| 2002 | Shantae | |||
| The Scorpion King: Sword of Osiris | Game Boy Advance | |||
| Godzilla: Domination | ||||
| Windows | ||||
| Game Boy Advance | ||||
| Nintendo DS | ||||
| rowspan="7"|Game Boy Advance | ||||
| Nintendo DS | ||||
| Game Boy Advance | ||||
| rowspan="2"| Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS | ||||
| rowspan="4"| Nintendo DS | ||||
| Leapfrog Didj, Leapster Explorer | ||||
| Leapfrog Didj | ||||
| WiiWare, iOS, Android, Windows | ||||
| DSiWare | ||||
| Wii, Nintendo Switch | ||||
| Nintendo DS | ||||
| Nintendo DS, Wii, Windows | ||||
| ' '[[Galactic Taz Ball]' ' | rowspan="2"| Nintendo DS | |||
| Nintendo DS, Wii | ||||
| DSiWare, iOS | ||||
| ' 'SpongeBob SquigglePants' ' | rowspan="2"| Nintendo 3DS, Wii | |||
| Nintendo DS | ||||
| DSiWare | ||||
| PlayStation Minis | ||||
| Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Windows | ||||
| Nintendo DS | ||||
| Nintendo 3DS | ||||
| rowspan="2"| Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS | ||||
| ' 'Hotel Transylvania' ' | ||||
| Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Windows, Nintendo Switch | ||||
| PlayStation Vita | ||||
| Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS | ||||
| Wii U, Windows | ||||
| ' 'The Smurfs 2: The Video Game' ' | PlayStation 3, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360 | |||
| Multiple platforms including Wii U, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Windows, iOS, Android, Windows Phone | ||||
| Nintendo 3DS | ||||
| Multiple platforms including Wii U, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows, Nintendo 3DS | ||||
| Wii U, Nintendo 3DS | ||||
| ' Drawn to Life' | iOS | |||
| Nintendo 3DS | ||||
| Multiple platforms including Wii U, PlayStation consoles, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Windows, Amazon Fire TV, Nintendo 3DS | ||||
| Multiple platforms including PlayStation consoles, Xbox One, Nintendo 3DS, Windows, PlayStation Vita | ||||
| Nvidia Shield, Mac OS | ||||
| Windows, Nintendo 3DS | ||||
| Multiple platforms including Windows, PlayStation consoles, Wii U, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One | ||||
| PlayStation consoles, Xbox 360, Nintendo 3DS | ||||
| ' Mighty Switch Force! Hose It Down! | iOS, Windows | |||
| Apple Watch | ||||
| iOS, Fire OS | ||||
| iOS, Android | ||||
| Windows | ||||
| Multiple platforms including PlayStation consoles, Xbox consoles, Nintendo Switch, Windows | ||||
| PlayStation consoles, Xbox consoles' | ||||
| iOS', Android' | ||||
| ' Cat Girl Without Salad: Amuse-Bouche' | Windows', Nintendo Switch' | |||
| Multiple platforms including Wii U', PlayStation consoles', Xbox One', Windows', Nintendo Switch', PlayStation Vita |
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Cancelled games
- After the debut of the original Shantae, WayForward initially pursued a 3D follow-up for the GameCube during the early 2000s but ultimately redirected their efforts toward developing a handheld sequel.
- A separate project titled Shantae: Risky Waters was intended for the Nintendo DS, designed to take advantage of the system’s dual-screen feature through innovative gameplay mechanics. Nevertheless, this title was discontinued due to an inability to obtain publishing support.