Company History : Astraware

Pre-2000

Formed (as Astrasoft) in 1993, writing software for Atari ST computers
First successful shareware software released in 1993 DeskTracker player
First commercial success in 1994 with StormTracker editor
First PC shareware game in 1995 - Bzzz!
First Palm Pilot games released in 1998

2000

First color game, Zap!2000 color, released for Palm IIIc in March.
Incorporated as Astraware Limited in Spring.
Howard and David leave their existing jobs to concentrate on Astraware

2001

First additional employees joined the company
First two-player bluetooth game for Palm, Biplane Ace, demoed by CTO of Palm during PalmSource conference, in the Spring.
First licensed game, Bejeweled, released in April.
Summer - Major development for Pocket Express and Midway, developing Palm versions of Spyhunter, Joust and more.
Summer - Astraware takes on professional external PR agent
Fall - Diamond Mine, our first game for Pocket PC, is released (later renamed to be Bejeweled for Pocket PC.
December - Astraware launches its own online store, selling Palm OS and Pocket PC software, and also PC versions of the games on behalf of our licensors.

2002

Entered offices January, taking on additional full time staff covering support
Fall - first publishing deals for external developers

2003

Summer - bundled with Orange launch of the Handspring Treo 600
Summer - first Microsoft Windows Mobile Smartphone releases
Summer - created dedicated Sony CLIÉ channel linked from Sony's website
Winter - elected member of Microsoft's Mobility Partner Advisory Council (MPAC)

2004

Spring - took part in "UK State Of Play" - a delegation of UK games companies to E3 (The Electronic Entertainment Exposition) in Los Angeles
April - Website updated and relaunched with improved commerce engine.
June - Astraware is given Palm Developer of the Year award by Handango.
November - Hellfire Apache vs. Hind, published by Astraware, wins Pocket PC Magazine's Best Action Game of 2004.
December - Bejeweled 2 - sequel to the best-selling PDA game ever - is released.

2005

January - Astraware supports Asian Tsunami appeal by donating all proceeds from Bejeweled during the month.
April - Astraware celebrates its 5th Birthday with a massive Treasure Hunt across several partner sites and over 1000 prizes!
April - The Astraware Lifestyle Channel is launched - featuring a selection of top applications personally selected by the Astraware Team from customer requests.
August - Astraware launches Play Anywhere and Win - a multi-week contest leading up to the relaunch of the Astraware website and featuring photos of customers playing our games in notable or unusual locations.
September - Astraware celebrates International Talk Like a Pirate Day by dressing up as pirates (and talking like them).
September - Astraware adds support for Windows Mobile 5.0 to a range of its games.
December - Astraware takes delivery of a Segway Human Transporter - the prize awarded to them at Orange Code Camp in Opio, France for developing the 'Best Overall Prodict' (Astraware Sudoku's Puzzle of the Day feature).
December - The Astraware website is relaunched with a new design.

2006

January - Cubis, developed by Astraware, is bundled with Palm®, Inc.'s first ever Windows Mobile® Treo™ - the 700w.
February - Astraware is interviewed for the Wall Street Journal and included in a feature about the Sudoku phenomenon.
March - New member-only area, Club Astraware, featuring special content and exclusive offers is launched on the Astraware website.
May - Bejeweled is bundled with Palm®, Inc.'s Palm OS® Treo™ 700p.
September - After months of top secret development Apple unveils Bejeweled and Zuma for their iPod portable media players. Both were developed by Astraware's David Oakley in conjunction with PopCap Games.
September - Palm®, Inc. announces first GSM Windows Mobile® Treo™ device with Dynomite! bundled.
October - Astraware launches its own company Team Blog.
October - Smartphone & Pocket PC Magazine announce their 2006 awards. Bejeweled 2 (Best Colour Matching game, Pocket PC), Astraware Sudoku (Best Sudoku Game, Pocket PC) and Bejeweled (Best Puzzle Game, Smartphone) are all winners.
October - Palm®, Inc. announces Treo™ 680 smartphone with Bejeweled bundled.

