WayForward
| Name | WayForward Technologies, Inc. |
| Logo |  |
| Type | Private |
| Industry | Video games |
| Founder | Voldi Way |
| Hq Location City | Valencia, Santa Clarita, California |
| Hq Location Country | U.S. |
| Key People | Voldi Way (CEO) Matt Bozon (creative director) |
| Products | |
| Website | https://wayforward.com/ |
WayForward Technologies, Inc. is an American independent video game developer and publisher based in Valencia, California. Founded in March 1990 by technology entrepreneur Voldi Way, WayForward started by developing games for consoles such as the Super NES and Sega Genesis, as well as TV games and PC educational software. In 1997, they relaunched their video games arm, placing the company as a contractor for publishers and working on a variety of licensed assets.
The company has created a variety of original game properties such as their flagship Shantae series, including the first title in the series which appeared on the Game Boy Color and was published by Capcom. WayForward Technologies has worked on games for the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita handheld consoles, WiiWare games for Nintendo's Wii and Wii U, Nintendo Switch consoles and games for PC and mobile phones.
History
WayForward Technologies was founded in 1990 by Voldi Way as an independent video game design company, following on from a previous company he started that specialized in software for sheet metal fabrication. Early on, the company focused on producing software for the Super NES, Genesis, Game Gear and Game Boy Color. They branched out into educational games for the personal computer and Leapster. During this time, many of the staff were doing other jobs in order to support their ambition to become game developers.
In 1994, WayForward Technologies entered into a partnership with American Education Publishing in order to focus on developing further educational video games. The partnership was successful, with the company winning awards for innovation at the 1995 Consumer Electronics Show. During this time, WayForward focused on licensed assets such as the Muppets for their educational games.
WayForward restarted their video game development business in April 1997, working as a "developer for hire" by providing services to software publishers. John Beck, CEO, stated that by providing services on small projects the company has managed to remain a stable level of work. In mid-2002, WayForward released their first internally developed game based on their own intellectual property Shantae. While it achieved critical acclaim, it was one of the last games to be released for the Game Boy Color and as a result only enjoyed limited success.
When Nintendo announced the dual-screen handheld console that became the Nintendo DS in early 2004, WayForward began examining the various options the new console offered. Work started on a sequel to Shantae using the two screens. Despite presenting the concepts to a number of publishers, they were ultimately unsuccessful at securing a deal. Because of the large number of Shantae related assets that were produced, including 3D models, WayForward frequently uses them when trying out new technology or development platforms. In 2004, the company was contracted by THQ to produce a chat game called Ping Pals for the Nintendo DS. Despite the tight timescales involved in developing the game, WayForward used the opportunity to obtain development kits for the platform. The game was received unfavourably by the majority of critics and gained only a single positive review. In 2006, the company produced and released Justice League Heroes: The Flash just as the Game Boy Advance was reaching the end of its commercial life cycle, which met with mixed reviews. WayForward has gone on to develop further titles for the Nintendo DS. Looney Tunes: Duck Amuck, based on the 1951 Warner Bros. cartoon Duck Amuck received mixed reviews upon release.
On February 19, 2008, John Beck and Matt Bozon were speakers at the Independent Games Summit, part of the 2008 Game Developers Conference, discussing a range of issues facing independent games companies. Lit was announced on March 5, 2008, and was released on February 9, 2009, for the WiiWare online shop platform. A new game in the Shantae series was considered for the platform.
WayForward introduced a new character named Alta, who is a pink-haired girl that wields a scepter. She represented a new intellectual property. This was revealed on March 9, 2009, to be a DSiWare game called Mighty Flip Champs!. WayForward created Mighty Milky Way, another puzzle platformer with a new character named Luna. Its sequel, Mighty Switch Force!, was released on the 3DS eShop on December 22, 2011, with a sequel two years later called Mighty Switch Force! 2 on the Nintendo 3DS' eShop.
Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why'd You Steal Our Garbage?! was released on November 20, 2012. A sequel, Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I Don't Know!, as well as Regular Show: Mordecai and Rigby in 8-Bit Land, were released in 2013. A sequel to Mighty Switch Force! was released on June 13, 2013. A new Shantae game was revealed via Nintendo Power, Shantae and the Pirate's Curse, which was released on October 23, 2014, on the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U eShop. Another game in the series, Shantae: Half-Genie Hero, was crowdfunded via Kickstarter and released in December 2016. On April Fool's Day 2013, Wayforward made a fake announcement for a game called Cat Girl Without Salad! Fans responded positively to the game's concept, leading WayForward to later develop it into a full title, which was released via a Humble Bundle in June 2016. In May 2017, Mystik Belle, originally developed and published by Last Dimension for Steam and later Nintendo Switch, was developed by them and published by WayForward for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
In August 2025, WayForward announced a collaboration with ModRetro, a manufacturer of FPGA based Game Boy Color clone consoles owned by Palmer Luckey, to re-release Sabrina: The Animated Series - Zapped!. The announcement of this partnership received significant backlash on social media, with users bringing up Palmer's pro-Donald Trump statements and his military manufacturing company Anduril Industries. WayForward initially deleted the posts announcing the partnership, clarifying that the rights holders of Sabrina, Archie Comics, were responsible for the deal with Palmer, and that they wouldn’t be receiving any royalties for each unit sold, however they later deleted the posts clarifying things, leading users to suspect WayForward was in fact in on the deal.
Games
Cancelled games
- Plans for a Shantae sequel was Shantae: Risky Waters, a game planned for the GameCube, a rafting game, it was based on the GameCube controller as feeling like the left and right triggers with analog resistance in them. Plans were scrapped after WayForward failed to find a publisher. Eventually, WayForward would be able to self-publish all Shantae sequels starting with Risky's Revenge.
- The company once expressed interest in making a licensed game based on My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, but weren't able to obtain the rights before the entirety of Generation 4 came to an end.
- The company also expressed interest in porting Mystik Belle (which they previously ported to PS4 and Xbox One) to Nintendo Switch once GameMaker Studio integration is implemented on the console. While GameMaker support would eventually be added to the console in late 2018, plans for the original Mystik Belle being released on Switch were most likely scrapped in 2021 due to the game's developers, Last Dimension, self-publishing Mystik Belle: Enchanted Edition, which was surprise-released that September 9th, on WayForward's behalf.
- Though not exactly "cancelled", there was a relatively short-lived Apple Arcade-exclusive title made by WayForward called Marble Knights, which was available through the service from September 18th, 2020, to August 15th, 2023. It featured dungeon crawler-style gameplay with marble physics.
References
- Interview: WayForward's Voldi Way talks blobs, Shantae, and street cred, June 12, 2009
- live, June 22, 2019, WayForward and Arc System Works Announce Female Follow-Up to River City Ransom, Game Informer
- WayForward To The Handheld Future, Brandon, Sheffield, Brandon Sheffield, Gamasutra, November 17, 2004, June 14, 2008, June 22, 2008, dead
- WayForward Technologies – The Company, WayForward Technologies, June 14, 2008, February 6, 2008, live
- The Flop That Inspired 'Contra 4' And 'Duck Amuck', Stephen, Totilo, MTV, August 21, 2007, June 14, 2008, March 12, 2009, dead
- Ping Pals, Geoffery, Winter, Nintendojo, June 14, 2008, November 14, 2006, live
- Justice League Heroes: The Flash, (gba: 2006): Reviews, Metacritic, CNET Networks, January 5, 2007, July 7, 2025, dead
- E3 '07: Duck Amuck Impressions, Guy, Cocker, GameSpot, July 13, 2007, June 14, 2008, dead, March 14, 2009
