The tl;dr about us
we went from this
2015
to this
to this
2023
Our story started a little earlier than that
Our journey has had its ups and downs, with many difficult decisions and moments when we thought it was the end for Midnight.Works. But every time, we emerged stronger. To keep it brief, we'll highlight the most significant milestones that had the greatest impact on our journey to becoming a leading game development and publishing studio.
Actual screenshot from our chat history
This is a reference photo (generated in Midjourney) because we couldn't find any pictures from the coffee shop
19 May 2015
It all started with a message.
We hardly knew each other, but we had the gutt feeling that we'll create something great together.
Our workspace was a coffee shop. We had no employees, no money in our pockets, there was just us and our big ambition giving us limitless energy and driving us forward.
We've been meeting in a coffee shop every single day and working until midnight, when they would ask us to leave because they were closing.
That's where our name comes from - Midnight.Works - because that's when we had to stop working and start dreaming about what our future beholds.
Back then, our primary focus was creating cool mobile apps. We would come up with ideas and spend sleepless nights bringing them to life. It was only much later in our story that we started making games, but we believe that our experience making great apps was an important stepping stone for our success in game development.
November 2015
Our first office.
This was huge for us, we started making our first money and in 2015 we rented our first office.
We were still making apps - our own products that would generate us just enough revenue to pay the rent and the salary for our first and only employee.
2016
In 2016 we've moved to a new and bigger space, we started hiring more people, the team started to grow.
It wasn't easy at all, but it was exciting. We didn't know what we were doing, and how to do what we wanted, but knew for sure were we wanted to go.
2017
Our first game.
We've put so much effort into it. We didn't know how to create games, we didn't know how to advertise them, we didn't even know what app to use to create games, we only had a burning desire to create something amazing. And I think we achieved it, it's not bad for a first try, eh?
2018
Partnership with Facebook.
We signed a partnership agreement with Facebook (now Meta), which was a major milestone for us and helped shape Midnight.Works into what it is today.
2019
We had to move, again.
Our team was growing rapidly, and our old office wasn't big enough to accommodate everyone. So we found an even larger office.
2019
First big hit - Hashiriya Drifter
Hashiriya Drifter left a shining mark in our history. It reached heights we only dreamed of and was downloaded globally in such high numbers that it was hard to believe.
The game broke the top charts and surpassed big names like Need For Speed, making it a dream come true for us at Midnight.Works.
2020
When the Covid pandemic hit, Midnight.Works decided to rise to the challenge. Instead of reducing staff to mitigate financial burden, we chose to grow by hiring more people. This bold move paid off quickly and proved to be a wise and beneficial decision.
PlayStation devkit (generated in Midjourney because we can't show photos of the real one because of the of NDA)
2020
Our first steps into the consoles and PC market. (PlayStation, Xbox, Steam, Nintendo, etc)
In 2020, Midnight.Works took its first steps into the exciting world of console and PC gaming. Up until this point, we had only created mobile games, but we always dreamed of making big AAA games. This move was a crucial step towards realizing that dream and solidifying our position in the gaming industry.
2021
From zero to Lambo.
We've had one more dream besides growing our company. You might think that this isn't related to the success of our story, but actually it is. Nobody believed that we will achieve this, but us.
This is a dream from when we were little kids, and we didn't want it to be forgotten. We wanted it to be a reminder for us that anything is possible.
2021
In 2021, Midnight.Works made a strategic move to expand our reach by establishing a satellite office in Bucharest. This new location allowed us to broaden our horizons and continue to grow our presence in the gaming industry.
Our commitment to excellence and passion for creating the best games for our players drives us forward, and this new office is just one step on our journey to making a lasting impact in the world of gaming.
2022
In 2022, Midnight.Works reached a significant milestone by assembling a team of 200 talented individuals. Our success as a game development and publishing studio is largely due to the hard work and dedication of our employees, and we are proud to have such a strong and capable team driving our growth and success.
Roman Gaina
Cătălin Țiței
Victor Bivol
2023
A New Era with a Cutting-Edge Office
In 2023, Midnight.Works reached yet another major milestone by moving into a state-of-the-art office. With a team of over 240 individuals, we have established ourselves as a leader in the gaming industry, owning multiple game studios, offering publishing services and funding to emerging game studios, and having more than 100 game titles in the market. We are eager to see what the future holds and can't wait for the next exciting chapter in our journey.
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2024
Next milestone upcoming...