Purple Lamp
An Austrian video game developer based in Vienna and part of THQ Nordic.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Purple Lamp is an Austrian video game development studio headquartered in Vienna. The company works primarily on licensed and family-oriented games, remasters, ports, and original projects for console, PC, and related digital platforms. Its public profile is closely associated with the SpongeBob SquarePants series, particularly SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated and SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake. The studio was established in 2018 under the name Purple Lamp Studios. It emerged from the Austrian development scene and built its early reputation through work on projects connected with established entertainment properties. Rather than positioning itself mainly as a publisher-owned franchise holder, Purple Lamp has generally operated as a development partner capable of translating recognizable television and film brands into interactive products. This has included remastering older games, creating new licensed adventures, and contributing development services to larger publishing programs. Purple Lamp's breakthrough came with SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated, a modernized version of the 2003 platform game. Published by THQ Nordic in 2020, the project combined the appeal of a well-known Nickelodeon property with updated presentation, revised assets, and modern platform support. The title gave Purple Lamp visibility beyond Austria and demonstrated the studio's ability to manage a recognizable legacy game while retaining its underlying identity. THQ Nordic acquired Purple Lamp in 2020, bringing the studio into the broader corporate structure that is now associated with Embracer Group. The transaction strengthened THQ Nordic's internal development capacity in Austria and added a team experienced in licensed entertainment games and remasters. Purple Lamp has subsequently continued working within a portfolio that includes SpongeBob-related projects and other externally owned or publisher-controlled properties. In 2023, the studio released SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake, an original 3D platforming adventure rather than a direct remaster. The game expanded Purple Lamp's role from restoration and adaptation into the creation of a new licensed entry, while retaining the visual language, characters, humor, and settings associated with the animated series. Its work illustrates a broader studio specialization: commercially recognizable games designed for broad audiences, often combining accessible gameplay with strong brand fidelity. Purple Lamp's business scope is therefore centered on game development rather than consumer products, retail, or independent publishing. Its capabilities include design, programming, art, animation, production, remastering, and adaptation of licensed intellectual property. The studio's projects have been released internationally across major console and PC ecosystems. Public information about its workforce, financial performance, leadership, and current unannounced projects is limited, so the available record is best understood through its released games, ownership history, and relationship with THQ Nordic.
History
Purple Lamp, originally known as Purple Lamp Studios, was founded in Vienna in 2018. The studio formed during a period when Austrian game development was gaining renewed visibility and when publishers increasingly relied on specialist teams to revive older properties and produce games based on established entertainment licenses. Purple Lamp's initial identity was shaped by this combination of technical development expertise and an emphasis on recognizable brands. The studio became internationally known through its work on SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated. The project was a modern remaster of the 2003 platform game Battle for Bikini Bottom. Purple Lamp updated the title for contemporary hardware while retaining its core characters, locations, platforming structure, and relationship to the SpongeBob animated franchise. THQ Nordic published the game in 2020. Its release provided the studio with a prominent global project and established a continuing relationship with THQ Nordic. In 2020, THQ Nordic acquired Purple Lamp Studios. The acquisition brought the Austrian team into THQ Nordic's network of development studios and expanded the publisher's internal capacity for licensed and family-oriented games. THQ Nordic was itself part of the wider Embracer structure, giving Purple Lamp access to a larger group of publishing, distribution, and intellectual-property resources. The acquisition also reflected the publisher's broader strategy of building a portfolio of geographically distributed studios rather than depending exclusively on external contractors. After the remaster, Purple Lamp continued its work with the SpongeBob property. The studio developed SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake, a new 3D platforming adventure published by THQ Nordic in 2023. Unlike Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated, The Cosmic Shake was not primarily a restoration of an older game. It used original game content while drawing on the television series' characters, settings, humor, and visual identity. The project showed that Purple Lamp could move from remaster production to the development of a new licensed title while maintaining a broad-audience design approach. Across its known projects, Purple Lamp has specialized in games that combine established intellectual property with accessible console and PC gameplay. Its work spans production, engineering, art, animation, design, and adaptation of brands whose audiences may include younger players, families, and nostalgic adult fans. The studio's public history is comparatively short, and detailed information about its founders, executive structure, workforce, financial results, and future projects is not consistently disclosed. Its documented development and ownership history nevertheless places it as a Vienna-based THQ Nordic studio with a particular reputation for licensed platform games and remastered entertainment properties.
- 2023
The Cosmic Shake released
[4]Purple Lamp released a new SpongeBob SquarePants 3D platforming adventure through THQ Nordic.
- 2020
Acquired by THQ Nordic
[2]THQ Nordic acquired Purple Lamp Studios and incorporated it into its network of development studios.
- 2020
Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated released
[3]Purple Lamp's SpongeBob SquarePants remaster launched for modern platforms.
- 2018
Purple Lamp Studios founded
[1]The Vienna-based Austrian game developer was established under the Purple Lamp Studios name.
Products and positioning
A Vienna-based development studio focused on polished licensed games, remasters, and accessible family-oriented console and PC experiences.
Remastered licensed platform game · 2020
SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated
A modern remaster of the 2003 SpongeBob SquarePants platform game. Purple Lamp rebuilt and refreshed the presentation for contemporary platforms while preserving the original game's recognizable characters, environments, gameplay structure, and licensed identity. Published by THQ Nordic, it became the studio's most prominent early release and introduced Purple Lamp to a global console and PC audience.
Licensed 3D platform game · 2023
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake
An original SpongeBob SquarePants adventure developed by Purple Lamp and published by THQ Nordic. The game uses a multiverse-style premise to take the player through varied versions of familiar SpongeBob settings and characters. It extends the studio's licensed-game specialization beyond remastering and combines accessible platforming with the animated series' comedic tone and visual style.
Recent events
- 2023
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake released[4]
Product launch
The studio released its original SpongeBob platforming adventure through THQ Nordic.
- 2021
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake announced[4]
Product launch
Purple Lamp and THQ Nordic announced a new SpongeBob platform adventure, moving the studio from remaster work toward an original entry in the licensed series.
- 2020
THQ Nordic acquires Purple Lamp Studios[2]
M&A
THQ Nordic announced the acquisition of the Austrian developer, adding the studio to its expanding network of internal development teams.
- 2020
SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated released[3]
Product launch · Product generation
Purple Lamp developed the remaster of the 2003 SpongeBob platform game, published by THQ Nordic for modern platforms.
Sources4 sources
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