Shockr Studios

Shockr Studios (Stylized as SHOCKR Studios, or simply SHOCKR) is an American video game developer. It was founded in 2010 by Derrick Jones and James Barrie. SHOCKR owns three headquarters across America: SHOCKR Eastern (located in Manhattan), SHOCKR Western (located in Los Angeles), and SHOCKR Altitude (Located in Denver). They are planning to expand into Canada, as a fourth headquarters will be added by the end of 2020.

2008-2010: Pre-SHOCKR
SHOCKR was founded by former Disney Interactive Studios employees Derrick Jones and James Barrie. The two left Disney Interactive in 2008 due to their low salaries and lack of creative input in the games they were involved in.

Jones decided to start SHOCKR in 2010 after being involved in numerous failed projects the year before. Jones recruited James Barrie to get the studio off the ground, and Barrie accepted the offer.

Barrie and Jones hired six employees to work with them in their Manhattan Headquarters.

Cosmomerc (2010)
SHOCKR started development on their first game, Cosmomerc, in July of 2010. Cosmomerc is a game where the player is a contract killer (aka Koz) who is hired by some of the most important people in the universe to assassinate enemies while attempting to remain on the run. The game itself took around three months to develop. When asked about the development process, Derrick Jones stated that:

"Cosmomerc took a crap ton of time to develop. It was about three months of nonstop work. Around ten hours a day for ninety days, basically."

Cosmomerc was officially released on November 12, 2010 for Microsoft Windows. Initially, the game received rave reviews from fans and SHOCKR gained a lot of revenue due to Cosmomerc's release. In March of 2011, the Xbox 360 and PS3 received ports of the game while another original SHOCKR game was under development.

Internet Simulator '11 (2011)
Due to the revenue SHOCKR received from Cosmomerc, the studio was able to hire a new bunch of employees to work at their headquarters in Manhattan. This bunch of employees became part of a development team known as Dev Force II (aka DF2). DF2 would be the developers of the next SHOCKR release, Internet Simulator '11.

Internet Simulator '11, also known as IS11, was SHOCKR's second official release. Codenamed WebNav11, the game follows an unnamed protagonist's journey to meet up with a friend they met on the fictitious internet chatroom WebSpeek. IS11 started development in February of 2011 and finished development in July of the same year. Finally, on 9/2/2011, the full game was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360. Like Cosmomerc, IS11 was received well by the general public and later received a PS3 port.

Free Time (2012)
In January of 2012, Dev Force I (the same team that developed Cosmomerc) announced they were in the process of developing a new game, codenamed Generic Hero. Free Time follows an unnamed protagonist who aims to cure cancer in his free time (while not having any medical experience). This was the first SHOCKR release to be released on a portable console (the Nintendo 3DS family). Free Time was developed from January-June of 2012 and released on August 1, 2012 for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PS3, and Nintendo 3DS. Free Time received mixed reviews. While it was praised for its minimalist design, the storyline was criticized for being a little cliche and inconsistent.

Small Scale Racers (2012)
Small Scale Racers is the fourth SHOCKR game and the second game to be developed by Dev Force II. The game, also known as SSR, is a racing game based on numerous Hot Wheels tracks and carpet road designs (see this image for a visual example of a carpet road design) from the developers' childhoods. SSR is a simple racing game with 20 total cars and multiple modes, including a quick race, VS. mode, and Cup Mode. The game was developed from March-October of 2012 and released on December 18, 2012 for Xbox 360, Wii U, PS3, and Microsoft Windows. SSR recieved rave reviews and was nominated for numerous awards, including Best Independent Game at the Spike VGAs in 2013. SSR became SHOCKR's highest-grossing game upon release, surpassing Cosmomerc.

End of Year Expansion (2012)
On Christmas Day of 2012, SHOCKR announced that they would be opening a new headquarters in Los Angeles, California. This HQ would open in February of 2013 and would be named SHOCKR Western. Due to this, SHOCKR's Manhattan HQ would be renamed SHOCKR Eastern. With this new HQ opening, two new development teams would be made- West Force 1 and West Force 2.

