Drawn to Life Wiki - User contributions [en]

5th Cell

2026-08-16T21:39:52Z

67.168.251.64: /* Modern Titles */ despite what the presskit says, the release date got changed on Steam.

{{Infobox/Company|boxcolor=#adadad
|name = 5th Cell
|image = <tabber>
|-|Current = [[File:5th_Cell_logo.png|200px|center|alt=5th Cell Logo]] Used since 2012
|-|Former = [[File:5th_Cell_Logo_2003.png|200px|center]] Used until 2011
</tabber>
|headquarters = Bellevue, Washington, USA 🇺🇸
|founded = August 28, 2003
|type = Developer Self-Publisher
|current = Active
|games = {{Icon|DTL}} {{Icon|TNC}}
|site = [http://www.5thcell.com/ Present day Website] [https://web.archive.org/web/20060425181729/http://www.5thcell.com:80/ 2006 Website] [https://web.archive.org/web/20171011061426/http://www.5thcell.com/ 2017 Website]
}}

{{Quote|text=Advancing Entertainment.|character=Original 5th Cell Slogan}}

'''5th Cell''', also known as '''5th Cell Media''', is a American video game developer and publisher. They are the studio behind the creation of the [[Drawn to Life Series]], as well as the more well-known [http://scribblenauts.wikia.com/wiki/Scribblenauts_Wiki Scribblenauts] series. Despite being the team who initially crafted the series, they only developed two games, ''[[Drawn to Life]]'' and ''[[Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter]]''. Many 5th Cell employees went on to found [[Digital Continue]] in 2016, who would go on to develop [[Drawn to Life: Two Realms]], which released in 2020.

=={{Icon|Book}} History==
===Before 5th Cell===
{{UnusedImage|image=[[File:EpixInteractiveStudiosLogo.jpg|350px]]}}
Jeremiah Slazcka met Joseph M. Tringali on a gamedev.net forum in 1998 after spotting a development advertisement. A new studio would be created as a result, the Illinois-based Epix Interactive Studios, sometime in 2000. Following this establishment, the two began work on their first game together, a fantasy MMORPG titled Fate. While Tringali intended for Epix to primarly focus on PC titles, including a different RPG, Fate would instead be developed for the original Xbox. Announced in early 2001, this title was slated to be a huge 2002/2003 release for the platform and a pioneer in MMORPGs for consoles the same way [[:Wikipedia:Phantasy Star Online|Phantasy Star Online]] was for the Sega Dreamcast. Not long after, however, the game would be cancelled after one-and-a-half years of development, and Epix would close their doors. This was due to a lack of funding according to Miah<ref>[https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/10/08/independent-view-5th-cells-jeremiah-slaczka Independent View: 5TH Cell's Jeremiah Slaczka, IGN]</ref>, and the game's website lacked any mention of a publisher.

Following the studio's closure, Joe worked for two other studios in Hong Kong and Miah studied screenwriting for two years, hoping to hone in his writing abilities for when he would start a new studio.

===Founding 5th Cell and Early Game Development===
{{UnusedImage|image=<tabber>
|-|Jeremiah Slaczka=[[File:profile_jeremiah.jpg]]
|-|Joseph M. Tringali=[[File:profile_joe.jpg]]
|-|Brett Caird=[[File:profile_brett.jpg]]
|-|Marius Falbusch=[[File:profile_marius.jpg]]
</tabber>}}
Miah met up with Joe again in 2003, and the two co-founded 5th Cell with Brett Caird and Marius Falbusch on August 28th. They initially primarily developed Java-based mobile games during their early years, with the studio building a relationship with [[THQ]] via their THQ Wireless division for these releases. While these games saw modest success, it wasn't until the release of the 2006 PC puzzle game D.N.A when they ventured into more ambitious creative avenues for their games. Unfortunately, D.N.A sold very poorly, leading to 15 employees being laid off.<ref>[https://gamesbeat.com/scribblenauts-game-developer-makes-a-risky-bet-on-being-original/ Scribblenauts game developer makes a risky bet on being original, GamesBeat]</ref>

Miah brainstormed ideas for a potential [[Nintendo DS]] game, one that would utilize it's features in a unique way. The original concept of drawings coming to life was within Miah's head for around six months before the studio began working on a prototype. The team wanted the experience to be deeper than a mere gimmick, however they also felt they wanted to allow the player to always draw something new. The platforming aspect was added to that initial concept, with village interaction and a story added as time went on, inspired by the [[:Wikipedia:Square Enix|SquareSoft]] game [[:Wikipedia:ActRaiser|ActRaiser]]<ref>[[File:Actraiser.png|100px]]</ref>, as well as the visual concepts of [[:wikipedia:Hayao Miyazaki|Hayao Miyazaki]] films.

===Development of Drawn to Life===
5th Cell approached [[:Wikipedia:Nintendo of America|Nintendo of America]] for a DS development kit, but this request was ultimately rejected. As a result, an initial prototype was developed using a homebrewed DS system.<ref>[https://youtu.be/EoxNnnrowm4?t=884 Jeremiah Slazcka interview with the Drawn to Life community, 14:44]</ref> After presenting a demo to Nintendo of America, 5th Cell was given the license to develop Nintendo DS games. THQ, who had built a stable relationship with 5th Cell, would later agree to publish the game, and development officially began in early 2006, with four milestone builds made before release.

There were a number of issues both THQ and 5th Cell faced throughout development, ranging from development crunch time to the art conversion process proving difficult. One major issue in particular was in relation to the game's cartridge size; according to Jeremiah Slaczka, THQ opted to pay for a cheaper, smaller cartridge than what the final game had for the team to import it to, which resulted in drawings not being saved upon completion.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoxNnnrowm4&t=2897s The Drawn to Life Fanbase Interviews Jeremiah Slaczka, 1:00:54]</ref> A THQ executive would help the team oppose this, however, convincing THQ to allow for a bigger cartridge size to keep the drawing saving intact.

Drawn to Life took roughly 17 months to finish before it's release, with six of those months being spent in the homebrew stages. THQ would release the game on September 10th, 2007, and 5th Cell would celebrate with a launch party, complete with a cake featuring [[Jowee]].

===Development of Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition===
Shortly after the release of Drawn to Life, THQ had a meeting with [[Nickelodeon]] over a potential SpongeBob SquarePants crossover, as the episode "Frankendoodle" beared similarities to the game's concept. 5th Cell would refuse to make it, as they were no longer committed to developing licensed titles. As a compromise, THQ allowed them to pitch another game, which ended up being [[:wikipedia:Lock's Quest|Lock's Quest]]. [[Altron]] would develop [[Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition]], which came out just a few weeks after Lock's Quest in September 2008.

5th Cell would be mentioned in the [[Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition Credits|Special Thanks]] section in the game's credits.

===Development of Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter===
Development for [[Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter]] began shortly after the release of Lock's Quest. 5th Cell aimed to be more ambitious with this title, improving almost every aspect of the original game as well as expanding on the story and universe. THQ was more open to their ideas this time round, resulting in a change in gameplay direction and tone compared to the first game. One major change to the series would be made with [[Mike]], a character introduced in the first game. Introduced in the first game as a joke character, being the only [[Human]] in a world of [[Raposa]], Miah decided to revolve the story around him and change the status quo. This would be accomplished with the story setting up the game's [[Real Life|infamous ending]], directly inspired by the Canadian TV series [[:Wikipedia:The Odyssey (TV series)|The Odyssey]], which featured a kid falling into a coma and visiting a new world within his dreams, which he becomes aware of.

It's development cycle was not free of issues, however; it was also affected by crunch time, resulting in a portion of the game being rushed and a fair amount of content being left out of the final release, including an entire section of [[Lavasteam]] and an additional wind-based village. Being developed in tandem with another 5th Cell title, [[:wikipedia:Scribblenauts (video game)|Scribblenauts]], further complicated development. To the team's confusion, a second [[Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter (Wii)|Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter]] was being developed around the same time for the [[Wii]] by [[Planet Moon Studios]]. Miah had initially rejected the idea of doing an entry for the system due to it not matching the scope he wanted,<ref>[https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/fountain-of-scribbles-5th-cell-s-jeremiah-slaczka-speaks Fountain of Scribbles: 5th Cell's Jeremiah Slaczka Speaks, Game Developer]</ref> however he gave his blessing for them to go through with it anyway. 5th Cell would also be thanked in the game's [[Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter (Wii) Credits|Special Thanks]] section in the credits, and it was even declared canon by the DS version's lead designer Matthew Pellicane<ref>[https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/05/27/pre-e3-2009-drawn-to-life-the-next-chapter-ds-interview Pre-E3 Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter DS Interview, IGN]</ref> - which Miah and Joe would both later backpedal on, as they didn't consider it part of the main story.

===Game Failures and 5th Cell Layoffs===
Following Brett Caird's departure in 2013 and the acquisition of the [[Drawn to Life series]] by [[505 Games]] the same year, the rest of the team focused on other upcoming projects. Three announced games were in development around that time, one of which was Scribblenauts Worlds, a 3D beat-em-up spin-off intended as an early PlayStation 4/Xbox One release that was quietly cancelled after test screenings. 5th Cell also saw the release of an official art book art book of the studio, The Art of 5th Cell, compiled by Edison Yan and published by Udon Entertainment, while containing a foreword by the remaining founders. This book would see release in October 2014 to decent reviews.

