4J Studios shifts to more original intellectual properties like Manic Mechanics

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4J Studios has been making games for other companies since 2005. But more and more, we’ll see it stepping out on its own with original intellectual properties, according to Chris van der Kuyl, cofounder of the game developer and publisher.

Van der Kuyl walked me through the company’s 18-year history. 4J Studios has had 16 titles published over the years. It made 17 mash-up games, seven mini games, 30 skin packs and 11 texture packs. It won 11 international awards and its games have been played by 150 million players.

And last month, the Dundee, Scotland-based 4J published Manic Mechanics, a couch co-op game for the Nintendo Switch. The title is the company’s first self-published game, and it’s a typical game for 4J with a focus on enabling everyone to play. In the comedic game, you have to prove that you can keep up with your friends and show off your skills as a mechanic faced with one task after another. It’s a lot like Overcooked or Diner Dash in that respect. 4J has even created its own game engine for the game.

This decision on doing games on your own or making games for others is getting to be an important decision for game companies. During the economic downturn, some companies like Warner Bros Games and Take-Two Interactive have said they’ll focus on well-known franchises rather than original IPs. They are being very careful about taking risks. So it’s interesting to see 4J go in the opposite direction, investing in new IPs as well as its own engine. It turns out that, the more