2007

February - ACCESS demonstrates mobile Linux® prototype of Bejeweled at 3GSM in Barcelona, Spain.
February - Astraware becomes a Charter Member of the ACCESS Connect Ecosystem Global Partner Program with the aim of promoting mobile Linux.
March - Astraware is interviewed for the UK Sunday Times and featured in an supplement about technology in Stoke-on-Trent.
April - Astraware takes part in a Trade Mission to Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan organised by UK Trade & Investment.
May - Astraware is given UK Trade & Investment's Passport to Export 'Exporter of the Year' award for the West Midlands
September - Astraware launches a new PC games channel powered by Big Fish Games as well as releasing the first licensed title for Palm OS® and Windows Mobile® from Big Fish - Hidden Expedition: Titanic.
November - Smartphone & Pocket PC Magazine announce their 2007 awards: Broken Sword Shadow of the Templars (Best Adventure Game, Pocket PC), Bejeweled 2 (Best Colour Matching game, Pocket PC), and Bejeweled (Best Colour Matching game, Smartphone) are all winners!
November - Astraware announces games for Symbian's UIQ platform will be released in the first quarter of 2008.

2008

January - Astraware announces that it has joined the Handmark family to become a dedicated games studio for Handmark
March - Astraware releases Hexic and Mozaki, two games it developed for Microsoft's Carbonated Games studio
March - Astraware adds support for an additional smartphone platform when Astraware Boardgames becomes their first game for Symbian® S60® and UIQ®
May - At the Wireless Enterprise Symposium (WES) in Florida, Handmark announces support for an additional new platform with the news that Astraware's first game for BlackBerry will be released in Q3 2008.
May - Astraware moves into a custom built office in Newcastle-under-Lyme, offering greater room for expansion.
June - Handmark announces their intention at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference to create applications and games for iPhone.
August - Astraware's first game for iPhone and iPod touch is released on to the App Store. GTS World Racing, developed by Pazzazz Games, is published on to the App Store by Handmark.
September - Platypus, Astraware's first game for BlackBerry smartphones, is released, adding to existing platforms Palm OS, Windows Mobile, and S60.
September - Handmark announces the forthcoming release of a range of popular games licenses from Sony Pictures to be developed by Astraware, including Wheel of Fortune Deluxe and Quantum of Solace based on the James Bond movie franchise.
October - Astraware Sudoku is released for iPhone and iPod touch and garners excellent reviews
October - Astraware wins big at the Smartphone & Pocket PC Magazine awards with 7 games winning in their categories and a further 10 games nominated! Amongst the winners are Astraware Casino in the Best Casino Games category, and Astraware Boardgames in the Best Board Games category.

2009

January - Astraware and Pazzazz Games follow up the huge success of GTS World Racing for iPhone with the release of a brand new version of Hellfire, optimized for iPhone and iPod touch
February - Astraware and Sandlot Games collaborate again to bring Westward to iPhone and iPod touch. The game is an instant hit and is featured by Apple on their App Store
February - Bubble Shuffle - a brand new word game is released for Windows Mobile, Palm OS, iPhone and iPod touch
March - Astraware Sudoku is released for BlackBerry smartphones via Astraware.com and BlackBerry App World.
March - Astraware Solitaire is updated to include support for wide VGA and wide QVGA screens! Other games follow during May, June and July
June - Following on from the success of GTS World Racing and Hellfire, Astraware and Pazzazz Games release Phaze - a futuristic racing game for iPhone and iPod touch
June - Following in the footsteps of Glyph and Westward, Astraware and Sandlot games bring Tradewinds 2 to the iPhone and iPod touch. The game is featured on the front page of the iTunes App Store.
July - Astraware Casino gets a shiny title-screen makeover and is released for iPhone and iPod touch. The release is backed by a Twitter campaign that helps the game to #2 on the App Store Top Casino Games list!
August - Astraware Sudoku, Solitaire, Boardgames and Casino for S60 all get new releases with support for 3rd and 5th Edition.
August - Astraware teams up with Spidermonk Entertainment to help publish their multi-touch boxing game Down 4 The Count on to the iPhone App Store.
October - Another new platform is added to the range of devices we support - this time with Astraware Solitaire, Astraware Boardgames, Astraware Sudoku

Our team has a great mix of skills covering multi-platform development, art and design, web expertise, testing experience, and customer service. We are based in a custom built office in Newcastle-under-Lyme, in the Midlands, UK. We have internet based sales in over 100 countries and our games are bundled with devices all round the world.

