Barking Lizards Technologies

Barking Lizards Technologies was an American video-game development studio established in 2001 and based in Richardson, Texas. Its work covered a broad range of platforms, including mobile phones, the PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable, Wii, N-Gage, N-Gage 2.0, and personal computers. Rather than operating primarily as a consumer-facing publisher, the company generally developed games commissioned or published by larger entertainment and game companies. Before expanding more fully into game development in 2006, Barking Lizards Technologies concentrated on support services and project outsourcing for existing game companies. This background positioned the studio as a production partner capable of adapting licensed properties and established game concepts to multiple hardware platforms. Its credited projects included titles associated with brands such as Bratz, Marvel, Nickelodeon, SpongeBob SquarePants, X-Men, The Elder Scrolls, and Command & Conquer. The studio worked with several prominent publishers. THQ published a substantial portion of its licensed handheld and console output, while Activision published or commissioned other projects, including Marvel: Ultimate Alliance for Game Boy Advance, Activision Anthology for PlayStation 2 in collaboration with Contraband Entertainment, and X-Men Legends-related work for N-Gage. Other credited publishing relationships included Electronic Arts, MumboJumbo, Nokia Publishing, and projects connected with mobile distribution. Barking Lizards also developed Whiptail, a multiplatform game engine used in the production of its titles. The engine was described in three platform-oriented versions: Whiptail 3D, Whiptail Handheld, and Whiptail Mobile. This technology supported the studio's emphasis on adapting games across console, handheld, computer, and mobile environments. In 2006, the company created Wild Hare Entertainment as a subsidiary intended to publish games originating from external developers. Wild Hare briefly concentrated on PC titles before closing, according to the available reference material. Barking Lizards later released a title of its own, Osiris Legends, for iOS. Its other recorded work included the mobile project Cthulhu World Combat, which was cancelled, and the 2009 PlayStation Portable title SpongeBob's Truth or Square. The available public material provides limited information about Barking Lizards Technologies' leadership, ownership, financial performance, corporate structure after its recorded projects, and current operating status. It is therefore best characterized as a historically documented American development and outsourcing studio whose known activity spans the early 2000s through at least the late 2000s, with a later mobile title also attributed to it.

Barking Lizards Technologies was founded in 2001 in the United States and operated from Richardson, Texas. The studio's early business was not limited to original consumer game production. Before 2006, it primarily supplied support and project-outsourcing services to established companies in the games industry. This model allowed it to participate in projects commissioned by larger publishers and entertainment brands without needing to build a large independent publishing portfolio. The company developed games for a wide selection of platforms. Its recorded systems included the PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable, Wii, personal computers, mobile phones, N-Gage, and N-Gage 2.0. The range reflects the studio's technical focus on adapting content to different hardware capabilities and distribution environments. Several of its projects were licensed games tied to television, toy, comic-book, or established game properties. In 2006, Barking Lizards expanded its corporate activities by forming Wild Hare Entertainment. The subsidiary was created to publish games from outside sources and briefly focused exclusively on PC software. It subsequently shut down, although the available material does not specify the exact date or the circumstances of its closure. A significant part of Barking Lizards' technical identity was Whiptail, a multiplatform game engine used internally for its projects. Three versions were identified: Whiptail 3D, Whiptail Handheld, and Whiptail Mobile. Their names indicate an architecture organized around different performance and platform requirements, supporting the studio's work across home consoles, handheld devices, and mobile systems. The studio's credited development history includes projects published by THQ, Activision, Electronic Arts, MumboJumbo, and Nokia Publishing. Early work included PlayStation 2 development connected with Activision Anthology and N-Gage work on X-Men Legends and X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse. In the handheld market, the company developed several Bratz titles, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Zoey 101, and other licensed releases. Its later console and PC credits included The Naked Brothers Band, while SpongeBob's Truth or Square was released for PlayStation Portable in 2009. Barking Lizards also had a limited role as a publisher or originator of its own products. Osiris Legends was released for iOS, and Cthulhu World Combat was listed as a cancelled mobile project. Publicly available reference material does not establish a definitive closure date for Barking Lizards Technologies, nor does it provide reliable information about its later ownership, leadership, workforce, or continuing operations. The company's documented history consequently centers on its work as a development partner, technology provider, and occasional publisher during the transition from sixth-generation consoles and dedicated handhelds toward mobile distribution.

