# Fiendish Games

> defunct english video game developer

**Wikidata**: [Q97515952](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q97515952)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/fiendish-games

## Summary  
Fiendish Games was a short‑lived English video‑game developer founded on 20 December 1999 and dissolved in 2000. It operated in the United Kingdom as a subsidiary of Criterion Games before becoming defunct, and its former website (http://www.fiendishgames.com) is now subject to link‑rot.

## Key Facts  
- **Founded:** 20 December 1999 ( inception )【source】  
- **Dissolved:** 2000 ( dissolved,_abolished_or_demolished_date )【source】  
- **Country:** United Kingdom ( country )【source】  
- **Parent organization:** Criterion Games ( parent_org )【source】  
- **Industry classification:** video game developer ( instance_of )【source】  
- **Former website:** http://www.fiendishgames.com ( website – flagged for link rot, British English )【source】  
- **OGDB company ID:** 2925 ( ogdb_company_id )【source】  
- **Mod DB company ID:** “fiendish‑games” ( mod_db_company_id )【source】  
- **GameFAQs company ID:** 12797 ( gamefaqs_company_id )【source】  
- **MobyGames company ID:** 3026 (also listed under former scheme as “fiendish‑games‑ltd”) ( mobygames_company_id & mobygames_company_id_(former_scheme) )【source】

## FAQs  
### Q: When was Fiendish Games founded?  
A: Fiendish Games was founded on 20 December 1999.  

### Q: How long did Fiendish Games operate before dissolving?  
A: The company was dissolved in 2000, giving it less than a year of operation.  

### Q: Which larger studio owned Fiendish Games?  
A: Fiendish Games was a subsidiary of the British studio Criterion Games.  

## Why It Matters  
Although Fiendish Games existed for only a brief period, its formation illustrates the rapid expansion and experimentation within the UK video‑game sector at the turn of the millennium. As a subsidiary of Criterion Games—an established developer known for titles such as *Burnout*—Fiendish Games represents how larger studios sometimes spin off niche or experimental units to explore new ideas or market segments. Even short‑lived entities contribute to the ecosystem by fostering talent, testing development pipelines, and adding to the diversity of the industry’s corporate landscape. Documentation of Fiendish Games, including its presence in multiple game‑industry databases (OGDB, Mod DB, GameFAQs, MobyGames), ensures that its contributions, however modest, are preserved for historical and research purposes.  

## Notable For  
- Being a **subsidiary of Criterion Games**, linking it to a prominent UK developer.  
- Having a **formal corporate identity** recorded across several industry databases (OGDB, Mod DB, GameFAQs, MobyGames).  
- Operating **exclusively in 1999‑2000**, making it one of the briefest‑lived developers in the UK market.  
- Maintaining a **dedicated website** (now defunct) that was once indexed under British English.  

## Body  

### History  
- **Inception:** Fiendish Games was incorporated on 20 December 1999 in the United Kingdom.  
- **Dissolution:** The company ceased to exist in 2000, as recorded in the dissolved,_abolished_or_demolished_date field.  

### Ownership and Structure  
- **Parent organization:** Criterion Games, a British video‑game studio founded in 1993 and headquartered in Guildford, acted as the parent company.  
- **Corporate classification:** Listed as an instance of “video game developer” in the video‑game industry taxonomy.  

### Online Presence  
- **Website:** The official site (http://www.fiendishgames.com) was once active but is now flagged for link rot and identified as British English.  

### Industry Identifiers  
- **OGDB:** Company ID 2925.  
- **Mod DB:** Identifier “fiendish‑games”.  
- **GameFAQs:** Company ID 12797.  
- **MobyGames:** Company ID 3026, also recorded under the former scheme as “fiendish‑games‑ltd”.  
- **GRY Online:** Company ID 1673.  

### Legacy  
- Despite its brief lifespan, Fiendish Games is documented in multiple game‑industry reference sites, preserving its existence for archival and research purposes.  
- Its relationship with Criterion Games provides insight into corporate strategies of larger studios during a period of rapid growth in the UK video‑game sector.

## References

1. [Source](https://ogdb.eu/index.php?section=company&companyid=2925)