Another scrapped project was Anchors in the Drift, a free-to-play Action RPG for mobile devices with additional attacks available via collectable cards. The project was announced and elaborated on by Miah in 2015, with a crowdfunding campaign launched on [[:Wikipedia:Fig (company)|Fig]] as one of their first campaigns, alongside [[:Wikipedia:Psychonauts 2|Psychonauts 2]] and [[:Wikipedia:The Outer Wilds|The Outer Wilds]]. Out of the three launch campaigns, only Anchors in the Drift failed to reach it's $500,000 goal. The game was subsequently reworked into a different, more limited demo released on the [[App Store]] in 2019, which has since been delisted. This concept would be reworked into the [[Steam]] game Castlehold, which released via Early Access in 2021, which would end up being their most recent game release as of January 2026.

5th Cell also set their sights on a new spin-off for mobile devices, Scribblenauts: Fighting Words. A beta for the game was released in 2016 via Apple TestFlight, with photos of the project allowed to be taken but videos were prohibited. Shortly afterwards, however, [[:Wikipedia:Warner Bros. Games|Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment]] cancelled the title for unknown reasons, after almost two years of development. As a result of this cancellation, 5th Cell was forced to lay off 45 employees from the studio, including lead animator Tim Borrelli. Following this, Joe and composer David J. Franco also left the studio with two other developers to form [[Digital Continue]].

===Potential Drawn to Life 3 Ideas===
Miah had originally intended to continue the series with the Odyssey inspiration in mind, with Mike being able to return to the Raposa Realm after going to sleep.<ref>[https://youtu.be/EoxNnnrowm4?t=1221 The Drawn to Life Fanbase Interviews Jeremiah Slaczka, 20:21]</ref> He also suggested the possibility of exploring aspects of Mike as he grew up, as well as how it would affect the Raposa's world. This vision would never go into fruition, as Miah had instead put all hands on deck for other projects, leading to Joe attempting to revive the series instead. One pitch was while he was still at 5th Cell, although this would end up falling through. Two more pitches were made while at Digital Continue, with the third pitch resulting in [[Drawn to Life: Two Realms]], the most recent entry in the series.

Two Realms ended up being the only canon entry to not have Miah or 5th Cell involved at any point during development or mentioned in a Special Thanks section in [[Drawn to Life: Two Realms Credits|the game's credits]], although various past employees would develop it under Digital Continue. While 5th Cell and Digital Continue are both currently still around as developers, there was no new information on games in development from 2021 to mid-2026.

===Modern Titles===
On July 21st, 2026, 5th Cell released a trailer for their newest game, the multiplayer-focused friendlike  title Broke Wizards, set to be released on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store on September 8th, 2026. According to a press kit available on the official website, the game was directed by Miah once again and kickstarted production on November 1st, 2025, giving the game a production time of just over nine months. In a distinction from most friendlike games, it is fully playable in single player.

=={{Icon|Button}} Notable Games==
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:100% float:left">
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
 
<center>
{| class="wikitable"
|+
|-
! Game !! Publisher/Co-Developer !! System !! Release Date
|-
| [[File:minipoccha.png|125px|center|link=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915045736/http://www.5thcell.com/games.php?menu=0&game=mpoccha]] || [[File:thqwireless.png|center|125px|link=THQ]] || [[File:nokiaseries40&60logo.png|center|100px]] || 2004
|-
| [[File:siege.png|125px|center|link=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915045742/http://www.5thcell.com/games.php?menu=0&game=siege]] || [[File:thqwireless.png|center|125px|link=THQ]] || [[File:nokiaseries40&60logo.png|center|100px]] || 2004
|-
| [[File:sealteam6.png|125px|center|link=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915045800/http://www.5thcell.com/games.php?menu=0&game=st6]] || [[File:thqwireless.png|center|125px|link=THQ]] || [[File:nokiaseries40&60logo.png|center|100px]] || 2004
|-
| [[File:dnalogo.png|125px|center|link=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915045731/http://www.5thcell.com/games.php?menu=0&game=dna]] || <center>[[File:Merscom.png|100px|link=https://www.mobygames.com/company/5930/merscom-llc/]] / [[File:Enlight.png|100px|link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enlight_Software]]</center> || [[File:Microsoft Windows Logo.png|center|100px]] || 2006
|-
|[[File:Start_Screen_Drawn_to_Life_Logo.png|center|150px|link=Drawn to Life]] || [[File:THQ_logo_2000.png|center|100px]] || [[File:Nintendo_DS_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Sept. 10, 2007
|-
|[[File:lqlogo.png|150px|center|link=https://locksquest.fandom.com/wiki/Lock's_Quest]] || [[File:THQ_logo_2000.png|center|100px]] || [[File:Nintendo_DS_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Sept. 8, 2008
|-
|[[File:scribblenauts.png|150px|center|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Scribblenauts_(video_game) Scribblenauts]] || <center>[[File:wbgames2005.png|50px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Warner_Bros._Interactive_Entertainment]] / [[File:Konami.png|100px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Konami]]🇯🇵</center> || [[File:Nintendo_DS_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Sept. 15, 2009
|-
|[[File:TNCLogoHQ.png|150px|center|link=Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter]] || [[File:THQ_logo_2000.png|center|100px]] || [[File:Nintendo_DS_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Oct. 8, 2009
|-
|[[File:ssnlogo.png|150px|center|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Super_Scribblenauts Super Scribblenauts]] || <center>[[File:wbgames2010.png|62px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Warner_Bros._Interactive_Entertainment]]/ [[File:Konami.png|100px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Konami]]🇯🇵</center> || [[File:Nintendo_DS_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Oct. 12, 2010
|-
|[[File:DtLCollectionLogoRed.png|center|150px|link=Drawn to Life Collection]] || [[File:THQ_logo_2000.png|center|100px]] || [[File:Nintendo_DS_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Nov. 23, 2010
|-
|[[File:ScribblenautsRemix-logo.png|center|150px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Scribblenauts_Remix]] ||<center> [[File:wbgames2010.png|62px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Warner_Bros._Interactive_Entertainment]] / [[File:irongalaxy.png|100px|link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Galaxy]]</center> || <center>[[File:Apple_iOS_Logo.png|100px]]/[[File:Android_Logo.png|50px]]</center> || Oct. 7, 2011
|-
|[[File:runroorunlogo.png|150px|center|https://web.archive.org/web/20130511035846/http://www.5thcell.com/projects/recent-projects/run-roo-run/]] || <center>Self-Published</center> || [[File:Apple_iOS_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Jan. 12, 2012
|-
|[[File:hybridlogo.png|150px|center|link=https://web.archive.org/web/20110207210025/http://www.whatishybrid.com/]] || [[File:microsoftstudios.png|center|125px|link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_Game_Studios]] || <center>[[File:xboxlivearcadelogo.png|125px]]*</center> || Aug. 8, 2012
|-
|[[File:Scribblenauts_Unlimited_Logo.png|center|150px|link=http://scribblenauts.wikia.com/wiki/Scribblenauts_Unlimited]] ||<center>[[File:wbgames2010.png|62px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Warner_Bros._Interactive_Entertainment]] / [[File:Nintendo.png|100px|link=Wikipedia:Nintendo]] 🇪🇺**</center>|| <center>[[File:3DS.png|75px]] / [[File:WiiU.png|75px]] [[File:Steam_Logo.png|75px]] / [[File:Apple_iOS_Logo.png|75px]] [[File:Android_Logo.png|50px]]</center> || Nov 13th, 2012
|-
|[[File:snc.png|center|125px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Scribblenauts_Collection]] || [[File:wbgames2010.png|center|62px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Warner_Bros._Interactive_Entertainment]] || [[File:Nintendo_DS_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Mar. 5, 2013
|-
|[[File:Scribblenauts_Unmasked_Logo.png|150px|center|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Scribblenauts_Unmasked:_A_DC_Comics_Adventure]] ||<center>[[File:wbgames2010.png|62px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Warner_Bros._Interactive_Entertainment]] / [[File:dccomics.png|40px|link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DC_Comics]]</center> || <center>[[File:3DS.png|75px]] / [[File:WiiU.png|75px]] [[File:Steam_Logo.png|center|100px|center]]</center> || Sept. 24, 2013
|-
|[[File:scribblenautsworldslogo.png|150px|center|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Scribblenauts_Worlds]] || [[File:wbgames2010.png|center|62px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Warner_Bros._Interactive_Entertainment]] || <center>[[File:ps4logo.png|100px]] / [[File:xboxonelogo.png|100px]]</center> || Cancelled
|-
|[[File:anchorsinthedriftlogo.png|150px|center]] || <center>Self-Published</center> || <center>[[File:Apple_iOS_Logo.png|100px]] / [[File:Android_Logo.png|50px]]</center> || Cancelled
|-
|[[File:scribblenautsfightingwordslogo.png|150px|center|link=ttps://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Scribblenauts_Fighting_Words]] || [[File:wbgames2010.png|center|62px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Warner_Bros._Interactive_Entertainment]] || [[File:Apple_iOS_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Cancelled
|-
|<center>[[File:castleholdlogo.png|150px|link=https://store.steampowered.com/app/1425410/Castlehold/]]****</center> || <center>Self-Published</center> || [[File:Steam_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Mar. 3, 2021
|-
|<center>[[File:BrokeWizardsLolo.png|150px|link=https://store.steampowered.com/app/4398500/Broke_Wizards/]]</center> || <center>Self-Published</center> || <center>[[File:Steam_Logo.png|100px|link=https://store.steampowered.com/app/4398500/Broke_Wizards/]] / [[File:epicgamesstorelogo.png|100px|link=https://store.epicgames.com/p/broke-wizards-42bfa8]]</center> || Aug. 13, 2026
|}
</center>

*The game is no longer available to purchase following the closure of the Xbox 360 Marketplace in July 2024, however the online servers for many Xbox 360 titles are still active. The status of Hybrid's servers is yet to be clarified, however. 
**3DS/Wii U versions only. 
***Castlehold is still available on Steam, but remains in Early Access. It also appears to have connection issues upon startup after completing the demo, rendering the game unplayable.
{{ReadMore|:wikipedia:5th Cell#Original Titles}}
</div></div>

