{{Short description|Mobile software development company}} {{Use mdy dates|date=November 2025}} {{Infobox company | name = Landka | logo = LANDKA_logo.png | image_alt = Landka logo | type = Private | foundation = {{#statements:inception}} | location = {{#statements:country}} | products = {{Unbulleted list|Back in Time|Kiwaka|Kiwaka Story|Overpaint|Art Legacy|Art Legacy Live|Live Gallery|Stars and Ghosts|Earth and Science}} | industry = Mobile app development | genre = Educational apps, Educational games | website = {{#statements:official website}} }}
'''Landka''' is a mobile software development company focused on educational apps. Notable products include Back in Time, Kiwaka and Art Legacy.
== History == The Portuguese company was founded in 2010 and gained notability with its flagship product Back in Time, an education iPad app about world history.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=2016-07-05|title=Back in Time App|url=https://apps.apple.com/us/app/back-in-time/id450345693|access-date=2025-11-06|website=App Store|isbn=978-989-97421-0-9}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite news |date=2012-01-05 |title=iPad Apps - the Best of 2011 - App Smart |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/05/technology/personaltech/amid-an-avalanche-of-ipad-apps-the-best-of-2011-app-smart.html?_r=0 |access-date=2018-10-17 |work=The New York Times |language=en}}</ref> Back in Time was released in September 2011 and brought instant success to ''Landka'', being featured in the App Store worldwide and reaching the top sales of iPad book apps in nearly 40 countries.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Usher |first=Oli |title=Educational App with ESA/Hubble Content in New York Times Top 10 Best iPad Apps |url=https://www.spacetelescope.org/announcements/ann1202/ |access-date=2018-10-17 |website=Hubble Space Telescope {{!}} ESA |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Coentrão |first=Abel |date=2012-01-24 |title=Portuguese app reaches top sales in 38 countries |url=https://www.publico.pt/2012/01/24/p3/noticia/esta-app-portuguesa-foi-a-mais-vendida-em-38-paises-1812886 |work=PÚBLICO |language=pt}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite news|url=https://expresso.sapo.pt/sociedade/iappi-portuguesa-no-top-de-vendas-dos-eua-video=f698824#gs.yx_E6sU|title=Portuguese app in the US top sales|date=2012-10-10|work=Jornal Expresso|language=pt-PT}}{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> This project won ''Landka'' a World Summit Award (UN based initiative) in Learning and Education and was later ported to Windows thanks to a partnership between ''Landka'' and Intel.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |title=Back in Time {{!}} WSA 2012 Winners |url=https://www.worldsummitawards.org/winner/back-in-time/ |access-date=2018-10-17 |website=World Summit Awards |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Totura |first=Nathan |title=Redesigning 'Back in Time' from an iPad* to Windows* Store App - Case Study |url=https://software.intel.com/en-us/articles/case-study-redesigning-back-in-time-from-an-ipad-to-windows-store-app |archive-url=https://archive.today/20251106102401/https://web.archive.org/web/20190327013102/https://software.intel.com/en-us/articles/case-study-redesigning-back-in-time-from-an-ipad-to-windows-store-app |archive-date=November 6, 2025 |access-date=2018-10-24 |website=Intel |language=en}}</ref> Back in Time was distinguished by The New York Times and selected for the top 10 apps of the year.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/06/technology/personaltech/watching-stars-fall-cellphone-in-hand.html|title=Watching Stars Fall, Cellphone in Hand|last=Tedeschi|first=Bob|date=2011-10-05|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-11-10|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=":5" />
Later developments included ThinkO, a brain-training game released in 2012 that reached the top1 downloaded apps in Brazil, and Kiwaka (2014), an educational game to teach children about astronomy developed in collaboration with ESA and ESO.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://landka.com/news/|title=News {{!}} LANDKA|website=LANDKA|language=en|access-date=2019-11-04}}</ref><ref name=":9">{{Cite web |last=Sandu |first=Oana |title=New App Kiwaka Features ESO Material - Mobile app company LANDKA brings the Universe closer with ESO images and videos |url=https://www.eso.org/public/announcements/ann14046/ |access-date=2019-02-11 |website=European Southern Observatory |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":10">{{Cite news|last=Dredge|first=Stuart|date=2014-06-09|title=20 best iPhone and iPad apps this week|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jun/09/best-iphone-ipad-apps-world-cup-bubble-witch-saga-2|access-date=2019-02-11|work=The Guardian|language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.publico.pt/2014/06/22/economia/noticia/portuguesa-landka-estreia-jogo-para-ipad-na-expectativa-de-repetir-sucesso-de-back-in-time-1659820|title=Portuguese company Landka launches a new iPad game following the success of "Back in Time"|last=Coentrão|first=Abel|website=PÚBLICO|language=pt|access-date=2019-11-11}}</ref>