• 2013

  Cthulhu World Combat listed as cancelled

  [1]Barking Lizards Technologiesen.wikipedia.org

  Cthulhu World Combat was identified as a cancelled mobile-phone project.

• 2009

  SpongeBob's Truth or Square

  [1]Barking Lizards Technologiesen.wikipedia.org

  The studio developed SpongeBob's Truth or Square for PlayStation Portable.

• 2008

  The Naked Brothers Band releases

  [1]Barking Lizards Technologiesen.wikipedia.org

  Barking Lizards was credited on The Naked Brothers Band for Wii, PlayStation 2, and PC, with THQ associated as publisher.

• 2006

  Expansion into game development and creation of Wild Hare Entertainment

  [1]Barking Lizards Technologiesen.wikipedia.org

  Barking Lizards moved beyond its earlier support and outsourcing emphasis, and established Wild Hare Entertainment to publish games from external sources.

• 2006

  Whiptail engine platform family

  [1]Barking Lizards Technologiesen.wikipedia.org

  The company used three versions of its Whiptail engine—Whiptail 3D, Whiptail Handheld, and Whiptail Mobile—for different development targets.

• 2005

  N-Gage development credits

  [1]Barking Lizards Technologiesen.wikipedia.org

  The studio developed N-Gage versions of X-Men Legends and X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse for Activision.

• 2001

  Company founded

  [1]Barking Lizards Technologiesen.wikipedia.org

  Barking Lizards Technologies was established in the United States and based in Richardson, Texas.

A multiplatform game-development and outsourcing studio specializing in licensed properties, handheld adaptations, mobile development, and platform technology.

• Game engine

  Whiptail 3D

  Whiptail 3D was one of the three platform-oriented versions of Barking Lizards Technologies' Whiptail multiplatform game engine. It supported the studio's work on games requiring three-dimensional presentation and formed part of the technical foundation used for the company's console and computer projects.

• Game engine

  Whiptail Handheld

  Whiptail Handheld was the handheld-focused edition of the company's Whiptail engine family. It was designed for the technical constraints and development requirements of portable game systems, an important area of Barking Lizards' work on Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable, and N-Gage projects.

• Game engine

  Whiptail Mobile

  Whiptail Mobile was the mobile-oriented version of the Whiptail engine. Its inclusion in the company's technology portfolio reflected Barking Lizards' support for mobile-phone development and its later involvement with mobile projects such as Osiris Legends and the cancelled Cthulhu World Combat.

• iOS video game

  Osiris Legends

  Osiris Legends was a game released for iOS and identified as a title published by Barking Lizards Technologies itself. It represents the studio's documented move beyond work commissioned by larger publishers into a more direct publishing role.

• Licensed handheld video game · 2006

  Bratz: Forever Diamondz

  Barking Lizards developed versions of Bratz: Forever Diamondz for Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance. The title was associated with THQ and formed part of the studio's portfolio of licensed adaptations for portable platforms.

• Licensed multiplatform video game · 2008

  The Naked Brothers Band

  The studio developed The Naked Brothers Band for Wii, PlayStation 2, and PC. The project demonstrated Barking Lizards' ability to produce related versions of a licensed property for both home consoles and personal computers, with THQ identified as publisher.

• Licensed portable video game · 2009

  SpongeBob's Truth or Square

  SpongeBob's Truth or Square was a PlayStation Portable title developed by Barking Lizards Technologies. It extended the company's work with licensed entertainment properties into a portable release associated with the SpongeBob SquarePants brand.

• 2006

  Expansion from outsourcing into broader game developmentStrategy

  Background

  Before 2006, Barking Lizards Technologies focused on support and project-outsourcing services for existing game companies.

  Action taken

  The studio expanded its game-development activities and began producing a broader range of platform and licensed titles.

  Aftermath

  The company accumulated credits across Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance, Wii, PlayStation 2, PC, mobile, N-Gage, and PlayStation Portable projects.

  Source

• 2006

  Formation of Wild Hare EntertainmentM&A

  Background

  Barking Lizards sought to create a publishing operation capable of handling games produced by external sources.

  Action taken

  The company established Wild Hare Entertainment as a subsidiary focused on publishing outside-developed games.

  Aftermath

  Wild Hare concentrated on PC titles for a short period before shutting down. No acquisition terms or financial details are documented in the available source.

  Source

1. 1Barking Lizards Technologiesen.wikipedia.org