Behaviour Rotterdam

Behaviour Rotterdam is a Dutch video game developer based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Founded in 2000 as Codeglue by Peter de Jong and Maurice Sibrandi, the studio built a hybrid business model combining original intellectual property with contract development and porting work for international publishers. In August 2023 the company was acquired by Canadian publisher Behaviour Interactive, known for Dead by Daylight, and was renamed Behaviour Rotterdam. The studio now operates within Behaviour Interactive's Services division, focusing on support work for large-scale AAA projects. The founders met while studying electrical engineering at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences and began their games-industry careers in 1993 with a graduation internship at Rotterdam-based DIMA, where they developed software for the Philips CD-i, including the game Christmas Crisis. After DIMA folded following the commercial decline of the CD-i platform, De Jong and Sibrandi worked in the IT sector before founding Codeglue in 2000. The studio initially specialized in games for colour-screen mobile phones, with early titles such as Monkey Ball Minigolf, Love a Lemming and Worms World Party. Codeglue's portfolio spans original productions, collaborations and contract work. It released Rocket Riot in 2009, built with the Microsoft XNA framework, and collaborated with developer Sparpweed on the puzzle platformer Ibb & Obb in 2013. Between 2008 and 2009 the studio began developing content for PlayStation Home, producing virtual goods such as avatar clothing and accessories and operating its own virtual shop space; the 2013 DIY Racer kit let users build a race track in their virtual environment. Contract work included the mobile game Scre4m for The Weinstein Company in 2011, the mobile version of Terraria, compilations for NIS America such as Makai Kingdom and Saviors of Sapphire Wings, the mobile version of Human: Fall Flat for 505 Games in 2020, and technical work on the Shadowrun Trilogy. The studio also pursued experimental projects: the Antegods crowdfunding campaign on Fig in March 2017, blockchain research in 2018 that produced the prototype Crown of Carnage (winner of the Alto Cryptogame Challenge in Helsinki), and the 2019 virtual reality project The Great Orator with designer Daniel Ernst, Submarine Channel and Leiden University, selected for the Nederlands Film Festival's BoostNL programme. Recognition includes a 2009 Dutch Game Award for Best Visual Design for Rocket Riot and the Best Studio title at the Dutch Game Awards 2022, cited for its personnel policy during the COVID-19 pandemic and the quality of its working conditions. Following the acquisition, founders De Jong and Sibrandi remained with the company as General Manager and Senior Technical Director respectively. The acquisition process, in which Behaviour evaluated around 200 studios, began around 2021 and followed earlier Behaviour expansions in the United Kingdom.

Behaviour Rotterdam was founded in 2000 as Codeglue by Peter de Jong and Maurice Sibrandi, who had studied electrical engineering at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. Their games-industry careers began in 1993 with a graduation internship at Rotterdam-based DIMA, where they developed software for the Philips CD-i, including the game Christmas Crisis. They stayed at DIMA after their studies until the company was dissolved following the commercial decline of the CD-i platform and the loss of orders from Philips. After a period in the IT sector, De Jong and Sibrandi founded Codeglue in 2000. In its early years the studio specialized in games for colour-screen mobile phones, with a portfolio including Monkey Ball Minigolf, Love a Lemming and Worms World Party. The studio adopted a hybrid business model in which original IP development was financed by revenue from contract work; according to De Jong, this structure was necessary because external capital for entertainment games in the Netherlands was scarce in the years after the founding. Between 2008 and 2009 Codeglue began developing content for PlayStation Home. Started during a period of economic headwinds in the sector, the project grew into a structural revenue source. The studio produced virtual goods including avatar clothing and accessories and operated its own virtual shop space. In 2013 it released the DIY Racer kit, which let users build a race track in their virtual environment. According to the founders, microtransactions and visitor reach generated enough revenue to stabilize the studio and enable investment in its own productions. In 2009 the studio released Rocket Riot, built with the Microsoft XNA framework, with Sander van der Vegte as lead designer. In 2013 it collaborated with developer Sparpweed on the puzzle platformer Ibb & Obb. For the Antegods project the company launched a crowdfunding campaign on Fig in March 2017 to accelerate development; although the campaign did not reach its target, development initially continued before the project was definitively cancelled. In 2018 the studio researched blockchain technology, resulting in the prototype Crown of Carnage, which won the Alto Cryptogame Challenge in Helsinki. In 2019 it worked with designer Daniel Ernst, Submarine Channel and Leiden University on The Great Orator, a virtual reality project about artificial intelligence, selected for the Nederlands Film Festival's BoostNL programme. Codeglue carried out various development assignments for international publishers. In 2011 it developed the mobile game Scre4m for film studio The Weinstein Company. From the 2010s the company specialized in porting existing games, including the mobile version of Terraria and various compilations for NIS America such as Makai Kingdom and Saviors of Sapphire Wings. In 2020 it developed the mobile version of Human: Fall Flat for publisher 505 Games, adapting the controls for touchscreens and optimizing the physics engine and lighting for mobile devices. It was also involved in the technical realization of the Shadowrun Trilogy. On 22 August 2023 Codeglue was acquired by Behaviour Interactive, known for Dead by Daylight. The acquisition followed earlier Behaviour expansions in the United Kingdom. The acquisition process, in which Behaviour evaluated around 200 studios, began around 2021. After the August 2023 acquisition, founders De Jong and Sibrandi remained with the company as General Manager and Senior Technical Director respectively. The studio was placed within the Services division, with its focus shifting to support work for large-scale AAA projects. In 2009 the studio won a Dutch Game Award in the Best Visual Design category for Rocket Riot. During the Dutch Game Awards 2022 the studio was named Best Studio; according to the jury, the award was based on its personnel policy during the COVID-19 pandemic and the quality of its working conditions.

• Peter de Jong and Maurice Sibrandi begin their games-industry careers with a graduation internship at DIMA, developing software for the Philips CD-i including Christmas Crisis.

• Codeglue founded in Rotterdam by Peter de Jong and Maurice Sibrandi.

• Studio begins developing content for PlayStation Home, producing virtual goods and operating a virtual shop space.

• Rocket Riot released, built with the Microsoft XNA framework; wins Dutch Game Award for Best Visual Design.

• Develops the mobile game Scre4m for The Weinstein Company.

• Collaborates with Sparpweed on Ibb & Obb; releases the DIY Racer kit for PlayStation Home.

• Launches Antegods crowdfunding campaign on Fig; campaign does not reach its target and the project is eventually cancelled.

• Blockchain research results in the prototype Crown of Carnage, which wins the Alto Cryptogame Challenge in Helsinki.

• Works on The Great Orator VR project with Daniel Ernst, Submarine Channel and Leiden University; selected for BoostNL.

• Develops the mobile version of Human: Fall Flat for 505 Games.

• Named Best Studio at the Dutch Game Awards.

• Acquired by Behaviour Interactive and renamed Behaviour Rotterdam; founders remain as General Manager and Senior Technical Director.

Dutch game development studio specializing in ports, co-development and support work for international publishers, now part of Behaviour Interactive's Services division.

• Monkey Ball Minigolf

• Love a Lemming

• Worms World Party

• Rocket Riot

• Ibb & Obb

• Scre4m

• Terraria mobile version

• Makai Kingdom

• Saviors of Sapphire Wings

• Human: Fall Flat mobile version

• Shadowrun Trilogy

• Crown of Carnage

• The Great Orator

• Antegods

• Antegods crowdfunding on Fig

1. 1Behaviour Rotterdam - Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2Behaviour Rotterdam - Wikipedia (Dutch)nl.wikipedia.org