Lockwood Publishing Ltd

Lockwood Publishing Ltd is an independent British video game developer and publisher founded in Nottingham in 2009 by Halli Thor Bjornsson and Joel Kemp. The studio is best known for creating Avakin Life, a 3D social virtual world built around avatar self-expression, lifestyle customisation, social spaces, virtual events and digital fashion.

The company began as a developer for Sony's PlayStation Home platform, producing virtual spaces and games including Sodium One and Sodium 2: Project Velocity. As that platform approached its end, Lockwood shifted its focus to mobile virtual worlds and launched Avakin Life on iOS and Android in December 2013. The title later expanded to PC through Steam.

Games, virtual worlds and live operations

Lockwood combines game development and publishing with ongoing live operations for social gaming communities. Its supported capabilities include:

• 3D social metaverse and virtual-world creation
• Mobile and cross-platform development for iOS, Android and PC
• Avatar customisation, virtual fashion and digital merchandise
• Virtual events, brand activations and e-commerce integrations
• Community moderation and user-safety operations
• AI-assisted pipelines for 3D environments and content creation

Avakin Life has developed into a global social platform rather than a conventional objective-led game, with players using avatars and customisable environments to socialise, attend events and explore partnerships with brands. The studio also created earlier mobile releases including Wipeout 2, Avakin Poker and Avakin 3D Theme Creator.

In 2020, Tencent led a $25 million Series A investment in Lockwood alongside existing investors including Novator Partners, David Helgason and Hilmar Pétursson. The funding supported technical development, cross-platform progression, commerce features and content-production workflows.

Lockwood remains active as a privately held gaming company, serving player communities internationally across social gaming, interactive entertainment, virtual merchandise and metaverse technologies.