Manic Mechanics debuted on the Switch in July from 4J.
Manic Mechanics debuted on the Switch in July from 4J.
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4J Studios shifts to more original intellectual properties like Manic Mechanics

  • Posted byby Dean Takahashi
  • Updated
  • 5 min

4J Studios has been making games for other companies since 2005. But more and more, we’ll see it stepping out on its own with original intellectual properties, according to Chris van der Kuyl, cofounder of the game developer and publisher.

Van der Kuyl walked me through the company’s 18-year history. 4J Studios has had 16 titles published over the years. It made 17 mash-up games, seven mini games, 30 skin packs and 11 texture packs. It won 11 international awards and its games have been played by 150 million players.

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Written by

Dean Takahashi

Dean Takahashi is editorial director for GamesBeat. He has been a tech journalist since 1988, and he has covered games as a beat since 1996. He was lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat from 2008 to April 2025. Prior to that, he wrote for the San Jose Mercury News, the Red Herring, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and the Dallas Times-Herald. He is the author of two books, "Opening the Xbox" and "The Xbox 360 Uncloaked." He organizes the annual GamesBeat Next, GamesBeat Summit and GamesBeat Insider Series: Hollywood and Games conferences and is a frequent speaker at gaming and tech events. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.