# Failbetter Games > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Failbetter_Games > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Failbetter_Games.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Failbetter_Games > Source revision: 1339656827 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|British video game developer}} {{Infobox company | name = Failbetter Games Ltd | logo = File:Failbetter Games logo.png | type = [Private](/source/Privately_held_company) | foundation = {{Start date and age|df=yes|2009|10}} | founders = [Alexis Kennedy](/source/Alexis_Kennedy)
Paul Arendt | location_city = [London](/source/London) | location_country = [United Kingdom](/source/United_Kingdom) | key_people = Chris Gardiner
[Emily Short](/source/Emily_Short)
Adam Myers
Hannah Flynn | industry = [Video games](/source/Video_game_industry) | products = ''[Fallen London](/source/Fallen_London)
[Sunless Sea](/source/Sunless_Sea)
[Sunless Skies](/source/Sunless_Skies)'' | revenue = | operating_income = | net_income = | num_employees = 15{{cite web |title=About Us |url=https://www.failbettergames.com/about |website=Failbetter Games |access-date=9 June 2025}} | parent = | subsid = | homepage = [http://www.failbettergames.com/ www.failbettergames.com] | footnotes = }} '''Failbetter Games Ltd''' is a British [video game developer](/source/video_game_developer) and [interactive fiction](/source/interactive_fiction) studio based in [London](/source/London). == History == Founded in 2009 by [Alexis Kennedy](/source/Alexis_Kennedy) and Paul Arendt, Failbetter is chiefly known for its ''[Fallen London](/source/Fallen_London)'' Victorian Gothic franchise (comprising, to date, the ''Fallen London'' and ''Silver Tree'' browser games and the ''[Sunless Sea](/source/Sunless_Sea),'' ''[Sunless Skies](/source/Sunless_Skies)'' and ''[Mask of the Rose](/source/Mask_of_the_Rose)'' video games), which has garnered a [cult following](/source/cult_following).{{cite web|title=How a cult-hit browser game spawned the dark world of 'Sunless Sea'|url=https://www.theverge.com/2014/7/14/5898379/sunless-sea|website=www.theverge.com|date=14 July 2014 }} In June 2025, they announced a new game, Mandrake, in development for PC. {{cite web|title=Leaving Fallen London: How Failbetter Games spent several years growing hope and ‘discovering the art of the possible’ in their new eldritch farming sim|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/leaving-fallen-london-how-failbetter-games-spent-several-years-growing-hope-and-discovering-the-art-of-the-possible-in-their-new-eldritch-farming-sim/|website=www.pcgamer.com}} Failbetter was also commissioned by [BioWare](/source/BioWare) to build a browser-game prologue for ''[Dragon Age: Inquisition](/source/Dragon_Age%3A_Inquisition)'',{{cite web|title=The Last Court|url=http://www.pcgamesn.com/dragon-age-3-inquisition/failbetter-games-bridges-the-timeline-to-dragon-age-inquisition-with-the-last-court|website=PC Games N|date=2 November 2014 }} and by UK publisher [Harvill Secker](/source/Harvill_Secker) to create a puzzle game to accompany ''[The Night Circus](/source/The_Night_Circus)''.{{cite web|last=O'Hara|first=Jan|title=Author Interview at Writer Unboxed (Part II)|url=http://writerunboxed.com/2011/09/09/erin-morgenstern-part-ii/|publisher=Writer Unboxed|date=September 9, 2011|accessdate=January 4, 2012}}{{cite web|last=Khan|first=Yasmeen|title=The Night Circus|url=http://blog.failbettergames.com/post/The-Night-Circus.aspx|publisher=Failbetter Games|date=September 1, 2011|accessdate=January 4, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111222171111/http://blog.failbettergames.com/post/The-Night-Circus.aspx|archive-date=December 22, 2011|url-status=dead}} The studio has consistently won acclaim for the quality of its writing, world-building and storytelling.{{cite web|title=Best Words of 2014|url=http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/12/15/best-writing-2014-sunless-sea/|website=Rock Paper Shotgun|date=15 December 2014 |last1=Hivemind |first1=R. P. S. }}{{cite news|title=The City and the Sea|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-04-06-the-city-and-the-sea-the-story-of-failbetter-games|newspaper=Eurogamer.net|date=6 April 2014 }} In 2016, [Alexis Kennedy](/source/Alexis_Kennedy) left Failbetter, citing a desire to work with a variety of other studios and work on his own smaller, more experimental projects.