== {{IconSVG|Trivia}} Trivia ==
* According to Jeremiah Slaczka in an interview with Nintendo Power, 5th Cell derived their name from a corporation featured in a script he wrote.
** Seal Team 6 would also name the antagonistic group after them - Red Cell.
* Before Drawn to Life, 5th Cell considered developing titles for the PlayStation Portable, only to reject the idea after realizing how expensive it was to develop for.<ref>[https://www.eurogamer.net/scribblenauts-developer-ditched-psp-concept Scribblenauts creator ditched PSP concept, Eurogamer]</ref>
* Due to 5th Cell creating their own creator page on [[Steam]], their original page within the Scribblenauts releases redirects to [https://store.steampowered.com/developer/WBGames Warner Bros. Games' page].
* The '''Advancing Entertainment''' slogan was introduced with D.N.A, and would end up being used on the company's website until 2013.
* 5th Cell doesn't consider any games based on their IP that were developed by other studios to be canon.<ref>[[File:BrokeWizardsTRNoncanon.png|100px]]</ref>
** These games include ''[[Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition]]'', ''[[Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter (Wii)]]'', ''[[Drawn to Life: Two Realms]]'', ''[https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Scribblenauts_Showdown Scribblenauts Showdown]'', ''[https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Scribblenauts_Mega_Pack Scribblenauts Mega Pack]'', and the ''[https://locksquest.fandom.com/wiki/Lock%27s_Quest_(2017) 2017 Locks Quest remake]''.

=={{Icon|Painting}} Media ==
<center>
<tabber>
|-|Website=
<gallery widths="310" captionsize="medium" captiontextcolor="#8e8e8e" bordersize="none" bordercolor="transparent" captionalign="center" spacing="small" position="center">
5thCellCurrentFront.png|5th Cell's front page prior to ''Broke Wizards''.
5thCell2006Front.png|5th Cell's front page from 2006.
5thCell2017Front.png|5th Cell's front page from 2017.
5thCellDTL2006.png|5th Cell's Drawn to Life page from 2006.
5thCellDTL2007.png|5th Cell's Drawn to Life page from 2007.
5thCellDTL2013.png|5th Cell's Drawn to Life page from 2013.
5thCellDTL2015.png|5th Cell's Drawn to Life page from 2015.
5thCellTNC2009.png|5th Cell's Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter page from 2009.
5thCellTNC2013.png|5th Cell's Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter page from 2013.
5thCellTNC2015.png|5th Cell's Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter page from 2015.
</gallery>
|-|Screenshots=
<gallery widths="310" captionsize="medium" captiontextcolor="#8e8e8e" bordersize="none" bordercolor="transparent" captionalign="center" spacing="small" position="center">
DTL1Screen1.png|5th Cell Drawn to Life Website Screenshot
DTL1Screen2.png|5th Cell Drawn to Life Website Screenshot
DTL1Screen3.png|5th Cell Drawn to Life Website Screenshot
DTL1Screen4.png|5th Cell Drawn to Life Website Screenshot
TNCScreen1.png|5th Cell Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter Website Screenshot
TNCScreen2.png|5th Cell Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter Website Screenshot
TNCScreen3.png|5th Cell Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter Website Screenshot
TNCScreen4.png|5th Cell Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter Website Screenshot
</gallery>
|-|Other=
<gallery widths="310" captionsize="medium" captiontextcolor="#8e8e8e" bordersize="none" bordercolor="transparent" captionalign="center" spacing="small" position="center">
TheArtof5thCellCover.png|The box art for The Art of 5th Cell.
JoweeLaunchCake.jpg|A cake featuring Jowee celebrating the launch of Drawn to Life.
File:JoweeMaxwellCake.jpeg|Cakes for both Jowee and Maxwell celebrating the launch of Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter and Scribblenauts.
</gallery>
</tabber>
</center>

=={{Icon|Note}} References==
<references/>

{{Navbox/Studios|Drawn to Life|5th Cell|boxcolor=#adadad}}
{{Navbox/Studios|Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter (DS)|5th Cell|boxcolor=#adadad}}

[[Category:Drawn to Life]]
[[Category:Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter]]
[[Category:Developers]]

5th Cell

2026-08-09T19:38:48Z

67.168.251.64: /* {{IconSVG|Trivia}} Trivia */

{{Infobox/Company|boxcolor=#adadad
|name = 5th Cell
|image = <tabber>
|-|Current = [[File:5th_Cell_logo.png|200px|center|alt=5th Cell Logo]] Used since 2012
|-|Former = [[File:5th_Cell_Logo_2003.png|200px|center]] Used until 2011
</tabber>
|headquarters = Bellevue, Washington, USA 🇺🇸
|founded = August 28, 2003
|type = Developer Self-Publisher
|current = Active
|games = {{Icon|DTL}} {{Icon|TNC}}
|site = [http://www.5thcell.com/ Present day Website] [https://web.archive.org/web/20060425181729/http://www.5thcell.com:80/ 2006 Website] [https://web.archive.org/web/20171011061426/http://www.5thcell.com/ 2017 Website]
}}

{{Quote|text=Advancing Entertainment.|character=Original 5th Cell Slogan}}

'''5th Cell''', also known as '''5th Cell Media''', is a American video game developer and publisher. They are the studio behind the creation of the [[Drawn to Life Series]], as well as the more well-known [http://scribblenauts.wikia.com/wiki/Scribblenauts_Wiki Scribblenauts] series. Despite being the team who initially crafted the series, they only developed two games, ''[[Drawn to Life]]'' and ''[[Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter]]''. Many 5th Cell employees went on to found [[Digital Continue]] in 2016, who would go on to develop [[Drawn to Life: Two Realms]], which released in 2020.

=={{Icon|Book}} History==
===Before 5th Cell===
{{UnusedImage|image=[[File:EpixInteractiveStudiosLogo.jpg|350px]]}}
Jeremiah Slazcka met Joseph M. Tringali on a gamedev.net forum in 1998 after spotting a development advertisement. A new studio would be created as a result, the Illinois-based Epix Interactive Studios, sometime in 2000. Following this establishment, the two began work on their first game together, a fantasy MMORPG titled Fate. While Tringali intended for Epix to primarly focus on PC titles, including a different RPG, Fate would instead be developed for the original Xbox. Announced in early 2001, this title was slated to be a huge 2002/2003 release for the platform and a pioneer in MMORPGs for consoles the same way [[:Wikipedia:Phantasy Star Online|Phantasy Star Online]] was for the Sega Dreamcast. Not long after, however, the game would be cancelled after one-and-a-half years of development, and Epix would close their doors. This was due to a lack of funding according to Miah<ref>[https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/10/08/independent-view-5th-cells-jeremiah-slaczka Independent View: 5TH Cell's Jeremiah Slaczka, IGN]</ref>, and the game's website lacked any mention of a publisher.

Following the studio's closure, Joe worked for two other studios in Hong Kong and Miah studied screenwriting for two years, hoping to hone in his writing abilities for when he would start a new studio.

===Founding 5th Cell and Early Game Development===
{{UnusedImage|image=<tabber>
|-|Jeremiah Slaczka=[[File:profile_jeremiah.jpg]]
|-|Joseph M. Tringali=[[File:profile_joe.jpg]]
|-|Brett Caird=[[File:profile_brett.jpg]]
|-|Marius Falbusch=[[File:profile_marius.jpg]]
</tabber>}}
Miah met up with Joe again in 2003, and the two co-founded 5th Cell with Brett Caird and Marius Falbusch on August 28th. They initially primarily developed Java-based mobile games during their early years, with the studio building a relationship with [[THQ]] via their THQ Wireless division for these releases. While these games saw modest success, it wasn't until the release of the 2006 PC puzzle game D.N.A when they ventured into more ambitious creative avenues for their games. Unfortunately, D.N.A sold very poorly, leading to 15 employees being laid off.<ref>[https://gamesbeat.com/scribblenauts-game-developer-makes-a-risky-bet-on-being-original/ Scribblenauts game developer makes a risky bet on being original, GamesBeat]</ref>

Miah brainstormed ideas for a potential [[Nintendo DS]] game, one that would utilize it's features in a unique way. The original concept of drawings coming to life was within Miah's head for around six months before the studio began working on a prototype. The team wanted the experience to be deeper than a mere gimmick, however they also felt they wanted to allow the player to always draw something new. The platforming aspect was added to that initial concept, with village interaction and a story added as time went on, inspired by the [[:Wikipedia:Square Enix|SquareSoft]] game [[:Wikipedia:ActRaiser|ActRaiser]]<ref>[[File:Actraiser.png|100px]]</ref>, as well as the visual concepts of [[:wikipedia:Hayao Miyazaki|Hayao Miyazaki]] films.

===Development of Drawn to Life===
5th Cell approached [[:Wikipedia:Nintendo of America|Nintendo of America]] for a DS development kit, but this request was ultimately rejected. As a result, an initial prototype was developed using a homebrewed DS system.<ref>[https://youtu.be/EoxNnnrowm4?t=884 Jeremiah Slazcka interview with the Drawn to Life community, 14:44]</ref> After presenting a demo to Nintendo of America, 5th Cell was given the license to develop Nintendo DS games. THQ, who had built a stable relationship with 5th Cell, would later agree to publish the game, and development officially began in early 2006, with four milestone builds made before release.