- Looney Tunes: Duck Amuck, Metacritic, June 14, 2008, March 12, 2009, live
- Games Developers Conference – Independent Games Summit, CMP Media, June 14, 2008, March 12, 2008
- WayForward Developing Exclusive Horror Puzzle Title for WiiWare, Damien, McFerran, WiiWare World, March 6, 2008, June 14, 2008, May 18, 2008, live
- GDC08: Shantae summoned for WiiWare, James, Ransom-Wiley, Joystiq, February 22, 2008, June 14, 2008, February 25, 2008, dead
- Adventure Time, Ben 10 and Regular Show Are All Getting New Games | ScrewAttack.com, July 11, 2014, dead, September 9, 2013
- Jonathan, Holmes, Mighty Switch Force 2 announced for 3DS!-Sup, Holmes?, Destructoid, February 24, 2013, September 11, 2017, October 1, 2016, live
- Caz, Shantae 3 for 3DS Announced! (SPREAD THE NEWS!), November 7, 2012, December 2, 2016, March 6, 2016, live, YouTube
- WayForward, Shantae: Half-Genie Hero, Kickstarter, September 4, 2013, September 4, 2013, September 6, 2013, live
- WayForward's April Fools joke 'Cat Girl without Salad' now a reality, May 27, 2016, January 3, 2017, January 4, 2017, live
- A classic WayForward Technologies April Fools' joke is becoming an actual game, Allegra, Frank, May 28, 2016, May 28, 2016, Polygon, May 27, 2016, live
- Cat Girl Without Salad: Amuse-Bouche is a manic pixie dream, June 13, 2016, January 3, 2017, January 4, 2017, live
- September 17, 2017, Mystik Belle Revealed, TrueAchievements, CognitiveCaveat, 2023-04-12, en
- Sabrina: The Animated Series - Zapped! Review - Review, 2025-08-11, Nintendo World Report
- Extension, Time, 2025-07-10, ModRetro's Chromatic Is Back In Stock, Alongside Sabrina The Teenage Witch, 2025-08-11, Time Extension, en-GB
- Extension, Time, 2025-07-18, WayForward And ModRetro Release Joint Statement Regarding Sabrina: Zapped! Re-Release, 2025-08-11, Time Extension, en-GB
- Sabrina: Zapped!, 2025-08-11, ModRetro, en
- 1235626345058562049, WayForward, #WayForward30 Milestone 1: Though WayForward was founded in 1990, our first release wasn't until 1992 with Fun Pack…, March 5, 2020
- Casper, A Spirited Beginning - YouTube, live, November 30, 2018, March 14, 2018, YouTube, March 4, 2016
- Richard, George, May 3, 2011, Thor: God of Thunder Review – Nintendo DS Review at IGN, live, May 16, 2011, March 24, 2012, Au.ds.ign.com
- January 23, 2011, Mighty Milky Way is your new planet-hopping puzzle game, live, July 10, 2012, March 24, 2012, Destructoid
- BloodRayne: Betrayal | Majesco Ent, live, March 24, 2012, March 24, 2012, Bloodraynebetrayal.com
- Dutton, Fred, May 25, 2011, Aliens: Infestation outed by ratings board News • News •, live, July 25, 2012, March 24, 2012, Eurogamer.net
- Mighty Switch Force – Coming to the 3DS eShop, dead, March 25, 2012, March 24, 2012, Nintendocharged.com
- Kietzmann, Ludwig, June 10, 2011, Silent Hill: Book of Memories developed by WayForward, dead, July 15, 2012, March 24, 2012, Joystiq
- Adventure Time Heading to Nintendo DS Later This Year – News, live, November 5, 2013, March 24, 2012, Nintendo World Report
- Amini, Tina, March 22, 2013, Capcom Is Bringing DuckTales Back, live, March 25, 2013, March 22, 2013
- May 14, 2013, New Adventure Time game announced for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, PC, and 3DS; Regular Show game for 3DS, live, June 7, 2013, May 14, 2013, Gematsu, Romano, Sal
- Brenna, Hillier, February 16, 2014, Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark announced, live, February 25, 2014, February 16, 2014, vg247
- November 6, 2012, Latest Nintendo Power cover reveals Shantae and the Pirate's Curse, live, November 11, 2012, November 6, 2012, GoNintendo
- Goosebumps: The Game Coming to PS4, PS3 October 13th, October 7, 2015, October 7, 2015, December 3, 2015, live
- Goosebumps: The Game Release Date Confirmed, Blake, Vikki, October 7, 2015, en, IGN, August 19, 2025, May 15, 2023, live
- 1372956620389498888, WayForward, Have you experienced the bewitching action and puzzles of Mystik Belle? If not, now's your chance, because we're ra…, March 19, 2021, March 19, 2021
- Grubb, Jeff, November 29, 2018, Bloodstained gets support from the 2D experts at WayForward, live, November 30, 2018, November 29, 2018, Venture Beat