Support Forums What's New Press Releases Subscribe to our newsletters Company About Team Jobs Legal Information	The History of Astraware Pre-2000 Formed (as Astrasoft) in 1993, writing software for Atari ST computers First successful shareware software released in 1993 DeskTracker player First commercial success in 1994 with StormTracker editor First PC shareware game in 1995 - Bzzz! First Palm Pilot games released in 1998 2000 First color game, Zap!2000 color, released for Palm IIIc in March. Incorporated as Astraware Limited in Spring. Howard and David leave their existing jobs to concentrate on Astraware 2001 First additional employees joined the company First two-player bluetooth game for Palm, Biplane Ace, demoed by CTO of Palm during PalmSource conference, in the Spring. First licensed game, Bejeweled, released in April. Summer - Major development for Pocket Express and Midway, developing Palm versions of Spyhunter, Joust and more. Summer - Astraware takes on professional external PR agent Fall - Diamond Mine, our first game for Pocket PC, is released (later renamed to be Bejeweled for Pocket PC. December - Astraware launches its own online store, selling Palm OS and Pocket PC software, and also PC versions of the games on behalf of our licensors. 2002 Entered offices January, taking on additional full time staff covering support Fall - first publishing deals for external developers 2003 Summer - bundled with Orange launch of the Handspring Treo 600 Summer - first Microsoft Windows Mobile Smartphone releases Summer - created dedicated Sony CLIÉ channel linked from Sony's website Winter - elected member of Microsoft's Mobility Partner Advisory Council (MPAC) 2004 Spring - took part in "UK State Of Play" - a delegation of UK games companies to E3 (The Electronic Entertainment Exposition) in Los Angeles April - Website updated and relaunched with improved commerce engine. June - Astraware is given Palm Developer of the Year award by Handango. November - Hellfire Apache vs. Hind, published by Astraware, wins Pocket PC Magazine's Best Action Game of 2004. December - Bejeweled 2 - sequel to the best-selling PDA game ever - is released. 2005 January - Astraware supports Asian Tsunami appeal by donating all proceeds from Bejeweled during the month. April - Astraware celebrates its 5th Birthday with a massive Treasure Hunt across several partner sites and over 1000 prizes! April - The Astraware Lifestyle Channel is launched - featuring a selection of top applications personally selected by the Astraware Team from customer requests. August - Astraware launches Play Anywhere and Win - a multi-week contest leading up to the relaunch of the Astraware website and featuring photos of customers playing our games in notable or unusual locations. September - Astraware celebrates International Talk Like a Pirate Day by dressing up as pirates (and talking like them). September - Astraware adds support for Windows Mobile 5.0 to a range of its games. December - Astraware takes delivery of a Segway Human Transporter - the prize awarded to them at Orange Code Camp in Opio, France for developing the 'Best Overall Prodict' (Astraware Sudoku's Puzzle of the Day feature). December - The Astraware website is relaunched with a new design. 2006 January - Cubis, developed by Astraware, is bundled with Palm®, Inc.'s first ever Windows Mobile® Treo™ - the 700w. February - Astraware is interviewed for the Wall Street Journal and included in a feature about the Sudoku phenomenon. March - New member-only area, Club Astraware, featuring special content and exclusive offers is launched on the Astraware website. May - Bejeweled is bundled with Palm®, Inc.'s Palm OS® Treo™ 700p. September - After months of top secret development Apple unveils Bejeweled and Zuma for their iPod portable media players. Both were developed by Astraware's David Oakley in conjunction with PopCap Games. September - Palm®, Inc. announces first GSM Windows Mobile® Treo™ device with Dynomite! bundled. October - Astraware launches its own company Team Blog. October - Smartphone & Pocket PC Magazine announce their 2006 awards. Bejeweled 2 (Best Colour Matching game, Pocket PC), Astraware Sudoku (Best Sudoku Game, Pocket PC) and Bejeweled (Best Puzzle Game, Smartphone) are all winners. October - Palm®, Inc. announces Treo™ 680 smartphone with Bejeweled bundled. 