LBC Studios
- Open roles
- 0
- Founded
- 2015
- Employees
- 11-50
- Offices
- 2
About LBC Studios
LBC Studios is an independent mobile game developer and publisher based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in February 2015 by Solon Bucholtz and Dennis Molloy, the company takes its initialism from Langley, British Columbia, where its founders originated. Its work focuses on free-to-play games, combining simulation, resource management, idle progression, puzzles and music-based play.
The studio develops and publishes its own mobile titles, covering the process from game design and engineering through art production, testing and ongoing live operations. Its capabilities include 2D and 3D asset creation, automated build pipelines, economy balancing, live event management and monetization optimization. Community management, player support and user acquisition also form part of its operation.
Games and development focus
The studio launched its flagship game, Hempire, in 2017. The cannabis cultivation and dispensary management simulation reached more than 20 million downloads worldwide. Its continuing development incorporates social events and strategic guild gameplay, making ongoing player engagement an important part of the title’s design.
Subsequent releases explore related progression systems across different themes. Tasty Buds combines match-3 puzzles with idle mechanics, while Hempire Tycoon adapts the franchise into an idle-clicker format. Narco Farm: Intent2Distribute extends the studio’s resource-management work, and Shroomtopia applies cultivation simulation to psychedelic mushrooms and farm construction.
Brewtopia: Grow Coffee Beans broadens that approach into coffee cultivation, narrative town restoration and city-building. The portfolio also includes Bob Marley Game: World Tour, a licensed rhythm-action mobile game, and SwarmZ: Swarm Defense, an action-strategy title.
Across these projects, LBC Studios has expanded beyond its original cannabis-themed simulation focus while retaining an emphasis on mobile progression, resource systems and games supported through live operations. Its published games serve mobile audiences through platforms including iOS, Android and Amazon.
More about LBC Studios
Leadership and early team
- Solon Bucholtz is identified as CEO and co-founder; Dennis Molloy is identified as co-founder.
- Neither founder had prior software development experience when the company began. They assembled a team with experience at companies including Electronic Arts, Zynga and East Side Games.
Working practices and recognition
- Company recruitment material describes remote and downtown studio working, with office amenities including complimentary snacks, coffee and beer.
- LBC Studios placed third in the 2019 Startup 50 ranking of Canada’s Top New Growth Companies, reporting two-year revenue growth exceeding 5,200%.
- The report records a tenth-place ranking in Canada’s Best Workplaces in the Under 50 category, alongside Great Place to Work recognition for Inclusion, Youth and Mental Wellness.
Creative collaboration
- In 2022, the studio collaborated with Marley Merchandising LLC and the Bob Marley family on its licensed rhythm game. The project was presented as celebrating Marley’s music and broader outlook on life.
- Bob Marley Game: World Tour received NYX Game Awards for Best Audio Design and Best Visual Art; these awards recognize the game.
Notable credits
8 creditsOffices
Where LBC Studios is based
- 554 Beatty Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 2L3, CanadaVancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Vancouver office
HeadquartersOperating headquarters and primary development studio, supporting a flexible hybrid and in-studio working model.
- 25067 80th Avenue, Langley, British Columbia V1M 3P2, CanadaLangley Township, British Columbia, Canada
Langley Township office
About this office
Registered corporate office and regulatory correspondence address. The official website also publishes postal code V2Y 2E2 for these premises.
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