There were a number of issues both THQ and 5th Cell faced throughout development, ranging from development crunch time to the art conversion process proving difficult. One major issue in particular was in relation to the game's cartridge size; according to Jeremiah Slaczka, THQ opted to pay for a cheaper, smaller cartridge than what the final game had for the team to import it to, which resulted in drawings not being saved upon completion.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoxNnnrowm4&t=2897s The Drawn to Life Fanbase Interviews Jeremiah Slaczka, 1:00:54]</ref> A THQ executive would help the team oppose this, however, convincing THQ to allow for a bigger cartridge size to keep the drawing saving intact.

Drawn to Life took roughly 17 months to finish before it's release, with six of those months being spent in the homebrew stages. THQ would release the game on September 10th, 2007, and 5th Cell would celebrate with a launch party, complete with a cake featuring [[Jowee]].

===Development of Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition===
Shortly after the release of Drawn to Life, THQ had a meeting with [[Nickelodeon]] over a potential SpongeBob SquarePants crossover, as the episode "Frankendoodle" beared similarities to the game's concept. 5th Cell would refuse to make it, as they were no longer committed to developing licensed titles. As a compromise, THQ allowed them to pitch another game, which ended up being [[:wikipedia:Lock's Quest|Lock's Quest]]. [[Altron]] would develop [[Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition]], which came out just a few weeks after Lock's Quest in September 2008.

5th Cell would be mentioned in the [[Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition Credits|Special Thanks]] section in the game's credits.

===Development of Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter===
Development for [[Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter]] began shortly after the release of Lock's Quest. 5th Cell aimed to be more ambitious with this title, improving almost every aspect of the original game as well as expanding on the story and universe. THQ was more open to their ideas this time round, resulting in a change in gameplay direction and tone compared to the first game. One major change to the series would be made with [[Mike]], a character introduced in the first game. Introduced in the first game as a joke character, being the only [[Human]] in a world of [[Raposa]], Miah decided to revolve the story around him and change the status quo. This would be accomplished with the story setting up the game's [[Real Life|infamous ending]], directly inspired by the Canadian TV series [[:Wikipedia:The Odyssey (TV series)|The Odyssey]], which featured a kid falling into a coma and visiting a new world within his dreams, which he becomes aware of.

It's development cycle was not free of issues, however; it was also affected by crunch time, resulting in a portion of the game being rushed and a fair amount of content being left out of the final release, including an entire section of [[Lavasteam]] and an additional wind-based village. Being developed in tandem with another 5th Cell title, [[:wikipedia:Scribblenauts (video game)|Scribblenauts]], further complicated development. To the team's confusion, a second [[Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter (Wii)|Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter]] was being developed around the same time for the [[Wii]] by [[Planet Moon Studios]]. Miah had initially rejected the idea of doing an entry for the system due to it not matching the scope he wanted,<ref>[https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/fountain-of-scribbles-5th-cell-s-jeremiah-slaczka-speaks Fountain of Scribbles: 5th Cell's Jeremiah Slaczka Speaks, Game Developer]</ref> however he gave his blessing for them to go through with it anyway. 5th Cell would also be thanked in the game's [[Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter (Wii) Credits|Special Thanks]] section in the credits, and it was even declared canon by the DS version's lead designer Matthew Pellicane<ref>[https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/05/27/pre-e3-2009-drawn-to-life-the-next-chapter-ds-interview Pre-E3 Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter DS Interview, IGN]</ref> - which Miah and Joe would both later backpedal on, as they didn't consider it part of the main story.

===Game Failures and 5th Cell Layoffs===
Following Brett Caird's departure in 2013 and the acquisition of the [[Drawn to Life series]] by [[505 Games]] the same year, the rest of the team focused on other upcoming projects. Three announced games were in development around that time, one of which was Scribblenauts Worlds, a 3D beat-em-up spin-off intended as an early PlayStation 4/Xbox One release that was quietly cancelled after test screenings. 5th Cell also saw the release of an official art book art book of the studio, The Art of 5th Cell, compiled by Edison Yan and published by Udon Entertainment, while containing a foreword by the remaining founders. This book would see release in October 2014 to decent reviews.

Another scrapped project was Anchors in the Drift, a free-to-play Action RPG for mobile devices with additional attacks available via collectable cards. The project was announced and elaborated on by Miah in 2015, with a crowdfunding campaign launched on [[:Wikipedia:Fig (company)|Fig]] as one of their first campaigns, alongside [[:Wikipedia:Psychonauts 2|Psychonauts 2]] and [[:Wikipedia:The Outer Wilds|The Outer Wilds]]. Out of the three launch campaigns, only Anchors in the Drift failed to reach it's $500,000 goal. The game was subsequently reworked into a different, more limited demo released on the [[App Store]] in 2019, which has since been delisted. This concept would be reworked into the [[Steam]] game Castlehold, which released via Early Access in 2021, which would end up being their most recent game release as of January 2026.

5th Cell also set their sights on a new spin-off for mobile devices, Scribblenauts: Fighting Words. A beta for the game was released in 2016 via Apple TestFlight, with photos of the project allowed to be taken but videos were prohibited. Shortly afterwards, however, [[:Wikipedia:Warner Bros. Games|Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment]] cancelled the title for unknown reasons, after almost two years of development. As a result of this cancellation, 5th Cell was forced to lay off 45 employees from the studio, including lead animator Tim Borrelli. Following this, Joe and composer David J. Franco also left the studio with two other developers to form [[Digital Continue]].

===Potential Drawn to Life 3 Ideas===
Miah had originally intended to continue the series with the Odyssey inspiration in mind, with Mike being able to return to the Raposa Realm after going to sleep.<ref>[https://youtu.be/EoxNnnrowm4?t=1221 The Drawn to Life Fanbase Interviews Jeremiah Slaczka, 20:21]</ref> He also suggested the possibility of exploring aspects of Mike as he grew up, as well as how it would affect the Raposa's world. This vision would never go into fruition, as Miah had instead put all hands on deck for other projects, leading to Joe attempting to revive the series instead. One pitch was while he was still at 5th Cell, although this would end up falling through. Two more pitches were made while at Digital Continue, with the third pitch resulting in [[Drawn to Life: Two Realms]], the most recent entry in the series.

Two Realms ended up being the only canon entry to not have Miah or 5th Cell involved at any point during development or mentioned in a Special Thanks section in [[Drawn to Life: Two Realms Credits|the game's credits]], although various past employees would develop it under Digital Continue. While 5th Cell and Digital Continue are both currently still around as developers, there was no new information on games in development from 2021 to mid-2026.

===Modern Titles===
On July 21st, 2026, 5th Cell released a trailer for their newest game, the multiplayer-focused friendlike  title Broke Wizards, set to be released on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store on August 13th, 2026. According to a press kit available on the official website, the game was directed by Miah once again and kickstarted production on November 1st, 2025, giving the game a production time of just over nine months. In a distinction from most friendlike games, it is fully playable in single player.

=={{Icon|Button}} Notable Games==
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:100% float:left">
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
 
