AmnesiaGames

AmnesiaGames is an independent video-game development company founded in Santiago, Chile, in 2006 by Alejandro Woywood. Its origins are closely linked to higher education: Woywood taught a video-game creation course at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, and the company’s first employees were among the strongest students from that course. This educational connection helped shape the studio as a technically oriented, locally rooted developer rather than as a branch of a large international publisher. The company initially concentrated on games and applications for mobile phones, working with technologies that were common before the smartphone transition, including J2ME, SMS and WML. It grew organically by producing projects for third parties, including foreign game developers and Chilean mobile operators such as Entel and Claro Chile. Between 2007 and 2012, it also created and operated mobile portals for Entel and Claro Chile. The software supporting those portals was reported to handle approximately 20 million page views per month, although this figure is historical and does not describe current activity. A significant early milestone came in 2010, when AmnesiaGames won a regional Nokia competition with Ninja Joe. The game was distributed for J2ME devices through the Nokia Store. According to an account attributed to the company’s chief executive, it approached 1.5 million downloads and reached top-ten positions in some Asian markets. Following the contest, AmnesiaGames became a development partner of Nokia Chile and spent approximately two years producing games and applications for J2ME and Symbian devices. The company changed direction in 2012 as the mobile market moved toward iOS and Android. Drawing on its experience with fragmentation across older mobile platforms, AmnesiaGames developed an internal cross-platform technology called APE, short for Amnesia Programming Engine. The engine was designed for two-dimensional games and could export projects to several environments, including iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Windows 8, HTML5 and Flash. This technology supported the studio’s effort to reuse game development work across a wider range of devices and storefronts. A new multiplatform version of Ninja Joe was released in December 2012, while the earlier J2ME edition became known as Ninja Joe Classic. The newer version appeared across a broad collection of stores and ecosystems, including Apple’s App Store, Google Play, Windows Phone, Windows 8, Amazon, BlackBerry 10, BlackBerry PlayBook and Samsung Apps. It received promotional visibility from several platform and hardware companies during 2013, including Amazon, Lenovo, Samsung and Microsoft Chile. AmnesiaGames also produced licensed and commissioned entertainment projects. In February 2013 it released a game based on the Chilean television series 31 Minutos, commissioned by Claro Chile. The project was developed under a highly compressed schedule so that it could be available for a 31 Minutos appearance at the Festival de Viña. The team used a collection of short microgames and worked with Aplaplac, the creators and rights holders of the television series, on characters, dialogue and new content. The title reached strong rankings in Chile and Mexico and was featured by Apple in May 2013. Other projects listed in public descriptions include Facebook games such as GirlyGirl and World of Doodles, Symbian titles including Ciudad McDonald’s, Ninja Joe Undercover and Balloon Buster, the J2ME game Combate Politico, and Shooting Range Simulator, a C++ project made for the Chilean Army. The studio also reported additional projects covered by non-disclosure agreements. Public information does not reliably establish AmnesiaGames’ present ownership, staff size, active product portfolio, or operating status. It is therefore best characterized as a historically documented Chilean independent developer whose most visible public activity occurred during the feature-phone and early smartphone eras.

AmnesiaGames was established in Santiago in 2006 by Alejandro Woywood, an instructor in video-game creation at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. The company’s earliest staff came from the highest-performing students in his course, giving the studio a distinctive connection to Chile’s emerging game-development and software-education community. Its first business model centered on feature-phone games and mobile applications. The studio used J2ME, SMS and WML and produced work for outside clients, including international developers and Chilean telecommunications operators. From 2007 through 2012, it built and operated mobile portals for Entel and Claro Chile. Those services were reported to generate about 20 million monthly page views in aggregate, demonstrating that the company’s activities extended beyond standalone games into mobile software infrastructure and content delivery. In 2010, the company won a regional Nokia contest with Ninja Joe. The title was distributed through the Nokia Store for J2ME devices. A company-attributed account stated that the game came close to 1.5 million downloads and entered top-ten rankings in parts of Asia. The result helped AmnesiaGames become a partner developer for Nokia Chile, for which it produced a series of J2ME and Symbian applications over the following two years. The rapid shift toward smartphones prompted a strategic change in 2012. AmnesiaGames began targeting iOS and Android while also seeking a technical response to the fragmentation of competing operating systems and storefronts. Its engineers created APE, or Amnesia Programming Engine, an internally developed tool for two-dimensional games. The engine used a C++-like scripting language and was designed to export projects to iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Windows 8, HTML5 and Flash. The first major title built on APE was a new version of Ninja Joe, released in December 2012. The earlier feature-phone edition was subsequently identified as Ninja Joe Classic. The newer release was made available through a broad range of distribution channels, including Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, BlackBerry and Samsung platforms. During 2013 it received promotional placement or editorial attention from Amazon, Lenovo, Samsung and Microsoft Chile. In parallel, AmnesiaGames developed projects tied to Chilean consumer brands and media properties. Its 31 Minutos game, commissioned by Claro Chile and released in February 2013, was created in only several weeks for an appearance by the television show at the Festival de Viña. The design used a microgame format. The development team generated a large pool of concepts, prototyped a smaller selection on paper and completed 50 microgames for the final product. New interviews, dialogue and characters were produced with the participation of Aplaplac, the creators and rights holders of 31 Minutos. The game performed strongly in Chile and Mexico and was featured by Apple later that year. The company’s publicly listed work also includes Facebook titles, Symbian games, a C++ shooting-range simulator made for the Chilean Army and other confidential projects. AmnesiaGames was a founding member of VideoGamesChile, a Chilean video-game industry association, and its chief executive served as the association’s first president. The company was also associated with GECHS, a Chilean software-industry group, and participated in game-development and entrepreneurship events. Available reference material documents the company’s activities particularly well through the early 2010s but does not establish its current ownership, leadership roster, website, product availability or operational status. Later developments should therefore be researched separately rather than inferred from its historical releases.