2007 February - ACCESS demonstrates mobile Linux® prototype of Bejeweled at 3GSM in Barcelona, Spain. February - Astraware becomes a Charter Member of the ACCESS Connect Ecosystem Global Partner Program with the aim of promoting mobile Linux. March - Astraware is interviewed for the UK Sunday Times and featured in an supplement about technology in Stoke-on-Trent. April - Astraware takes part in a Trade Mission to Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan organised by UK Trade & Investment. May - Astraware is given UK Trade & Investment's Passport to Export 'Exporter of the Year' award for the West Midlands September - Astraware launches a new PC games channel powered by Big Fish Games as well as releasing the first licensed title for Palm OS® and Windows Mobile® from Big Fish - Hidden Expedition: Titanic. November - Smartphone & Pocket PC Magazine announce their 2007 awards: Broken Sword Shadow of the Templars (Best Adventure Game, Pocket PC), Bejeweled 2 (Best Colour Matching game, Pocket PC), and Bejeweled (Best Colour Matching game, Smartphone) are all winners! November - Astraware announces games for Symbian's UIQ platform will be released in the first quarter of 2008. 2008 January - Astraware announces that it has joined the Handmark family to become a dedicated games studio for Handmark March - Astraware releases Hexic and Mozaki, two games it developed for Microsoft's Carbonated Games studio March - Astraware adds support for an additional smartphone platform when Astraware Boardgames becomes their first game for Symbian® S60® and UIQ® May - At the Wireless Enterprise Symposium (WES) in Florida, Handmark announces support for an additional new platform with the news that Astraware's first game for BlackBerry will be released in Q3 2008. May - Astraware moves into a custom built office in Newcastle-under-Lyme, offering greater room for expansion. June - Handmark announces their intention at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference to create applications and games for iPhone. August - Astraware's first game for iPhone and iPod touch is released on to the App Store. GTS World Racing, developed by Pazzazz Games, is published on to the App Store by Handmark. September - Platypus, Astraware's first game for BlackBerry smartphones, is released, adding to existing platforms Palm OS, Windows Mobile, and S60. September - Handmark announces the forthcoming release of a range of popular games licenses from Sony Pictures to be developed by Astraware, including Wheel of Fortune Deluxe and Quantum of Solace based on the James Bond movie franchise. October - Astraware Sudoku is released for iPhone and iPod touch and garners excellent reviews October - Astraware wins big at the Smartphone & Pocket PC Magazine awards with 7 games winning in their categories and a further 10 games nominated! Amongst the winners are Astraware Casino in the Best Casino Games category, and Astraware Boardgames in the Best Board Games category. 2009 January - Astraware and Pazzazz Games follow up the huge success of GTS World Racing for iPhone with the release of a brand new version of Hellfire, optimized for iPhone and iPod touch February - Astraware and Sandlot Games collaborate again to bring Westward to iPhone and iPod touch. The game is an instant hit and is featured by Apple on their App Store February - Bubble Shuffle - a brand new word game is released for Windows Mobile, Palm OS, iPhone and iPod touch March - Astraware Sudoku is released for BlackBerry smartphones via Astraware.com and BlackBerry App World. March - Astraware Solitaire is updated to include support for wide VGA and wide QVGA screens! Other games follow during May, June and July June - Following on from the success of GTS World Racing and Hellfire, Astraware and Pazzazz Games release Phaze - a futuristic racing game for iPhone and iPod touch June - Following in the footsteps of Glyph and Westward, Astraware and Sandlot games bring Tradewinds 2 to the iPhone and iPod touch. The game is featured on the front page of the iTunes App Store. July - Astraware Casino gets a shiny title-screen makeover and is released for iPhone and iPod touch. The release is backed by a Twitter campaign that helps the game to #2 on the App Store Top Casino Games list! August - Astraware Sudoku, Solitaire, Boardgames and Casino for S60 all get new releases with support for 3rd and 5th Edition. August - Astraware teams up with Spidermonk Entertainment to help publish their multi-touch boxing game Down 4 The Count on to the iPhone App Store. October - Another new platform is added to the range of devices we support - this time with Astraware Solitaire, Astraware Boardgames, Astraware Sudoku Our team has a great mix of skills covering multi-platform development, art and design, web expertise, testing experience, and customer service. We are based in a custom built office in Newcastle-under-Lyme, in the Midlands, UK. We have internet based sales in over 100 countries and our games are bundled with devices all round the world.
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The History of Astraware