<center>
{| class="wikitable"
|+
|-
! Game !! Publisher/Co-Developer !! System !! Release Date
|-
| [[File:minipoccha.png|125px|center|link=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915045736/http://www.5thcell.com/games.php?menu=0&game=mpoccha]] || [[File:thqwireless.png|center|125px|link=THQ]] || [[File:nokiaseries40&60logo.png|center|100px]] || 2004
|-
| [[File:siege.png|125px|center|link=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915045742/http://www.5thcell.com/games.php?menu=0&game=siege]] || [[File:thqwireless.png|center|125px|link=THQ]] || [[File:nokiaseries40&60logo.png|center|100px]] || 2004
|-
| [[File:sealteam6.png|125px|center|link=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915045800/http://www.5thcell.com/games.php?menu=0&game=st6]] || [[File:thqwireless.png|center|125px|link=THQ]] || [[File:nokiaseries40&60logo.png|center|100px]] || 2004
|-
| [[File:dnalogo.png|125px|center|link=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915045731/http://www.5thcell.com/games.php?menu=0&game=dna]] || <center>[[File:Merscom.png|100px|link=https://www.mobygames.com/company/5930/merscom-llc/]] / [[File:Enlight.png|100px|link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enlight_Software]]</center> || [[File:Microsoft Windows Logo.png|center|100px]] || 2006
|-
|[[File:Start_Screen_Drawn_to_Life_Logo.png|center|150px|link=Drawn to Life]] || [[File:THQ_logo_2000.png|center|100px]] || [[File:Nintendo_DS_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Sept. 10, 2007
|-
|[[File:lqlogo.png|150px|center|link=https://locksquest.fandom.com/wiki/Lock's_Quest]] || [[File:THQ_logo_2000.png|center|100px]] || [[File:Nintendo_DS_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Sept. 8, 2008
|-
|[[File:scribblenauts.png|150px|center|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Scribblenauts_(video_game) Scribblenauts]] || <center>[[File:wbgames2005.png|50px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Warner_Bros._Interactive_Entertainment]] / [[File:Konami.png|100px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Konami]]🇯🇵</center> || [[File:Nintendo_DS_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Sept. 15, 2009
|-
|[[File:TNCLogoHQ.png|150px|center|link=Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter]] || [[File:THQ_logo_2000.png|center|100px]] || [[File:Nintendo_DS_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Oct. 8, 2009
|-
|[[File:ssnlogo.png|150px|center|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Super_Scribblenauts Super Scribblenauts]] || <center>[[File:wbgames2010.png|62px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Warner_Bros._Interactive_Entertainment]]/ [[File:Konami.png|100px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Konami]]🇯🇵</center> || [[File:Nintendo_DS_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Oct. 12, 2010
|-
|[[File:DtLCollectionLogoRed.png|center|150px|link=Drawn to Life Collection]] || [[File:THQ_logo_2000.png|center|100px]] || [[File:Nintendo_DS_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Nov. 23, 2010
|-
|[[File:ScribblenautsRemix-logo.png|center|150px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Scribblenauts_Remix]] ||<center> [[File:wbgames2010.png|62px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Warner_Bros._Interactive_Entertainment]] / [[File:irongalaxy.png|100px|link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Galaxy]]</center> || <center>[[File:Apple_iOS_Logo.png|100px]]/[[File:Android_Logo.png|50px]]</center> || Oct. 7, 2011
|-
|[[File:runroorunlogo.png|150px|center|https://web.archive.org/web/20130511035846/http://www.5thcell.com/projects/recent-projects/run-roo-run/]] || <center>Self-Published</center> || [[File:Apple_iOS_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Jan. 12, 2012
|-
|[[File:hybridlogo.png|150px|center|link=https://web.archive.org/web/20110207210025/http://www.whatishybrid.com/]] || [[File:microsoftstudios.png|center|125px|link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_Game_Studios]] || <center>[[File:xboxlivearcadelogo.png|125px]]*</center> || Aug. 8, 2012
|-
|[[File:Scribblenauts_Unlimited_Logo.png|center|150px|link=http://scribblenauts.wikia.com/wiki/Scribblenauts_Unlimited]] ||<center>[[File:wbgames2010.png|62px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Warner_Bros._Interactive_Entertainment]] / [[File:Nintendo.png|100px|link=Wikipedia:Nintendo]] 🇪🇺**</center>|| <center>[[File:3DS.png|75px]] / [[File:WiiU.png|75px]] [[File:Steam_Logo.png|75px]] / [[File:Apple_iOS_Logo.png|75px]] [[File:Android_Logo.png|50px]]</center> || Nov 13th, 2012
|-
|[[File:snc.png|center|125px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Scribblenauts_Collection]] || [[File:wbgames2010.png|center|62px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Warner_Bros._Interactive_Entertainment]] || [[File:Nintendo_DS_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Mar. 5, 2013
|-
|[[File:Scribblenauts_Unmasked_Logo.png|150px|center|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Scribblenauts_Unmasked:_A_DC_Comics_Adventure]] ||<center>[[File:wbgames2010.png|62px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Warner_Bros._Interactive_Entertainment]] / [[File:dccomics.png|40px|link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DC_Comics]]</center> || <center>[[File:3DS.png|75px]] / [[File:WiiU.png|75px]] [[File:Steam_Logo.png|center|100px|center]]</center> || Sept. 24, 2013
|-
|[[File:scribblenautsworldslogo.png|150px|center|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Scribblenauts_Worlds]] || [[File:wbgames2010.png|center|62px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Warner_Bros._Interactive_Entertainment]] || <center>[[File:ps4logo.png|100px]] / [[File:xboxonelogo.png|100px]]</center> || Cancelled
|-
|[[File:anchorsinthedriftlogo.png|150px|center]] || <center>Self-Published</center> || <center>[[File:Apple_iOS_Logo.png|100px]] / [[File:Android_Logo.png|50px]]</center> || Cancelled
|-
|[[File:scribblenautsfightingwordslogo.png|150px|center|link=ttps://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Scribblenauts_Fighting_Words]] || [[File:wbgames2010.png|center|62px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Warner_Bros._Interactive_Entertainment]] || [[File:Apple_iOS_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Cancelled
|-
|<center>[[File:castleholdlogo.png|150px|link=https://store.steampowered.com/app/1425410/Castlehold/]]****</center> || <center>Self-Published</center> || [[File:Steam_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Mar. 3, 2021
|-
|<center>[[File:BrokeWizardsLolo.png|150px|link=https://store.steampowered.com/app/4398500/Broke_Wizards/]]</center> || <center>Self-Published</center> || <center>[[File:Steam_Logo.png|100px|link=https://store.steampowered.com/app/4398500/Broke_Wizards/]] / [[File:epicgamesstorelogo.png|100px|link=https://store.epicgames.com/p/broke-wizards-42bfa8]]</center> || Aug. 13, 2026
|}
</center>

*The game is no longer available to purchase following the closure of the Xbox 360 Marketplace in July 2024, however the online servers for many Xbox 360 titles are still active. The status of Hybrid's servers is yet to be clarified, however. 
**3DS/Wii U versions only. 
***Castlehold is still available on Steam, but remains in Early Access. It also appears to have connection issues upon startup after completing the demo, rendering the game unplayable.
{{ReadMore|:wikipedia:5th Cell#Original Titles}}
</div></div>

== {{IconSVG|Trivia}} Trivia ==
* According to Jeremiah Slaczka in an interview with Nintendo Power, 5th Cell derived their name from a corporation featured in a script he wrote.
** Seal Team 6 would also name the antagonistic group after them - Red Cell.
* Before Drawn to Life, 5th Cell considered developing titles for the PlayStation Portable, only to reject the idea after realizing how expensive it was to develop for.<ref>[https://www.eurogamer.net/scribblenauts-developer-ditched-psp-concept Scribblenauts creator ditched PSP concept, Eurogamer]</ref>
* Due to 5th Cell creating their own creator page on [[Steam]], their original page within the Scribblenauts releases redirects to [https://store.steampowered.com/developer/WBGames Warner Bros. Games' page].
* The '''Advancing Entertainment''' slogan was introduced with D.N.A, and would end up being used on the company's website until 2013.
* 5th Cell doesn't consider any games based on their IP that were developed by other studios to be canon, meaning ''[[Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition]]'', ''[[Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter (Wii)]]'', ''[[Drawn to Life: Two Realms]]'', ''[https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Scribblenauts_Showdown Scribblenauts Showdown]'', ''[https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Scribblenauts_Mega_Pack Scribblenauts Mega Pack]'', and the ''[https://locksquest.fandom.com/wiki/Lock%27s_Quest_(2017) Locks Quest remake]'' are all noncanonical to each respective series.<ref>https://ibb.co/Qv5K96JQ</ref>

=={{Icon|Painting}} Media ==
<center>
<tabber>
|-|Website=
<gallery widths="310" captionsize="medium" captiontextcolor="#8e8e8e" bordersize="none" bordercolor="transparent" captionalign="center" spacing="small" position="center">
5thCellCurrentFront.png|5th Cell's front page prior to ''Broke Wizards''.
5thCell2006Front.png|5th Cell's front page from 2006.
5thCell2017Front.png|5th Cell's front page from 2017.
5thCellDTL2006.png|5th Cell's Drawn to Life page from 2006.
5thCellDTL2007.png|5th Cell's Drawn to Life page from 2007.
5thCellDTL2013.png|5th Cell's Drawn to Life page from 2013.
5thCellDTL2015.png|5th Cell's Drawn to Life page from 2015.
5thCellTNC2009.png|5th Cell's Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter page from 2009.
5thCellTNC2013.png|5th Cell's Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter page from 2013.
5thCellTNC2015.png|5th Cell's Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter page from 2015.
</gallery>
|-|Screenshots=
<gallery widths="310" captionsize="medium" captiontextcolor="#8e8e8e" bordersize="none" bordercolor="transparent" captionalign="center" spacing="small" position="center">
DTL1Screen1.png|5th Cell Drawn to Life Website Screenshot
DTL1Screen2.png|5th Cell Drawn to Life Website Screenshot
DTL1Screen3.png|5th Cell Drawn to Life Website Screenshot
DTL1Screen4.png|5th Cell Drawn to Life Website Screenshot
TNCScreen1.png|5th Cell Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter Website Screenshot
TNCScreen2.png|5th Cell Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter Website Screenshot
TNCScreen3.png|5th Cell Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter Website Screenshot
TNCScreen4.png|5th Cell Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter Website Screenshot
</gallery>
|-|Other=
<gallery widths="310" captionsize="medium" captiontextcolor="#8e8e8e" bordersize="none" bordercolor="transparent" captionalign="center" spacing="small" position="center">
TheArtof5thCellCover.png|The box art for The Art of 5th Cell.
JoweeLaunchCake.jpg|A cake featuring Jowee celebrating the launch of Drawn to Life.
File:JoweeMaxwellCake.jpeg|Cakes for both Jowee and Maxwell celebrating the launch of Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter and Scribblenauts.
</gallery>
</tabber>
</center>

=={{Icon|Note}} References==
<references/>

{{Navbox/Studios|Drawn to Life|5th Cell|boxcolor=#adadad}}
{{Navbox/Studios|Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter (DS)|5th Cell|boxcolor=#adadad}}

[[Category:Drawn to Life]]
[[Category:Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter]]
[[Category:Developers]]

5th Cell

2026-08-09T19:37:53Z

67.168.251.64: /* {{IconSVG|Trivia}} Trivia */

{{Infobox/Company|boxcolor=#adadad
|name = 5th Cell
|image = <tabber>
|-|Current = [[File:5th_Cell_logo.png|200px|center|alt=5th Cell Logo]] Used since 2012
|-|Former = [[File:5th_Cell_Logo_2003.png|200px|center]] Used until 2011
</tabber>
|headquarters = Bellevue, Washington, USA 🇺🇸
|founded = August 28, 2003
|type = Developer Self-Publisher
|current = Active
|games = {{Icon|DTL}} {{Icon|TNC}}
|site = [http://www.5thcell.com/ Present day Website] [https://web.archive.org/web/20060425181729/http://www.5thcell.com:80/ 2006 Website] [https://web.archive.org/web/20171011061426/http://www.5thcell.com/ 2017 Website]
}}

{{Quote|text=Advancing Entertainment.|character=Original 5th Cell Slogan}}

'''5th Cell''', also known as '''5th Cell Media''', is a American video game developer and publisher. They are the studio behind the creation of the [[Drawn to Life Series]], as well as the more well-known [http://scribblenauts.wikia.com/wiki/Scribblenauts_Wiki Scribblenauts] series. Despite being the team who initially crafted the series, they only developed two games, ''[[Drawn to Life]]'' and ''[[Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter]]''. Many 5th Cell employees went on to found [[Digital Continue]] in 2016, who would go on to develop [[Drawn to Life: Two Realms]], which released in 2020.