• 2013

  31 Minutos game released

  [1]AmnesiaGamesen.wikipedia.org

  The company launched a game based on 31 Minutos after a rapid commissioned development process for Claro Chile.

• 2012

  Strategic move to smartphone platforms

  [1]AmnesiaGamesen.wikipedia.org

  AmnesiaGames refocused on iOS and Android and developed its proprietary APE cross-platform engine.

• 2012

  New Ninja Joe launches

  [1]AmnesiaGamesen.wikipedia.org

  The first game made with APE, a multiplatform version of Ninja Joe, was released in December.

• 2010

  Ninja Joe wins Nokia regional contest

  [1]AmnesiaGamesen.wikipedia.org

  Ninja Joe won a regional Nokia competition and was distributed through the Nokia Store for J2ME devices.

• 2007

  Mobile portal work begins

  [1]AmnesiaGamesen.wikipedia.org

  The company began creating and operating mobile portals for Chilean operators including Entel and Claro Chile.

• 2006

  Company founded in Santiago

  [1]AmnesiaGamesen.wikipedia.org

  Alejandro Woywood founded AmnesiaGames in Santiago, initially drawing staff from students in his university video-game creation course.

An independent Chilean game developer focused on mobile, web and cross-platform 2D games, with experience in commissioned projects, licensed entertainment properties and technology intended to simplify multi-platform deployment.

• Mobile and cross-platform video game · 2010

  Ninja Joe

  AmnesiaGames’ best-known game series. The original version was released for J2ME phones and later identified as Ninja Joe Classic. A redesigned multiplatform edition released in December 2012 used the company’s APE engine and was distributed across iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Windows 8, Amazon, BlackBerry and Samsung channels.

• Licensed mobile video game · 2013

  31 Minutos

  A game based on the Chilean television series 31 Minutos and commissioned by Claro Chile. It used a microgame structure, included new interviews and dialogue, and was developed in collaboration with Aplaplac, the series’ creators and rights holders. The game was released in February 2013 and performed strongly in Chile and Mexico.

• Facebook game · 2013

  GirlyGirl

  A social-network game listed among AmnesiaGames’ Facebook projects. Public reference material identifies the platform and year but provides little further information about its mechanics, audience or continued availability.

• Facebook game · 2012

  World of Doodles

  A Facebook game developed by AmnesiaGames and listed among its 2012 projects. Publicly available reference material does not provide enough detail to describe its gameplay or current availability.

• Symbian mobile game · 2011

  Ciudad McDonald’s

  A branded or commissioned mobile title listed among the company’s Symbian-era projects. The available reference identifies the platform and approximate release period but does not document its detailed content or commercial arrangement.

• Simulation and training software · 2009

  Shooting Range Simulator

  A C++ project made for the Chilean Army. It demonstrates that AmnesiaGames’ work extended beyond consumer entertainment into commissioned simulation or training software.

• 201331 Minutos launch and platform promotion

  Chile · Mexico

  The 31 Minutos game was developed for Claro Chile around a major public appearance by the television property and subsequently received platform visibility, including an Apple feature.

  Outcome. The game reached strong rankings in Chile and Mexico and gained promotional attention from Apple.

  Source
• 2010Nokia regional contest and Ninja Joe promotion

  Latin America · Asia · International mobile markets

  AmnesiaGames entered and won a regional Nokia contest with Ninja Joe. The game was then distributed through the Nokia Store, reportedly gaining substantial downloads and strong rankings in some Asian markets.

  Outcome. The result led to a development-partner relationship with Nokia Chile and additional J2ME and Symbian work.

  Source

• 2012

  Refocus from feature phones to smartphone and multiplatform developmentStrategy

  Background

  The company faced the industry transition from J2ME and Symbian phones toward iOS and Android, while also confronting fragmentation among newer platforms.

  Action taken

  AmnesiaGames shifted its development strategy toward iOS and Android and built the APE engine to export two-dimensional games to several platforms.

  Aftermath

  The strategy produced the multiplatform Ninja Joe release and expanded the range of storefronts and operating systems targeted by the studio.

  Source

• 2012

  Launch of the APE-based Ninja Joe generationProduct launch

  Background

  After developing its internal APE technology, AmnesiaGames sought to demonstrate the engine through a commercial multiplatform title.

  Action taken

  The company released a new Ninja Joe in December 2012 and distinguished the earlier J2ME release as Ninja Joe Classic.

  Aftermath

  The title became available through multiple mobile, desktop and digital distribution ecosystems and received several promotional placements in 2013.

  Source

• 2013

  31 Minutos game launches after a rapid production cycle[1]AmnesiaGamesen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch · Campaign

  AmnesiaGames released a Claro Chile-commissioned game based on 31 Minutos, using 50 microgames and new content developed with the television series creators.

• 2012

  AmnesiaGames releases the cross-platform version of Ninja Joe[1]AmnesiaGamesen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch · Product generation

  The company released a new version of Ninja Joe built with its APE engine for multiple mobile, desktop and web-related platforms.

• 2010

  AmnesiaGames wins a regional Nokia contest with Ninja Joe[1]AmnesiaGamesen.wikipedia.org

  Campaign · Product launch

  The studio won a regional Nokia competition with Ninja Joe, leading to distribution through the Nokia Store and a development-partner relationship with Nokia Chile.

1. 1AmnesiaGamesen.wikipedia.org