2013
In February 2013, SHOCKR officially moved into their second office in Los Angeles. With the additions of two more development teams (West Forces 1 and 2), more SHOCKR games could be created. In 2013, SHOCKR announced that three games would be developed and released in 2013, and four games would be developed and released in 2014.

Cosmomerc II (2013)
Cosmomerc II was developed from January-May 2013. Developed by Dev Force I, the game added multiple fan-requested features to the game. In addition to the Story Mode, an online mode, multiplayer mode, and a character creator. Cosmomerc II was released for the Nintendo 3DS line of portable consoles, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows on August 17, 2013. It received favorable reviews and SHOCKR itself was praised for their emphasis on fan input during the game's development stage.

BPM (2013)
BPM was developed by Dev Force II from January-April of 2013. BPM was SHOCKR's first venture into the rhythm game genre and was specifically designed to be played for portable consoles. BPM puts an emphasis on using touch mechanics, making it perfect for consoles like the Nintendo 3DS. BPM itself is a collection of various rhythm-based minigames that link to each other in some way. BPM was released on June 2, 2013, for the Nintendo 3DS line only. It later received a mobile port and a PS Vita port. The game received mixed review upon launch, as it was criticized for the story mode and the unneeded link between minigames.

How to Solve a Rubik's Cube (2013)
How to Solve a Rubik's Cube, initially named Internet Simulator 2013, is the first game to be developed by West Force 1. The game follows Carl, a man who attempts to solve a Rubik's cube via the help of some internet tutorials. However, after not finding a method to his liking, Carl goes to the dark web in search of answers. The game was originally supposed to be a sequel to Internet Simulator '11, but the game varied from the original IS11 so much that West Force 1 decided to make it into its own game. How to Solve a Rubik's Cube (aka HTSARC) was developed from April-August 2013. It was released on October 13, 2013 for PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PS4. HTSARC received positive reviews.

Macro-Taxi (2013)
The fourth and final SHOCKR game released in 2013 was Galacta-Taxi. It was also developed by West Force 2, the second development team for SHOCKR Western. You play as Aazo, a driver for an Uber-esque service called Macro-Taxi. Macro-Taxi is basically the same thing as Uber, except for one key detail- it services the whole universe. As Aazo, the player becomes a getaway driver and frequently encounters barriers that prevent his car from getting his passengers to their destinations. Koz, the main character of the Cosmomerc series, makes a cameo in ''Macro-Taxi. While the game itself is not a spin-off of Cosmomerc, Macro-Taxi ''takes place in the same universe.

Macro-Taxi was developed from May-October and released on December 10, 2013. It was released for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and received good reviews. Macro-Taxi was praised by critics and fans for its art direction and game mechanics.

2014
In 2014, SHOCKR announced that their development teams would be combining to make two high quality projects by the end of 2014. Dev Force I and Dev Force II would team together, and West Force 1 and West Force 2 would team together.

Small Scale Racers 2 (2014)
Small Scale Racers 2, also known as SSR2, was Dev Force I and Dev Force II's joint project, created under the team name DevUnit. SSR2 added 20 more cars to the original 20-car roster and added a few modes that users said that they would like to see. One of these modes was Berserk, which could be played in single player or multiplayer. This mode would allow for more extreme crashes and game mechanics not present in other modes of the game. A Career mode was also implemented, along with a new UI. SSR2 was also designed to be more mobile-friendly, as SHOCKR themselves had a strong desire to expand to the mobile market at the time.

SSR2 had a development span of 10 months, from January-October of 2014. The game was in an open beta from June-August 2014, and was officialy released for the PS4, Xbox One, 3DS/2DS families, PC, and Mobile on November 23, 2014. SSR2 quickly became a hit for SHOCKR, becoming the highest-grossing game SHOCKR created within its first week being on the market. The game itself was received incredibly well and was nominated for numerous awards.

Reboot (2014)
Reboot, codenamed Total Reset, was West Force 1 and West Force 2's joint project, created under the team name Westerners. The game is centered around an alternate universe where robots have taken over the world, and humans are taken slaves. Reboot is a story-driven game focused on action, exploration, and adventure. Westerners wanted to take SHOCKR in a whole different direction with this game and figured that making a dramatic and story-driven game would make said direction happen. Reboot had a development span of March 2014-November 2014, being released on Christmas Day 2014. It was released for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

Like SSR2, Reboot received rave reviews and gained an extreme amount of revenue for SHOCKR. While the game came in a close second to SSR2 in terms of revenue generated, 2014 turned out to be SHOCKR's best fiscal year.