=={{Icon|Book}} History==
===Before 5th Cell===
{{UnusedImage|image=[[File:EpixInteractiveStudiosLogo.jpg|350px]]}}
Jeremiah Slazcka met Joseph M. Tringali on a gamedev.net forum in 1998 after spotting a development advertisement. A new studio would be created as a result, the Illinois-based Epix Interactive Studios, sometime in 2000. Following this establishment, the two began work on their first game together, a fantasy MMORPG titled Fate. While Tringali intended for Epix to primarly focus on PC titles, including a different RPG, Fate would instead be developed for the original Xbox. Announced in early 2001, this title was slated to be a huge 2002/2003 release for the platform and a pioneer in MMORPGs for consoles the same way [[:Wikipedia:Phantasy Star Online|Phantasy Star Online]] was for the Sega Dreamcast. Not long after, however, the game would be cancelled after one-and-a-half years of development, and Epix would close their doors. This was due to a lack of funding according to Miah<ref>[https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/10/08/independent-view-5th-cells-jeremiah-slaczka Independent View: 5TH Cell's Jeremiah Slaczka, IGN]</ref>, and the game's website lacked any mention of a publisher.

Following the studio's closure, Joe worked for two other studios in Hong Kong and Miah studied screenwriting for two years, hoping to hone in his writing abilities for when he would start a new studio.

===Founding 5th Cell and Early Game Development===
{{UnusedImage|image=<tabber>
|-|Jeremiah Slaczka=[[File:profile_jeremiah.jpg]]
|-|Joseph M. Tringali=[[File:profile_joe.jpg]]
|-|Brett Caird=[[File:profile_brett.jpg]]
|-|Marius Falbusch=[[File:profile_marius.jpg]]
</tabber>}}
Miah met up with Joe again in 2003, and the two co-founded 5th Cell with Brett Caird and Marius Falbusch on August 28th. They initially primarily developed Java-based mobile games during their early years, with the studio building a relationship with [[THQ]] via their THQ Wireless division for these releases. While these games saw modest success, it wasn't until the release of the 2006 PC puzzle game D.N.A when they ventured into more ambitious creative avenues for their games. Unfortunately, D.N.A sold very poorly, leading to 15 employees being laid off.<ref>[https://gamesbeat.com/scribblenauts-game-developer-makes-a-risky-bet-on-being-original/ Scribblenauts game developer makes a risky bet on being original, GamesBeat]</ref>

Miah brainstormed ideas for a potential [[Nintendo DS]] game, one that would utilize it's features in a unique way. The original concept of drawings coming to life was within Miah's head for around six months before the studio began working on a prototype. The team wanted the experience to be deeper than a mere gimmick, however they also felt they wanted to allow the player to always draw something new. The platforming aspect was added to that initial concept, with village interaction and a story added as time went on, inspired by the [[:Wikipedia:Square Enix|SquareSoft]] game [[:Wikipedia:ActRaiser|ActRaiser]]<ref>[[File:Actraiser.png|100px]]</ref>, as well as the visual concepts of [[:wikipedia:Hayao Miyazaki|Hayao Miyazaki]] films.

===Development of Drawn to Life===
5th Cell approached [[:Wikipedia:Nintendo of America|Nintendo of America]] for a DS development kit, but this request was ultimately rejected. As a result, an initial prototype was developed using a homebrewed DS system.<ref>[https://youtu.be/EoxNnnrowm4?t=884 Jeremiah Slazcka interview with the Drawn to Life community, 14:44]</ref> After presenting a demo to Nintendo of America, 5th Cell was given the license to develop Nintendo DS games. THQ, who had built a stable relationship with 5th Cell, would later agree to publish the game, and development officially began in early 2006, with four milestone builds made before release.

There were a number of issues both THQ and 5th Cell faced throughout development, ranging from development crunch time to the art conversion process proving difficult. One major issue in particular was in relation to the game's cartridge size; according to Jeremiah Slaczka, THQ opted to pay for a cheaper, smaller cartridge than what the final game had for the team to import it to, which resulted in drawings not being saved upon completion.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoxNnnrowm4&t=2897s The Drawn to Life Fanbase Interviews Jeremiah Slaczka, 1:00:54]</ref> A THQ executive would help the team oppose this, however, convincing THQ to allow for a bigger cartridge size to keep the drawing saving intact.

Drawn to Life took roughly 17 months to finish before it's release, with six of those months being spent in the homebrew stages. THQ would release the game on September 10th, 2007, and 5th Cell would celebrate with a launch party, complete with a cake featuring [[Jowee]].

===Development of Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition===
Shortly after the release of Drawn to Life, THQ had a meeting with [[Nickelodeon]] over a potential SpongeBob SquarePants crossover, as the episode "Frankendoodle" beared similarities to the game's concept. 5th Cell would refuse to make it, as they were no longer committed to developing licensed titles. As a compromise, THQ allowed them to pitch another game, which ended up being [[:wikipedia:Lock's Quest|Lock's Quest]]. [[Altron]] would develop [[Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition]], which came out just a few weeks after Lock's Quest in September 2008.

5th Cell would be mentioned in the [[Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition Credits|Special Thanks]] section in the game's credits.

===Development of Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter===
Development for [[Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter]] began shortly after the release of Lock's Quest. 5th Cell aimed to be more ambitious with this title, improving almost every aspect of the original game as well as expanding on the story and universe. THQ was more open to their ideas this time round, resulting in a change in gameplay direction and tone compared to the first game. One major change to the series would be made with [[Mike]], a character introduced in the first game. Introduced in the first game as a joke character, being the only [[Human]] in a world of [[Raposa]], Miah decided to revolve the story around him and change the status quo. This would be accomplished with the story setting up the game's [[Real Life|infamous ending]], directly inspired by the Canadian TV series [[:Wikipedia:The Odyssey (TV series)|The Odyssey]], which featured a kid falling into a coma and visiting a new world within his dreams, which he becomes aware of.

It's development cycle was not free of issues, however; it was also affected by crunch time, resulting in a portion of the game being rushed and a fair amount of content being left out of the final release, including an entire section of [[Lavasteam]] and an additional wind-based village. Being developed in tandem with another 5th Cell title, [[:wikipedia:Scribblenauts (video game)|Scribblenauts]], further complicated development. To the team's confusion, a second [[Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter (Wii)|Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter]] was being developed around the same time for the [[Wii]] by [[Planet Moon Studios]]. Miah had initially rejected the idea of doing an entry for the system due to it not matching the scope he wanted,<ref>[https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/fountain-of-scribbles-5th-cell-s-jeremiah-slaczka-speaks Fountain of Scribbles: 5th Cell's Jeremiah Slaczka Speaks, Game Developer]</ref> however he gave his blessing for them to go through with it anyway. 5th Cell would also be thanked in the game's [[Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter (Wii) Credits|Special Thanks]] section in the credits, and it was even declared canon by the DS version's lead designer Matthew Pellicane<ref>[https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/05/27/pre-e3-2009-drawn-to-life-the-next-chapter-ds-interview Pre-E3 Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter DS Interview, IGN]</ref> - which Miah and Joe would both later backpedal on, as they didn't consider it part of the main story.

===Game Failures and 5th Cell Layoffs===
Following Brett Caird's departure in 2013 and the acquisition of the [[Drawn to Life series]] by [[505 Games]] the same year, the rest of the team focused on other upcoming projects. Three announced games were in development around that time, one of which was Scribblenauts Worlds, a 3D beat-em-up spin-off intended as an early PlayStation 4/Xbox One release that was quietly cancelled after test screenings. 5th Cell also saw the release of an official art book art book of the studio, The Art of 5th Cell, compiled by Edison Yan and published by Udon Entertainment, while containing a foreword by the remaining founders. This book would see release in October 2014 to decent reviews.

Another scrapped project was Anchors in the Drift, a free-to-play Action RPG for mobile devices with additional attacks available via collectable cards. The project was announced and elaborated on by Miah in 2015, with a crowdfunding campaign launched on [[:Wikipedia:Fig (company)|Fig]] as one of their first campaigns, alongside [[:Wikipedia:Psychonauts 2|Psychonauts 2]] and [[:Wikipedia:The Outer Wilds|The Outer Wilds]]. Out of the three launch campaigns, only Anchors in the Drift failed to reach it's $500,000 goal. The game was subsequently reworked into a different, more limited demo released on the [[App Store]] in 2019, which has since been delisted. This concept would be reworked into the [[Steam]] game Castlehold, which released via Early Access in 2021, which would end up being their most recent game release as of January 2026.

5th Cell also set their sights on a new spin-off for mobile devices, Scribblenauts: Fighting Words. A beta for the game was released in 2016 via Apple TestFlight, with photos of the project allowed to be taken but videos were prohibited. Shortly afterwards, however, [[:Wikipedia:Warner Bros. Games|Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment]] cancelled the title for unknown reasons, after almost two years of development. As a result of this cancellation, 5th Cell was forced to lay off 45 employees from the studio, including lead animator Tim Borrelli. Following this, Joe and composer David J. Franco also left the studio with two other developers to form [[Digital Continue]].

===Potential Drawn to Life 3 Ideas===
Miah had originally intended to continue the series with the Odyssey inspiration in mind, with Mike being able to return to the Raposa Realm after going to sleep.<ref>[https://youtu.be/EoxNnnrowm4?t=1221 The Drawn to Life Fanbase Interviews Jeremiah Slaczka, 20:21]</ref> He also suggested the possibility of exploring aspects of Mike as he grew up, as well as how it would affect the Raposa's world. This vision would never go into fruition, as Miah had instead put all hands on deck for other projects, leading to Joe attempting to revive the series instead. One pitch was while he was still at 5th Cell, although this would end up falling through. Two more pitches were made while at Digital Continue, with the third pitch resulting in [[Drawn to Life: Two Realms]], the most recent entry in the series.

