Fishlabs GmbH (formerly Fishlabs Entertainment GmbH and Deep Silver Fishlabs) is a German video game developer based in Hamburg. Founded in 2004 by Michael Schade and Christian Lohr, the studio is best known for its Galaxy on Fire series.[2] Following a brief bankruptcy proceeding, Fishlabs was acquired by Koch Media and reorganized as part of their game publishing label Deep Silver.
History
Michael Schade and Christian Lohr opened Fishlabs in 2004, incorporated under the name Fishlabs Entertainment GmbH.[3] That same year, the company received a round of financing, which allowed them to pay for development expenses for several years while generating revenue from their releases.[4] It developed advergames like Barclaycard's Waterslide Extreme.[5] In May 2010, Fishlabs planned a series B round and announced its plans to move into the massively multiplayer online games market.[6]
By mid-2013, Fishlabs had run out of money; in October, 25 jobs were cut before the company went into self-administration.[4] On 2 December, media company Koch Media announced that it had acquired Fishlabs, which would henceforth operate as the dedicated mobile studio for its game publishing label, Deep Silver.[3] As the agreement was an asset deal, all of Fishlabs' assets, including 52 employees, were transferred to Koch Media and incorporated in a new division, called Deep Silver Fishlabs.[4] The company's former legal entity, Fishlabs Entertainment GmbH, was to be dissolved, and both founders left the company.[3] Schade and Lohr left the company and founded Everspace developer Rockfish Games.[7] As result of the change in ownership, and the associated financial stability, Fishlabs also moved into video game publishing.[4]
In March 2022, Fishlabs received €5.5 million in funding from the German government for the company's Project Black. Described as a third-person action game, the project was expected to be completed by August 2026.[8] By January 2023, the company employed 95 people.[9] In September, Embracer Group, the parent company of Koch Media (now known as Plaion), underwent cost cutting restructuring. Project Black was cancelled and about 12 employees were laid off.[10]
Fishlabs then pitched a new Red Faction game following the closure of series developer Volition. Despite initial positive reception, the title was cancelled in November 2023 and around 50 Fishlabs employees were laid off.[10][11]
^Fröhlich, Petra (15 August 2024). "Die größten Games-Studios in Deutschland 2024" [The largest game studios in Germany in 2024]. GamesWirtschaft (in German). Archived from the original on 15 August 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
