Oasys Mobile

In the early days of mobile, before the dominance of app stores, a company called Summus Inc. was founded in 1984. The company that would later become Oasys Mobile started its journey developing and publishing mobile phone games and applications. In 2005, the company, led by CEO Doug Dyer, secured an $8 million funding round from investors including Liberty Media. A year later, in 2006, Summus Inc. rebranded to Oasys Mobile, Inc. The company focused on creating games and applications for feature phones, licensing well-known brands to attract users. Their portfolio included titles based on Mattel properties like UNO and Rock'em Sock'em Robots, as well as major game franchises such as Sid Meier's Civilization IV and Railroad Tycoon. Beyond games, they also distributed content applications for brands like The Wall Street Journal and Hooters Calendar. A significant event in the company's journey occurred in 2007 when it filed for Chapter 11 but successfully emerged from reorganization later that year. In 2008, Oasys announced a partnership with 2K Games to bring several of the Sid Meier franchises to the mobile market. Despite these efforts to adapt and secure major intellectual property, the landscape of mobile content was shifting rapidly. The company eventually ceased operations in 2012, marking the end of its run in the mobile industry.