Two Realms ended up being the only canon entry to not have Miah or 5th Cell involved at any point during development or mentioned in a Special Thanks section in [[Drawn to Life: Two Realms Credits|the game's credits]], although various past employees would develop it under Digital Continue. While 5th Cell and Digital Continue are both currently still around as developers, there was no new information on games in development from 2021 to mid-2026.

===Modern Titles===
On July 21st, 2026, 5th Cell released a trailer for their newest game, the multiplayer-focused friendlike  title Broke Wizards, set to be released on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store on August 13th, 2026. According to a press kit available on the official website, the game was directed by Miah once again and kickstarted production on November 1st, 2025, giving the game a production time of just over nine months. In a distinction from most friendlike games, it is fully playable in single player.

=={{Icon|Button}} Notable Games==
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:100% float:left">
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
 
<center>
{| class="wikitable"
|+
|-
! Game !! Publisher/Co-Developer !! System !! Release Date
|-
| [[File:minipoccha.png|125px|center|link=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915045736/http://www.5thcell.com/games.php?menu=0&game=mpoccha]] || [[File:thqwireless.png|center|125px|link=THQ]] || [[File:nokiaseries40&60logo.png|center|100px]] || 2004
|-
| [[File:siege.png|125px|center|link=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915045742/http://www.5thcell.com/games.php?menu=0&game=siege]] || [[File:thqwireless.png|center|125px|link=THQ]] || [[File:nokiaseries40&60logo.png|center|100px]] || 2004
|-
| [[File:sealteam6.png|125px|center|link=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915045800/http://www.5thcell.com/games.php?menu=0&game=st6]] || [[File:thqwireless.png|center|125px|link=THQ]] || [[File:nokiaseries40&60logo.png|center|100px]] || 2004
|-
| [[File:dnalogo.png|125px|center|link=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915045731/http://www.5thcell.com/games.php?menu=0&game=dna]] || <center>[[File:Merscom.png|100px|link=https://www.mobygames.com/company/5930/merscom-llc/]] / [[File:Enlight.png|100px|link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enlight_Software]]</center> || [[File:Microsoft Windows Logo.png|center|100px]] || 2006
|-
|[[File:Start_Screen_Drawn_to_Life_Logo.png|center|150px|link=Drawn to Life]] || [[File:THQ_logo_2000.png|center|100px]] || [[File:Nintendo_DS_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Sept. 10, 2007
|-
|[[File:lqlogo.png|150px|center|link=https://locksquest.fandom.com/wiki/Lock's_Quest]] || [[File:THQ_logo_2000.png|center|100px]] || [[File:Nintendo_DS_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Sept. 8, 2008
|-
|[[File:scribblenauts.png|150px|center|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Scribblenauts_(video_game) Scribblenauts]] || <center>[[File:wbgames2005.png|50px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Warner_Bros._Interactive_Entertainment]] / [[File:Konami.png|100px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Konami]]🇯🇵</center> || [[File:Nintendo_DS_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Sept. 15, 2009
|-
|[[File:TNCLogoHQ.png|150px|center|link=Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter]] || [[File:THQ_logo_2000.png|center|100px]] || [[File:Nintendo_DS_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Oct. 8, 2009
|-
|[[File:ssnlogo.png|150px|center|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Super_Scribblenauts Super Scribblenauts]] || <center>[[File:wbgames2010.png|62px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Warner_Bros._Interactive_Entertainment]]/ [[File:Konami.png|100px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Konami]]🇯🇵</center> || [[File:Nintendo_DS_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Oct. 12, 2010
|-
|[[File:DtLCollectionLogoRed.png|center|150px|link=Drawn to Life Collection]] || [[File:THQ_logo_2000.png|center|100px]] || [[File:Nintendo_DS_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Nov. 23, 2010
|-
|[[File:ScribblenautsRemix-logo.png|center|150px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Scribblenauts_Remix]] ||<center> [[File:wbgames2010.png|62px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Warner_Bros._Interactive_Entertainment]] / [[File:irongalaxy.png|100px|link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Galaxy]]</center> || <center>[[File:Apple_iOS_Logo.png|100px]]/[[File:Android_Logo.png|50px]]</center> || Oct. 7, 2011
|-
|[[File:runroorunlogo.png|150px|center|https://web.archive.org/web/20130511035846/http://www.5thcell.com/projects/recent-projects/run-roo-run/]] || <center>Self-Published</center> || [[File:Apple_iOS_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Jan. 12, 2012
|-
|[[File:hybridlogo.png|150px|center|link=https://web.archive.org/web/20110207210025/http://www.whatishybrid.com/]] || [[File:microsoftstudios.png|center|125px|link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_Game_Studios]] || <center>[[File:xboxlivearcadelogo.png|125px]]*</center> || Aug. 8, 2012
|-
|[[File:Scribblenauts_Unlimited_Logo.png|center|150px|link=http://scribblenauts.wikia.com/wiki/Scribblenauts_Unlimited]] ||<center>[[File:wbgames2010.png|62px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Warner_Bros._Interactive_Entertainment]] / [[File:Nintendo.png|100px|link=Wikipedia:Nintendo]] 🇪🇺**</center>|| <center>[[File:3DS.png|75px]] / [[File:WiiU.png|75px]] [[File:Steam_Logo.png|75px]] / [[File:Apple_iOS_Logo.png|75px]] [[File:Android_Logo.png|50px]]</center> || Nov 13th, 2012
|-
|[[File:snc.png|center|125px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Scribblenauts_Collection]] || [[File:wbgames2010.png|center|62px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Warner_Bros._Interactive_Entertainment]] || [[File:Nintendo_DS_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Mar. 5, 2013
|-
|[[File:Scribblenauts_Unmasked_Logo.png|150px|center|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Scribblenauts_Unmasked:_A_DC_Comics_Adventure]] ||<center>[[File:wbgames2010.png|62px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Warner_Bros._Interactive_Entertainment]] / [[File:dccomics.png|40px|link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DC_Comics]]</center> || <center>[[File:3DS.png|75px]] / [[File:WiiU.png|75px]] [[File:Steam_Logo.png|center|100px|center]]</center> || Sept. 24, 2013
|-
|[[File:scribblenautsworldslogo.png|150px|center|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Scribblenauts_Worlds]] || [[File:wbgames2010.png|center|62px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Warner_Bros._Interactive_Entertainment]] || <center>[[File:ps4logo.png|100px]] / [[File:xboxonelogo.png|100px]]</center> || Cancelled
|-
|[[File:anchorsinthedriftlogo.png|150px|center]] || <center>Self-Published</center> || <center>[[File:Apple_iOS_Logo.png|100px]] / [[File:Android_Logo.png|50px]]</center> || Cancelled
|-
|[[File:scribblenautsfightingwordslogo.png|150px|center|link=ttps://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Scribblenauts_Fighting_Words]] || [[File:wbgames2010.png|center|62px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Warner_Bros._Interactive_Entertainment]] || [[File:Apple_iOS_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Cancelled
|-
|<center>[[File:castleholdlogo.png|150px|link=https://store.steampowered.com/app/1425410/Castlehold/]]****</center> || <center>Self-Published</center> || [[File:Steam_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Mar. 3, 2021
|-
|<center>[[File:BrokeWizardsLolo.png|150px|link=https://store.steampowered.com/app/4398500/Broke_Wizards/]]</center> || <center>Self-Published</center> || <center>[[File:Steam_Logo.png|100px|link=https://store.steampowered.com/app/4398500/Broke_Wizards/]] / [[File:epicgamesstorelogo.png|100px|link=https://store.epicgames.com/p/broke-wizards-42bfa8]]</center> || Aug. 13, 2026
|}
</center>

*The game is no longer available to purchase following the closure of the Xbox 360 Marketplace in July 2024, however the online servers for many Xbox 360 titles are still active. The status of Hybrid's servers is yet to be clarified, however. 
**3DS/Wii U versions only. 
***Castlehold is still available on Steam, but remains in Early Access. It also appears to have connection issues upon startup after completing the demo, rendering the game unplayable.
{{ReadMore|:wikipedia:5th Cell#Original Titles}}
</div></div>

== {{IconSVG|Trivia}} Trivia ==
* According to Jeremiah Slaczka in an interview with Nintendo Power, 5th Cell derived their name from a corporation featured in a script he wrote.
** Seal Team 6 would also name the antagonistic group after them - Red Cell.
* Before Drawn to Life, 5th Cell considered developing titles for the PlayStation Portable, only to reject the idea after realizing how expensive it was to develop for.<ref>[https://www.eurogamer.net/scribblenauts-developer-ditched-psp-concept Scribblenauts creator ditched PSP concept, Eurogamer]</ref>
* Due to 5th Cell creating their own creator page on [[Steam]], their original page within the Scribblenauts releases redirects to [https://store.steampowered.com/developer/WBGames Warner Bros. Games' page].
* The '''Advancing Entertainment''' slogan was introduced with D.N.A, and would end up being used on the company's website until 2013.
* 5th Cell doesn't consider any games based on their IP that were developed by other studios to be canon, meaning ''[[Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition]]'', ''[[Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter (Wii)]]'', [''[Drawn to Life: Two Realms]]'', ''[https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Scribblenauts_Showdown Scribblenauts Showdown]'', ''[https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Scribblenauts_Mega_Pack Scribblenauts Mega Pack]'', and the ''[https://locksquest.fandom.com/wiki/Lock%27s_Quest_(2017) Locks Quest remake]'' are all noncanonical to each respective series.<ref>https://ibb.co/Qv5K96JQ</ref>