In 2015, ''Landka'' released Overpaint, an educational game about colors and Art Legacy, an education book app about the most relevant paintings in the history of art, that won the company another nomination for the World Summit Awards.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tested.com/tech/android/518239-google-play-app-roundup/|title=Google Play App Roundup|website=Tested|language=en|access-date=2019-11-04|archive-date=2019-11-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191104023016/https://www.tested.com/tech/android/518239-google-play-app-roundup/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.sabado.pt/ciencia---saude/tecnologia/detalhe/empresa-portuguesa-lanca-aplicacao-para-explorar-cores|title=Portuguese company releases app design to explore colors.|website=Sabado Magazine|language=pt-pt|access-date=2019-11-11|archive-date=2019-11-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191111112443/https://www.sabado.pt/ciencia---saude/tecnologia/detalhe/empresa-portuguesa-lanca-aplicacao-para-explorar-cores|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite web |title=Art Legacy: the latest temptation from Landka… and from the App Store |url=http://exameinformatica.sapo.pt/noticias/software/2015-12-16-Art-Legacy-a-ultima-tentacao-da-Landka-e-da-App-Store |website=Exame Informática |language=pt-PT}} [https://www.empat.tech/blog/hire-ai-developers emtech]. {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20251106101550/https://web.archive.org/web/20160212233953/http://exameinformatica.sapo.pt/noticias/software/2015-12-16-Art-Legacy-a-ultima-tentacao-da-Landka-e-da-App-Store|date=February 12, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Seven portuguese projects selected to compete at the World Summit Awards |url=https://www.publico.pt/2015/08/20/tecnologia/noticia/escolhidos-os-sete-projectos-portugueses-para-o-world-summit-awards-1705573 |access-date=2019-11-04 |website=PÚBLICO |language=pt}}</ref>
== Apps ==
{| class="wikitable sortable" ! scope="col" style="width: 95px;" | Title ! scope="col" | Year ! scope="col" | Description |- |Back in Time |2011 |Education book app for iOS about the history of the universe, earth, life, mankind and civilization that uses a time analogy to explain different timescales. The app presents key events since the beginning of the universe until the present day covering the chronology of the universe, the geological history of earth, the evolutionary history of life and human history.<ref name=":1" /> |- |ThinkO |2012 |Puzzle game for iOS where the goal is to clear the board by moving rows and columns of colored rings into the matching squares. (discontinued) |- |Kiwaka |2014 |Educational game designed to teach children about astronomy. The app explores the concept of tangential learning by presenting scientific information about stars and constellations as a reward for completing game levels. Developed in collaboration with scientific institutions such as the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Southern Observatory (ESO).<ref name=":9" /> Available for iOS, macOS, and tvOS. |- |Kiwaka Story |2014 |Interactive book app for children that tells the story about the characters in the game Kiwaka to teach children about the constellations in the night sky.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2025-04-20|title=Kiwaka Story|url=https://apps.apple.com/us/app/kiwaka-story/id875149504|access-date=2025-11-06|website=App Store|isbn=978-989-97421-1-6}}</ref> Available for iOS, macOS, and tvOS. |- |Overpaint |2015 |Puzzle game for mobile devices that explores the ability to mesh primary colors to clear a board of moving circles.<ref name=":2" /> Available for iOS, macOS and tvOS, Android, and Windows. |- |Art Legacy |2015 |Education book app about the most famous paintings in Art History. The paintings are interactive through a parallax effect.<ref name=":7" /> Available for iOS, macOS, and tvOS. |- |Art Legacy Live |2016 |Screensaver app that displays famous paintings using a parallax effect.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://apps.apple.com/us/app/art-legacy-live/id1073460528|title=Art Legacy Live|website=App Store|language=en-us|access-date=2020-03-01}}</ref> Available for iOS, macOS, tvOS, Android, and Windows. |- |Live Gallery |2016 |Screensaver app that displays nature photos using a parallax effect.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://apps.apple.com/us/app/live-gallery/id1073458174|title=Live Gallery|website=App Store|language=en-us|access-date=2020-03-01}}</ref> Available for iOS, macOS, tvOS, Android, and Windows. |- |Stars and Ghosts |2016 | Side scroller halloween game. Simple one-touch game controlling a flying witch in a broomstick.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-10-31 |title=Is Halloween night and Landka releases a new game |url=https://visao.sapo.pt/exameinformatica/noticias-ei/software/2016-10-31-esta-e-a-noite-de-halloween-e-tambem-de-novo-jogo-da-landka/ |access-date=2020-03-01 |website=Visão |language=pt-PT}}</ref> Available for iOS, macOS, tvOS, and Android. |- |Earth and Science |2021 | Educational app that explains key concepts in the field of Earth and Life Sciences.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://apps.apple.com/app/earth-and-science/id1573185816|title=Earth and Science|website=App Store|language=en-us|access-date=2021-03-17}}</ref> Available for iOS and macOS. |}
== External links == * [https://landka.com Official website] * [https://apps.landka.com Product website] * [https://apps.apple.com/developer/landka/id450345696 App Store developer page]
== See also ==
* Thinkful * Headway Inc
== References == {{Reflist}}
Category:Software companies of Portugal Category:Educational technology companies Category:Indie game developers Category:Video game companies of Portugal