Uken Games
Uken Games is an independent Toronto-based studio specializing in social, mobile, and cross-platform games.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Uken Games is an independent Canadian game studio headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Chris Ye and Mark Lampert founded the company in 2009 with a focus on building social and mobile games that could operate across platforms, initially targeting the expanding iOS and Android ecosystems. The studio’s profile developed during a period in which mobile games were moving from short-form casual entertainment toward persistent, socially connected products with broader international audiences. The company’s early growth was recognized by Canada’s digital and technology sector. In 2011, Uken received a Digi Award for Canada’s Most Promising New Digital Company. It was subsequently identified by Deloitte as a Company to Watch in 2013 and appeared in Deloitte’s 2014 rankings, placing in the top ten of the Canadian Technology Fast 50 and at number 13 in the Technology Fast 500. These recognitions positioned Uken as one of the more visible emerging Canadian digital-game businesses of the period. Uken’s portfolio has included original games as well as licensed entertainment properties. A significant later-stage partnership was its work with Sony on Jeopardy! World Tour, a mobile trivia title released in May 2017. The studio followed that project with Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? in March 2018. According to the referenced company history, the latter became the leading trivia game on mobile, illustrating Uken’s strategy of combining recognizable television brands with accessible, repeatable mobile play. In 2020, Uken released Ava’s Manor, a solitaire-based renovation and decoration game. Its structure combined card gameplay with home customization, narrative discovery, and a romantic mystery storyline. The title reflected the studio’s interest in hybrid casual formats in which a familiar core mechanic is connected to longer-term progression and story engagement. Beyond game production, Uken has maintained a visible role in Toronto’s developer community. The studio has hosted or supported meetups and events associated with Toronto Unity Developers, ReactJS, PhoneGap Toronto, DevOps Toronto, AngularJS Toronto, and Go TO. It also regularly sponsored Toronto Game Jam, the Level Up Showcase, and other local game-development activities. Uken hosted Toronto chapters of MolyJam in 2012 and 2013 and sponsored events including Gamercamp 2013 and the UTGDDC Game Jam. The company has also participated in charitable and community fundraising. Referenced activities include support for the Movember Foundation, the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, Canadian and American Red Cross disaster relief, Free the Children, Sunnybrook Cancer Research, the Extra Life Marathon for Sick Kids, Camp Oochigeas, and the Daily Bread Food Bank. The available company history states that Uken’s charitable contributions had exceeded 215,000 Canadian dollars from the beginning of 2011, although the cited material does not provide a later cumulative total or a full financial breakdown. Uken has been described as a Great Place to Work and was recognized among Canada’s Top Small and Medium Employers in 2017. It remains characterized in the available reference material as an independent studio. Detailed current ownership, executive leadership, financial information, and a current official website are not established by the supplied sources.
History
Uken Games was established in Toronto in 2009 by Chris Ye and Mark Lampert. Its original proposition was to create social and mobile games that could reach users across platforms, particularly on iOS and Android. The studio emerged as mobile gaming was becoming a major consumer software category and as Canadian technology companies were increasingly seeking international audiences. Uken gained early external recognition in 2011, when it received a Digi Award naming it Canada’s Most Promising New Digital Company. Its growth was also acknowledged by Deloitte. The company was listed as a Company to Watch in 2013 and later ranked in Deloitte’s 2014 Canadian Technology Fast 50 and Technology Fast 500 programs, appearing in the top ten of the former and at number 13 in the latter. These distinctions marked Uken as a rapidly growing independent digital business rather than a conventional game-publishing division. The studio’s work has covered both original concepts and licensed properties. Its partnership with Sony led to Jeopardy! World Tour, released in May 2017. The title translated the recognizable television quiz format into a mobile game. In March 2018, Uken released a second licensed trivia product based on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? The available reference describes that game as becoming the top trivia game on mobile, reinforcing Uken’s specialization in adapting familiar entertainment brands for mobile audiences. Uken expanded its casual-game portfolio in 2020 with Ava’s Manor. The game used solitaire as its central activity while adding renovation and decoration systems, narrative clues, and a romantic mystery. This design connected a simple, broadly accessible puzzle mechanic with longer-term progression and story content. Community participation has been an important part of Uken’s Toronto identity. The studio hosted or supported events for a range of software and game-development communities, including Toronto Unity Developers, ReactJS, PhoneGap Toronto, DevOps Toronto, AngularJS Toronto, and Go TO. It hosted Toronto editions of MolyJam in 2012 and 2013 and sponsored local initiatives such as TOJam, the Level Up Showcase, Gamercamp 2013, and the UTGDDC Game Jam. These activities positioned the company as both a game maker and a contributor to the city’s broader developer ecosystem. The company has also conducted and supported fundraising for health, relief, youth, and food-security organizations. The referenced organizations include the Movember Foundation, Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, Canadian and American Red Cross disaster-relief efforts, Free the Children, Sunnybrook Cancer Research, the Extra Life Marathon for Sick Kids, Camp Oochigeas, and the Daily Bread Food Bank. Uken’s cited history reports more than 215,000 Canadian dollars in charitable contributions from the start of 2011, but does not provide a complete year-by-year accounting. Uken was certified as a Great Place to Work and was named among Canada’s Top Small and Medium Employers in 2017. The available material continues to describe it as an independent Toronto studio. It does not establish current leadership beyond the founders, current ownership, revenue, listing information, or a verified current corporate website.