2015
2015 was a "sabbatical year" for the developers as all four development teams felt burnt out and needed a year to regroup. Instead of focusing on developing games, the development teams instead looked for a new location to move to. Most of the revenue generated by SHOCKR in 2015 was due to remasters of older SHOCKR games. Cosmomerc (ReCosmomerc) , Internet Simulator '11 (IS11 Remix), and Small Scale Racers (ReSSR) were all remastered and minor new content was added.

Quest for 'Quarters
Quest for 'Quarters was an 8-part documentary filmed by the staff at SHOCKR Studios. The documentary centered around the search for a third SHOCKR HQ. In the final episode of Quest for 'Quarters, it was revealed that the new HQ's location would be in Denver, Colorado, and the HQ's name would be SHOCKR Altitude.

2016
With the addition of the new headquarters, a single development team was added: Mile High Force (more commonly known as MH Force). This was so that SHOCKR, instead of focusing on making a quantity of games every year, would make a few quality games a year. This also meant that the development teams would be merging full-time. Dev Forces I and II would officially become DevUnit, and West Forces 1 and 2 would officially become Westerners. The main focus of SHOCKR Altitude upon creating the new development team was to create games more oriented towards the sports market.

BPM V2 (2016)
BPM V2 was Westerners' second game developed and a sequel to the original BPM. Originally, DevUnit was going to develop the game but passed the idea on to Westerners instead. Unlike its predecessor, BPM V2 has no story mode and there is no link between any of the minigames. However, there are a few new difficulties and new modes. One of these new modes is known as Extravaganza. Extravaganza is a party mode where players compete in a series of multiplayer minigames in order to get to the finish line. The game was also marketed for consoles as well as portable consoles. BPM V2 was developed from January-May of 2016 and released on July 25, 2016, for the Nintendo 3DS line, mobile, Microsoft Windows, PS4, and Xbox One. BPM V2 also received favorable reviews and the Extravaganza mode was praised.

BPM V2 was the only SHOCKR game released in 2016, as the other two games that were revealed in 2016 (Cosmomerc III and MileHigh) would not finish development until early 2017.

MileHigh (2017)
MileHigh is a snowsports game developed my MH Force. It has multiple modes, but the most prevalent are the online and career modes. MH Force put a lot of work into these modes, as they set the stage for what the game was going to be. In MileHigh's career mode, you play as either a snowboarder or skiier trying to make it in the competitive wintersports scene. The online mode is more focused on exploration and recreation, with its own seperate mini-storyline to accompany the mode. MileHigh started development in January 2016 and finished development in January of 2017. The game was released on February 23, 2017, for Xbox One, PS4, and Microsoft Windows. It received high praise for its in-depth storytelling and immersive gameplay. It generated tons of revenue for SHOCKR and made MH Force incredibly profitable.

Cosmomerc III (2017)
Cosmomerc III is the third game in the Cosmomerc series and was developed by DevUnit. It goes in a very different direction than the other two games in the series, as it also goes in an entirely different art direction than the first two games. The story mode also takes a different turn, with Koz becoming a hitman specifically working for Earth, not continuing to be a contract killer. The game took the most time to develop, but this was mostly due to creative tensions between DevUnit themselves. Cosmomerc III was developed from February 2016-March 2017 and was released on May 19, 2017 for Xbox One, PC, and PS4. The game was SHOCKR's first to receive blatantly negative reviews by both game critics and fans. Not only was the story mode criticized, but there were numerous game-breaking bugs upon launch that wouldn't be fixed until two weeks after release. Cosmomerc III was also the crux of a major change within SHOCKR themselves- the breakup of DevUnit.

End of DevUnit (2017)
Due to creative tensions within DevUnit, numerous members of the development team ended up quitting after the first update patch of Cosmomerc III. In haste, some members of Westerners helped DevUnit hire new members of the team. The mass exodus from DevUnit occurred in June of 2017, and DevUnit had hired all-new employees by mid-August. The new development team would be named Devvy.