- Apple Arcade is coming, and with it... Spidersaurs! Experience over-the-top, explosive action from the team that brought you Contra 4! Spidersaurs will be available to play exclusively on Apple Arcade later this year., WayForward, 1110315547672170497, live, April 9, 2019, March 26, 2019
- June 27, 2019, Mighty Switch Force! Collection announced for PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC, July 27, 2019, Gematsu, Romano, Sal, June 27, 2019, live
- Moyse, Chris, March 25, 2019, Shantae returns in an all new adventure later this year, live, March 26, 2019, March 25, 2019, Destructoid, Enthusiast Gaming
- WayForward Reveals Official Title and New Details for Shantae and the Seven Sirens, August 14, 2019, August 14, 2019, August 14, 2019, dead
- Archived copy, July 3, 2019
- WayForward Announces Vitamin Connection for Switch, August 13, 2019, August 13, 2019, March 26, 2023, dead
- May 12, 2020, WayForward-Developed DreamWorks Trollhunters Defenders of Arcadia Hits Nintendo Switch This September
- Bakugan: Champions of Vestroia announced for Switch, Romano, Sal, July 20, 2020, en-US, Gematsu, August 19, 2025, January 22, 2025, live
- 1608901074819207168, WayForward, As 2022 draws to a close, we're looking back at some of our gaming milestones for the year! First was the Valentine's Day release of…, December 30, 2022
- October 30, 2020, WayForward to publish Dawn of the Monsters; launches for PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC in late 2021, October 30, 2020, Gematsu
- June 14, 2021, River City Girls 2 announced for PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC, Gematsu
- September 16, 2020, WayForward, Arc System Works, and Rooster Teeth announce RWBY video game, coming 2021, September 16, 2020, Nintendo Wire
- 1641485669242482707, WayForward, Join the revolution in LUNARK, the pixel-art sci-fi cinematic platformer! Run, jump, hang, climb, roll, and shoot your way to freedom in this epic 2D adventure, now available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and PC via Steam! (Coming soon to PS4/PS5.), March 30, 2023, April 1, 2023
- June 15, 2021, WayForward is Making Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp, June 15, 2021, Siliconera, en-US
- Sal, Romano, 2023-09-14, Contra: Operation Galuga announced for PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC, 25 March 2024, Gematsu, en-US
- Trent, Cannon, 2024-04-17, Rose & Camellia Collection Review, 21 April 2024, Nintendo Life, en-US
- Romano, Sal, Yars Rising launches September 10, Gematsu, June 18, 2024
- October 27, 2025, Official Wayforward Site
- Official Wayforward Site, Clock Tower remaster announced for Switch, July 12, 2023
- 1679223621468712963, WayForward, Just announced by @LimitedRunGames is the revival of Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution! This lost Shantae sequel is back in development after nearly 20 years and will be released on an actual GBA-compatible cartridge! youtu.be/u1-fu8loFDY, July 12, 2023, July 12, 2023
- Romano, Sal, Game Boy Advance shoot 'em up RPG Sigma Star Saga coming to modern consoles, PC in 2025, Gematsu, July 8, 2024, July 9, 2024
- Shantae for GameCube Confirmed - News
- Shantae Series Interview with Matt Bozon - Interview
- Rumor: Shantae to GameCube, 11 April 2003
- 2007, The Flop That Inspired 'Contra 4′ And 'Duck Amuck'; 'Hot Coffee' Sequel; And More, In GameFile, dead, July 16, 2014, 2014-11-06, Viacom International Inc.
- WayForward Chat: Episode 8 - Shantae Advance w/ Matt Bozon!, 2025-08-15, WayForward, 2025-08-16, YouTube
- Sickr, 2013-09-22, WayForward Wants To Create A Pony Game, 2025-07-26, My Nintendo News, en-US
- WayForward Chat: Episode 2 - WF Game School: Art Direction, 2025-06-13, WayForward, 2025-07-26, YouTube
- WayForward Is Hoping To Bring Mystik Belle To Switch Soon, Calvert, Darren, September 13, 2017, nintendolife.com, 2026-01-12
External links
Category:American companies established in 1990
Category:Video game companies established in 1990
Category:1990 establishments in California
Category:Video game companies based in Greater Los Angeles
Category:Video game development companies
Category:Video game publishers
Category:Santa Clarita, California
Category:Privately held companies based in Santa Clarita, California