- 2020
Ava’s Manor released
[1]Uken launches Ava’s Manor, a solitaire and manor-renovation game with narrative elements.
- 2018
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? released
[1]Uken releases its mobile adaptation of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? in March.
- 2017
Jeopardy! World Tour released
[1]Uken and Sony release Jeopardy! World Tour in May.
- 2014
Fast-growth rankings
[1]Uken places in Deloitte’s Canadian Technology Fast 50 and ranks number 13 in the Technology Fast 500.
- 2013
Deloitte Company to Watch
[1]Deloitte identifies Uken as one of its Companies to Watch.
- 2012
First Toronto MolyJam chapter hosted
[1]Uken hosts the Toronto chapter of MolyJam, supporting local experimental game development.
- 2011
Digi Award recognition
[1]Uken receives the Digi Award for Canada’s Most Promising New Digital Company.
- 2009
Uken Games founded
[1]Chris Ye and Mark Lampert establish Uken Games in Toronto to develop social, mobile, and cross-platform games.
Products and positioning
An independent Toronto game studio focused on accessible mobile and social experiences, including licensed trivia adaptations and narrative-driven casual games.
Licensed mobile trivia game · 2017
Jeopardy! World Tour
Developed by Uken in partnership with Sony and released in May 2017, Jeopardy! World Tour adapts the established television quiz format for mobile play. The product represents Uken’s use of recognizable entertainment intellectual property in a repeatable, globally oriented trivia format.
Licensed mobile trivia game · 2018
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?
Released in March 2018, Uken’s mobile version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? brought the television program’s question-and-answer structure to smartphones. The available reference describes it as becoming the top trivia game on mobile, although no supporting performance figures are provided.
Casual and narrative mobile game · 2020
Ava’s Manor
Ava’s Manor, released in 2020, combines solitaire with renovation and decoration activities. Players develop the manor while uncovering mysterious clues and following a romantic storyline, making the title a hybrid of casual card play, customization, and narrative progression.
Marketing campaigns
- Uken charitable fundraising program
Canada · United States
Uken has supported fundraising and donation efforts for organizations including the Movember Foundation, Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, Canadian and American Red Cross disaster relief, Free the Children, Sunnybrook Cancer Research, Extra Life for Sick Kids, Camp Oochigeas, and the Daily Bread Food Bank.
Outcome. The referenced company history reports cumulative charitable contributions exceeding 215,000 Canadian dollars from the beginning of 2011; a complete campaign-by-campaign total is not supplied.
- Toronto developer-community sponsorships
Toronto, Canada
Uken has hosted or sponsored meetups, game jams, and developer showcases, including activities connected with TOJam, Level Up Showcase, Gamercamp, MolyJam, Unity, ReactJS, PhoneGap, DevOps, AngularJS, and Go TO.
Outcome. These activities supported Toronto’s local game-development and software-development communities.
Brand decisions
2020
Enter a hybrid casual and narrative format with Ava’s ManorProduct launchBackground
Uken broadened its casual portfolio beyond licensed trivia into a game combining a familiar card mechanic with decoration and story progression.
Action taken
The studio released Ava’s Manor, centered on solitaire, manor renovation, mystery clues, and romance.
Aftermath
The release demonstrated continued activity in mobile casual games, but the supplied sources do not establish later commercial results.
2018
Release a second major licensed trivia titleProduct launchBackground
Following Jeopardy! World Tour, Uken continued developing mobile games based on well-known television formats.
Action taken
Uken released Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? in March 2018.
Aftermath
The referenced history describes the title as becoming the top trivia game on mobile, without providing a measurement period or numerical performance data.
2017
Develop a Jeopardy! mobile adaptation with SonyProduct launchBackground
Uken pursued a licensed trivia-game strategy using established television entertainment brands.
Action taken
The studio partnered with Sony and released Jeopardy! World Tour in May 2017.
Aftermath
The release expanded Uken’s portfolio of branded mobile trivia products; detailed financial results are not available in the supplied sources.
Recent events
- 2020
Ava’s Manor released[1]
Product launch
Uken launched Ava’s Manor, combining solitaire gameplay with manor renovation, decoration, mystery clues, and romance-oriented storytelling.
- 2018
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? mobile game released[1]
Product launch
Uken developed and released a mobile adaptation of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? in March 2018; the referenced history describes it as the leading mobile trivia game.
- 2017
Jeopardy! World Tour launches on mobile[1]
Product launch
Uken developed Jeopardy! World Tour in partnership with Sony, with the game released in May 2017.
- 2014
Uken appears in Deloitte technology-growth rankings[1]
Other
Following recognition as a Company to Watch in 2013, Uken placed in Deloitte’s Canadian Fast 50 and Fast 500 rankings for 2014.
- 2011
Uken Games receives Digi Award as Canada’s Most Promising New Digital Company[1]
Other
Uken was recognized with a Digi Award for its early promise as a Canadian digital company.
Sources1 sources
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