 | |
| Type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 2006 (2006) |
| Founders | Ole Teglbjærg Rune Dittmer Mikkel Thorsted |
| Defunct | 10 March 2016 (2016-03-10) |
| Fate | Closed by Microsoft Studios Brand; acquired by Flashbulb Games |
| Successor | Flashbulb Games |
| Headquarters | Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Owner | Microsoft (2012–2016) |
| Parent | Microsoft Studios (2012–2016) |
| Website | pressplay |
Press Play ApS was a Danish video game development studio based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Over the course of its 10-year lifespan from 2006 to 2016, Press Play released five titles, including Max & the Magic Marker, Max: The Curse of Brotherhood, and Kalimba.
History
Press Play was formed by Ole Teglbjærg, Rune Dittmer, and Mikkel Thorsted in Copenhagen in 2006. The three formed the studio after graduating from Roskilde University. They initially did contract work and internet advertising in order to fund game development.1 Their first game was platformer Max & the Magic Marker.23
In 2012, the studio was acquired by Microsoft and made part of its Microsoft Studios portfolio.12 Under Microsoft, Press Play was able to expand its team and develop Max: The Curse of the Brotherhood as a reimagining of its original game.3 It also developed co-op platformer Kalimba,4 which was nominated for a BAFTA Games Award for best original property in 2015.5
In 2015, the studio polled the gaming community to choose its next project. Project Knoxville, a third-person multiplayer action game, was selected over Project Karoo and Project Dwarka.26 The original concept for Deep Rock Galactic from Ghost Ship Games was developed at this time.1
Years later, Teglbjærg would recall that after Microsoft had acquired Minecraft developer Mojang Studios in 2014, Press Play lost many of the resources and much of the support it had under Microsoft.1
Flashbulb Games
On 7 March 2016, Microsoft announced it would close Press Play and cancel Knoxville.7 The studio had more than 35 employees at the time.8
After closing, the founders of Press Play formed a new studio, called Flashbulb Games, in April 2016.8 In November, the new studio announced it had acquired Press Play's library of games to republish Kalimba, Tentacles: Enter the Mind, and Max: The Curse of Brotherhood under the Flashbulb name.9101112 The new company received funding from Nordisk Games.13
Flashbulb went on to release Trailmakers, a sandbox vehicle building simulator, in 2018. It went on to have five million players across multiple platforms.1 It released the multiplayer brawler game Rubber Bandits in 2021.14 In November, Nordisk acquired 100% ownership of the company.13 Trailmakers: Pioneers, a major update of the original game, was released in 2025.115
Games
| Title | Year | Platform(s) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Android | iOS | Mac OS | Nintendo DS | PSN | Wii | Microsoft Windows | Windows Phone | Xbox 360 | Xbox One | ||
| Max & the Magic Marker | 2010 | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Tentacles: Enter the Dolphin | 2012 | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Max: The Curse of Brotherhood | 2013 | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Tentacles: Enter the Mind | 2014 | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Kalimba | 2014 | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Knoxville | Cancelled | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Dwarka | Cancelled | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Karoo | Cancelled | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes |
References
References
- Hansen, Jakob (2025-03-12). "Flashbulb Games: The Pros and Cons of Independence". Gamereactor UK. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
- Sinclair, Brendan (March 7, 2016). "Lionhead closing, Fable Legends cancelled". Gamesindustry.biz. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
- Crapple, Craig (February 10, 2014). "From indie to in-house: Press Play's journey to becoming a first-party Microsoft studio". Develop. Archived from the original on March 10, 2014. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
- "Press Play's Kalimba Rocks onto Xbox One this December". XBOX Wire. 2014-11-13. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
- Stuart, Keith (2015-02-10). "British Academy Games Awards 2015 – the full nominations list". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
- "Flashbulb's Trailmakers channels the spirit of Max and the Magic Marker". MCV Developer. 2017-09-14. ISSN 1469-4832. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
- Jarvis, Matthew (March 7, 2016). "Lionhead ceases Fable Legends development, considering closure". Develop. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
- Osborn, George (2017-05-11). "Press Replay: Rune Dittmer of Flashbulb Games". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
- "Flashbulb Games reboots Press Play titles". www.gamasutra.com. November 10, 2016. Archived from the original on January 11, 2019. Retrieved 2019-01-10.
- Valentin, Christian (2017-05-09). "Kalimba brings cooperative puzzle platformer to iOS this year". www.pocketgamer.com. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
- Treese, Tyler (2017-09-14). "Microsoft Studios Published Xbox One Title Max: The Curse of Brotherhood Coming to PS4". PlayStation LifeStyle. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
- Watson, Eric (2017-12-26). "Max: The Curse of Brotherhood Arrives on Switch". Pixelkin. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
- Miller, George (2021-11-29). "Nordisk Games acquires Flashbulb Games, creators of Trailmakers, the innovative physics-based, open-world build-em-up". European Gaming Industry News. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
- Kerr, Chris (December 16, 2024). "Flashbulb Games confirms layoffs after scrapping unannounced project". Game Developer. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
- "Flashbulb Games Launches Trailmakers: Pioneers on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation, a Massive 2.0 Update for their Vehicle Building Game". Games Press. June 3, 2025. Retrieved 2026-07-12.