GumBug

Founded in 2013, Gumbug is a London-based game development studio that was established by a trio of veterans from Mind Candy: Simon Hill, Ignacio Garmendia, and Ross McCaughey. The founders brought with them a wealth of experience from other notable studios like Bossa Studios, Freedom Factory Studios, and Space Ape Games. The company operates in the mobile gaming market, specifically focusing on the action and adventure genres for both Android and iOS platforms. Its business model centers on generating revenue through in-app purchases and advertisements within its games.

Gumbug gained recognition for developing titles such as "Smash Supreme," a 3D mobile fighting game, and "Notorious 99." "Smash Supreme" proved to be particularly successful, amassing over one million downloads on Google Play. Another of the studio's early projects was "Dustland," a character-collection RPG with match-3 mechanics, which was featured on the App Store and Google Play in over a hundred countries. This game, developed over nine months by a small team, aimed to merge deep, guild-based interactions with accessible mid-core gameplay.

In December 2019, Gumbug was acquired by the French mobile game publisher Voodoo. The acquisition was part of Voodoo's broader expansion strategy, providing them with a strategic foothold in the UK's vibrant gaming scene. For Gumbug, the partnership with Voodoo offered an opportunity to leverage Voodoo's data-driven development expertise and industry knowledge to create new mobile gaming experiences. Following the acquisition, Gumbug was set to operate as part of Voodoo's global network of studios.

Keywords: mobile gaming, game development, action games, adventure games, Android games, iOS games, in-app purchases, mobile advertising, video game studio, Smash Supreme, Notorious 99, Dustland, Voodoo acquisition, Simon Hill, Ignacio Garmendia, Ross McCaughey, Mind Candy veterans, character collection RPG, match-3 games, guild-based games, hypercasual games