{{cite web| url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2016-05-25-alexis-kennedy-leaving-failbetter-games| title=Alexis Kennedy leaving Failbetter Games| author=Brendan Sinclair| date=25 May 2016}} In February 2017, Failbetter ran a successful Kickstarter for a sequel to ''Sunless Sea'', ''Sunless Skies'', raising almost half a million dollars. However, December that same year Failbetter unexpectedly laid off four members of staff, citing the under-performance of the ''Sunless Sea'' [iPad](/source/iPad) port, and poor sales of their ''[Sunless Skies](/source/Sunless_Skies)'' in [early access](/source/early_access).{{cite web| url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/02/07/failbetter-layoffs/| title=Failbetter lay off a few staff and delay Sunless Skies| author=Alice O'Connor| work=[Rock, Paper, Shotgun](/source/Rock%2C_Paper%2C_Shotgun)| date=7 February 2018}}{{cite web| url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-02-14-behind-the-sunless-scenes| title=Behind the sunless scenes| author=Tom Phillips| work=[Eurogamer](/source/Eurogamer)| date=2018-02-14| accessdate=2018-04-06}} Failbetter was subsequently the target of an extensive but inconclusive investigative report by ''[Eurogamer](/source/Eurogamer)'', which cited Kennedy and other unnamed staff in claiming poor management and a 'toxic' culture had developed since Kennedy's departure.{{cite web| url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-02-14-behind-the-sunless-scenes| title=Behind the sunless scenes| author=Tom Phillips| work=[Eurogamer](/source/Eurogamer)| date=2018-02-14| accessdate=2023-08-24}} GamesIndustry.biz awarded Failbetter Games for being one of the best places to work in the games industry in the UK in 2017, 2019, 2020, and 2021.{{cite web | url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/best-places-to-work-2017?page=2 | title=Page 2 | Revealed: The Best Places to Work in the UK games industry | date=22 September 2017 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/best-places-to-work-2019?page=2 | title=Page 2 | Meet the best places to work in the UK video games industry 2019 | date=20 September 2019 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/here-are-the-winners-of-the-gamesindustry-biz-2020-uk-best-places-to-work-awards | title=Here are the winners of the GamesIndustry.biz 2020 UK Best Places to Work Awards | date=18 September 2020 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/who-are-the-2021-best-places-to-work-in-the-uk-games-industry | title=Who are the 2021 best places to work in the UK games industry? | date=16 September 2021 }} On 8 June 2023 Failbetter released a romantic visual novel set in the ''Fallen London'' universe called ''[Mask of the Rose](/source/Mask_of_the_Rose)'', which is a prequel to the other games in the franchise.{{cite web |last=Frech|first=Ricky|date=December 2, 2020|url=https://www.dualshockers.com/failbetter-games-mask-of-the-rose-project/|title=Failbetter Games Announce Next Game in the Fallen London Universe|publisher=Dualshockers|accessdate=December 3, 2020}} == Games developed == {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Platform(s) |- ! 2009 | ''[Fallen London](/source/Fallen_London)'' | [Android](/source/Android_(operating_system)), [Browser](/source/Browser_game), [iOS](/source/iOS) |- ! 2012 | ''[Tales of Fallen London: The Silver Tree](/source/Fallen_London)'' | rowspan="2" | [Browser](/source/Browser_game) |- ! 2014 | ''[Dragon Age: The Last Court](/source/Dragon_Age)'' |- ! 2015 | ''[Sunless Sea](/source/Sunless_Sea)'' | [iOS](/source/iOS), [Linux](/source/Linux), [Microsoft Windows](/source/Microsoft_Windows), [Nintendo Switch](/source/Nintendo_Switch), [OS X](/source/OS_X), [PlayStation 4](/source/PlayStation_4) |- ! 2016 | ''Zubmariner'' | [Linux](/source/Linux), [Microsoft Windows](/source/Microsoft_Windows), [OS X](/source/OS_X) |- ! 2019 | ''[Sunless Skies](/source/Sunless_Skies)'' | [Linux](/source/Linux), [macOS](/source/macOS), [Microsoft Windows](/source/Microsoft_Windows), [Xbox One](/source/Xbox_One), [PlayStation 4](/source/PlayStation_4), [Nintendo Switch](/source/Nintendo_Switch) |- !2023 |''[Mask of the Rose](/source/Mask_of_the_Rose)'' |[Linux](/source/Linux), [macOS](/source/macOS), [Microsoft Windows](/source/Microsoft_Windows) |- !TBA |''Mandrake'' |[Linux](/source/Linux), [macOS](/source/macOS), [Microsoft Windows](/source/Microsoft_Windows) |} ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== *{{official|http://www.failbettergames.com/}} {{Failbetter Games}} Category:Companies based in the London Borough of Southwark Category:Video game companies established in 2010 Category:Video game companies of the United Kingdom Category:Video game development companies --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Failbetter Games](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Failbetter_Games) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Failbetter_Games?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.