Halfbrick Studios was founded 14 years ago by five passionate young gamers and in 2010, their highly addictive fruit-slicing ninja game took the world by storm.
To date, Fruit Ninja has been downloaded more than 1 billion times, making it the second highest-selling game of all time on the iOS platform.
Halfbrick Studios followed the success of Fruit Ninja with Age of Zombies, kicking off the successful Barry Steakfries game franchise in 2010–11, which included new games such as Jetpack Joyride and Monster Dash.
In 2012, Halfbrick expanded its operations into Spain and the USA, and opened an office in Bulgaria to manage the company’s European operations. The same year, Halfbrick entered into a strategic partnership with a NASDAQ-listed Chinese company, iDreamsky, to localise its games for the Chinese market. Foreign sales currently account for 90 per cent of Halfbrick’s annual revenue.
Halfbrick’s success has seen the company grow from 20 people in Brisbane to a global business employing 106 people. Three hubs for game development are located in Brisbane, Madrid and Sydney, while two strategic sales pods are located in Bulgaria and Los Angeles.
The company develops game apps predominantly for mobile devices, but has also released games on platforms such as Game Boy Advance, Xbox 360 and PlayStation. Its games are distributed via the Apple App Store, Amazon and Google Play.
Halfbrick Studios has developed new revenue stream by diversifying into publishing, releasing high-quality games by independent studios that complement its portfolio and company brand. It also invests in start-ups with innovative technology.
This is the second year in a row Halfbrick Studios has won the Online Sales Award. Judges praised the company’s strong diversification strategy, which has seen it thrive for over a decade in a rapidly evolving and ever-changing marketplace.
To learn more about Halfbrick Studios and its success, read the case study.