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What is Gbanga?

Gbanga is a brand name that focuses on the development of mixed-reality games and playful experiences that operate at the boundary between reality and digital fiction. That is games that analyse the player’s current situation such as location, local weather and friends nearby to deliver a game experience that is more fun.

Our most renown games include Urban. Hunt., the world’s largest massive-multiplayer geo-game, Galaxy Invaders, a VR arcade game, Gbanga Famiglia, a mafia-themed game where players compete over real-world establishments like bars and restaurants and extend their territory on a shared global map.

When was Gbanga founded?

Gbanga was founded by Julio Perez and Matthias Sala, two computer scientists from Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH Zurich in 2007 in Switzerland. After working on mixed-reality games for the pre-smartphone area, we have started to create mixed-reality games for iOS, Android, HTML5, HTC Vive and other platforms.

What is the meaning of the name?

Our trademark Gbanga is based on a town in Liberia which is spelled GbaRnga. Because our mixed-reality games are often based around locations, we picked a name of a location far, far away.

Milestones

2023

  • Gbanga’s work with «Migros Merge» wins gold at the Best of Swiss App 2023 awards.
  • Gbanga releases «Kids Crunch», a web-based AR world for kids, for Swiss cereal company bio-familia (shortlisted for Best of Swiss Web 2023).
  • Gbanga’s game «Migros Merge» has been downloaded hundreds of thousands of times (downloads restricted to Switzerland) with high 4.5-star ratings, thanks to continuously releasing new in-game seasons and chapters

2022

  • Largest Swiss retailer launches «Migros Merge», a revolution in brick and mortar retailer marketing in the digital age, a game developed by Gbanga.
  • Mixed-reality design walk «Design Promenade XR – Zurich» has been released as part of Design Weeks Zurich 2022, in partnership with the design organisation Design Promenade.

2021

  • Gbanga scores a gold award in the category Innovation at Best of Swiss Web 2021 for their commissioned web card game Jass Fédéral.
  • Experience museum «Chocolarium» in Flawil gets a mixed-reality tour by Gbanga.
  • Gbanga designs the game «FairFinder» for Max Havelaar.

2020

  • Gbanga launches the strategic card game «Book of Beasts» for Android, iOS and Steam and gets nominated for the Pocket Gamer Award.

2019

  • Together with «kik AG Bildungswerkstatt» Gbanga redefines how effective learning materials are designed and launches the fully educational web-based 3D game Share Your Risk.ch in 8 interactive point-and-click adventure episodes in the first season.
  • Gbanga qualifies for the The European Game Showcase at the Game Developers Conference GDC 2019.
  • Innovetica Open Cup 2019 is the first eSports league welcoming not only professional athletes, but also amateurs.

2018

2017

  • Thousands of people discover post locations around them in a playful way with Postman.
  • Attendants of the Swiss lawyer congress learn about working together in the multiplayer virtual reality experience SLX Arena.
  • Gbanga celebrates its 10th anniversary.

2016

2015

  • More Space for you!, the playground atlas game for children is launched.
  • Thanks to the mixed-reality multiplayer game Gross. Stadt. Jagd.  thousands of players run through the city of Zurich.
  • Gbanga develops the HTML-based game EBL On Tour for EBL Elektra Baselland.

2014

2013

2012

  • Gbanga was nominated for the second time for the Swiss ICT Award in the category Newcomer
  • Beta HTML5 app is launched for Gbanga Famiglia
  • Gbanga’s Pilotifant game wins the App of the Year 2012 award.

2011

  • Various awards and nominations such as winner of AppCircus at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona; only European nominee at GamesBeat’s “Who’s got game competition” and; European finalist in the Top 100 Red Herring Europe
  • Mafia Dog is launched for Gbanga Famiglia
  • World Domination Satellite purchasable item is launched for Gbanga Famiglia, the most expensive in-game item at time price at $99 US. One is sold within 3 hours of going on sale.
  • Gbanga launches its API at the The Next Web Hackaton in Amsterdam
  • Gbanga launches the new Phonebooth side-quests for Gbanga Famiglia

2010

  • Gbanga was nominated for the Swiss ICT Award in the category Newcomer
  • Gbanga Famiglia, a mafia-themed location-based game is launched on the Gbanga platform. It is available world-wide (open beta)
  • Gbanga Ballenberg, a virtual scavenger hunt for tourism in cooperation with IMIUniversity Center Lucerne
  • Various award nominations such as IMGA International Mobile Game Award,Business Idea 2010, Best of Swiss Web Award Shortlist 2010

2009

  • Venture leader participation
  • Gbanga Zooh, an educational location-based campaign for Zurich Zoo is launched in the City of Zurich (closed alpha)
  • Coaching acceptance by Swiss Confederation’s Innovation Promotion AgencyCTI

2008

  • Gbanga Mr. X, a public transport racing game for Zurich

2007

  • Paper prototype is created in a shared student flat in Zurich
  • Technical prototype is created

2006

  • Matthias Sala and Julio Perez, two Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) graduates, discuss the idea of a mixed-reality monopoly game during their research placements at Xerox PARC and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the US.
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We are the serious games agency Gbanga. As a specialist for gamification games and playful experiences, Gbanga implements games for contract customers. We would love to work with you on your next game!