=={{Icon|Painting}} Media ==
<center>
<tabber>
|-|Website=
<gallery widths="310" captionsize="medium" captiontextcolor="#8e8e8e" bordersize="none" bordercolor="transparent" captionalign="center" spacing="small" position="center">
5thCellCurrentFront.png|5th Cell's front page prior to ''Broke Wizards''.
5thCell2006Front.png|5th Cell's front page from 2006.
5thCell2017Front.png|5th Cell's front page from 2017.
5thCellDTL2006.png|5th Cell's Drawn to Life page from 2006.
5thCellDTL2007.png|5th Cell's Drawn to Life page from 2007.
5thCellDTL2013.png|5th Cell's Drawn to Life page from 2013.
5thCellDTL2015.png|5th Cell's Drawn to Life page from 2015.
5thCellTNC2009.png|5th Cell's Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter page from 2009.
5thCellTNC2013.png|5th Cell's Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter page from 2013.
5thCellTNC2015.png|5th Cell's Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter page from 2015.
</gallery>
|-|Screenshots=
<gallery widths="310" captionsize="medium" captiontextcolor="#8e8e8e" bordersize="none" bordercolor="transparent" captionalign="center" spacing="small" position="center">
DTL1Screen1.png|5th Cell Drawn to Life Website Screenshot
DTL1Screen2.png|5th Cell Drawn to Life Website Screenshot
DTL1Screen3.png|5th Cell Drawn to Life Website Screenshot
DTL1Screen4.png|5th Cell Drawn to Life Website Screenshot
TNCScreen1.png|5th Cell Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter Website Screenshot
TNCScreen2.png|5th Cell Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter Website Screenshot
TNCScreen3.png|5th Cell Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter Website Screenshot
TNCScreen4.png|5th Cell Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter Website Screenshot
</gallery>
|-|Other=
<gallery widths="310" captionsize="medium" captiontextcolor="#8e8e8e" bordersize="none" bordercolor="transparent" captionalign="center" spacing="small" position="center">
TheArtof5thCellCover.png|The box art for The Art of 5th Cell.
JoweeLaunchCake.jpg|A cake featuring Jowee celebrating the launch of Drawn to Life.
File:JoweeMaxwellCake.jpeg|Cakes for both Jowee and Maxwell celebrating the launch of Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter and Scribblenauts.
</gallery>
</tabber>
</center>

=={{Icon|Note}} References==
<references/>

{{Navbox/Studios|Drawn to Life|5th Cell|boxcolor=#adadad}}
{{Navbox/Studios|Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter (DS)|5th Cell|boxcolor=#adadad}}

[[Category:Drawn to Life]]
[[Category:Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter]]
[[Category:Developers]]

5th Cell

2026-08-09T19:36:11Z

67.168.251.64: /* {{IconSVG|Trivia}} Trivia */

{{Infobox/Company|boxcolor=#adadad
|name = 5th Cell
|image = <tabber>
|-|Current = [[File:5th_Cell_logo.png|200px|center|alt=5th Cell Logo]] Used since 2012
|-|Former = [[File:5th_Cell_Logo_2003.png|200px|center]] Used until 2011
</tabber>
|headquarters = Bellevue, Washington, USA 🇺🇸
|founded = August 28, 2003
|type = Developer Self-Publisher
|current = Active
|games = {{Icon|DTL}} {{Icon|TNC}}
|site = [http://www.5thcell.com/ Present day Website] [https://web.archive.org/web/20060425181729/http://www.5thcell.com:80/ 2006 Website] [https://web.archive.org/web/20171011061426/http://www.5thcell.com/ 2017 Website]
}}

{{Quote|text=Advancing Entertainment.|character=Original 5th Cell Slogan}}

'''5th Cell''', also known as '''5th Cell Media''', is a American video game developer and publisher. They are the studio behind the creation of the [[Drawn to Life Series]], as well as the more well-known [http://scribblenauts.wikia.com/wiki/Scribblenauts_Wiki Scribblenauts] series. Despite being the team who initially crafted the series, they only developed two games, ''[[Drawn to Life]]'' and ''[[Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter]]''. Many 5th Cell employees went on to found [[Digital Continue]] in 2016, who would go on to develop [[Drawn to Life: Two Realms]], which released in 2020.

=={{Icon|Book}} History==
===Before 5th Cell===
{{UnusedImage|image=[[File:EpixInteractiveStudiosLogo.jpg|350px]]}}
Jeremiah Slazcka met Joseph M. Tringali on a gamedev.net forum in 1998 after spotting a development advertisement. A new studio would be created as a result, the Illinois-based Epix Interactive Studios, sometime in 2000. Following this establishment, the two began work on their first game together, a fantasy MMORPG titled Fate. While Tringali intended for Epix to primarly focus on PC titles, including a different RPG, Fate would instead be developed for the original Xbox. Announced in early 2001, this title was slated to be a huge 2002/2003 release for the platform and a pioneer in MMORPGs for consoles the same way [[:Wikipedia:Phantasy Star Online|Phantasy Star Online]] was for the Sega Dreamcast. Not long after, however, the game would be cancelled after one-and-a-half years of development, and Epix would close their doors. This was due to a lack of funding according to Miah<ref>[https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/10/08/independent-view-5th-cells-jeremiah-slaczka Independent View: 5TH Cell's Jeremiah Slaczka, IGN]</ref>, and the game's website lacked any mention of a publisher.

Following the studio's closure, Joe worked for two other studios in Hong Kong and Miah studied screenwriting for two years, hoping to hone in his writing abilities for when he would start a new studio.

===Founding 5th Cell and Early Game Development===
{{UnusedImage|image=<tabber>
|-|Jeremiah Slaczka=[[File:profile_jeremiah.jpg]]
|-|Joseph M. Tringali=[[File:profile_joe.jpg]]
|-|Brett Caird=[[File:profile_brett.jpg]]
|-|Marius Falbusch=[[File:profile_marius.jpg]]
</tabber>}}
Miah met up with Joe again in 2003, and the two co-founded 5th Cell with Brett Caird and Marius Falbusch on August 28th. They initially primarily developed Java-based mobile games during their early years, with the studio building a relationship with [[THQ]] via their THQ Wireless division for these releases. While these games saw modest success, it wasn't until the release of the 2006 PC puzzle game D.N.A when they ventured into more ambitious creative avenues for their games. Unfortunately, D.N.A sold very poorly, leading to 15 employees being laid off.<ref>[https://gamesbeat.com/scribblenauts-game-developer-makes-a-risky-bet-on-being-original/ Scribblenauts game developer makes a risky bet on being original, GamesBeat]</ref>

Miah brainstormed ideas for a potential [[Nintendo DS]] game, one that would utilize it's features in a unique way. The original concept of drawings coming to life was within Miah's head for around six months before the studio began working on a prototype. The team wanted the experience to be deeper than a mere gimmick, however they also felt they wanted to allow the player to always draw something new. The platforming aspect was added to that initial concept, with village interaction and a story added as time went on, inspired by the [[:Wikipedia:Square Enix|SquareSoft]] game [[:Wikipedia:ActRaiser|ActRaiser]]<ref>[[File:Actraiser.png|100px]]</ref>, as well as the visual concepts of [[:wikipedia:Hayao Miyazaki|Hayao Miyazaki]] films.

===Development of Drawn to Life===
5th Cell approached [[:Wikipedia:Nintendo of America|Nintendo of America]] for a DS development kit, but this request was ultimately rejected. As a result, an initial prototype was developed using a homebrewed DS system.<ref>[https://youtu.be/EoxNnnrowm4?t=884 Jeremiah Slazcka interview with the Drawn to Life community, 14:44]</ref> After presenting a demo to Nintendo of America, 5th Cell was given the license to develop Nintendo DS games. THQ, who had built a stable relationship with 5th Cell, would later agree to publish the game, and development officially began in early 2006, with four milestone builds made before release.

There were a number of issues both THQ and 5th Cell faced throughout development, ranging from development crunch time to the art conversion process proving difficult. One major issue in particular was in relation to the game's cartridge size; according to Jeremiah Slaczka, THQ opted to pay for a cheaper, smaller cartridge than what the final game had for the team to import it to, which resulted in drawings not being saved upon completion.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoxNnnrowm4&t=2897s The Drawn to Life Fanbase Interviews Jeremiah Slaczka, 1:00:54]</ref> A THQ executive would help the team oppose this, however, convincing THQ to allow for a bigger cartridge size to keep the drawing saving intact.

Drawn to Life took roughly 17 months to finish before it's release, with six of those months being spent in the homebrew stages. THQ would release the game on September 10th, 2007, and 5th Cell would celebrate with a launch party, complete with a cake featuring [[Jowee]].

===Development of Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition===
Shortly after the release of Drawn to Life, THQ had a meeting with [[Nickelodeon]] over a potential SpongeBob SquarePants crossover, as the episode "Frankendoodle" beared similarities to the game's concept. 5th Cell would refuse to make it, as they were no longer committed to developing licensed titles. As a compromise, THQ allowed them to pitch another game, which ended up being [[:wikipedia:Lock's Quest|Lock's Quest]]. [[Altron]] would develop [[Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition]], which came out just a few weeks after Lock's Quest in September 2008.

5th Cell would be mentioned in the [[Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition Credits|Special Thanks]] section in the game's credits.

===Development of Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter===
Development for [[Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter]] began shortly after the release of Lock's Quest. 5th Cell aimed to be more ambitious with this title, improving almost every aspect of the original game as well as expanding on the story and universe. THQ was more open to their ideas this time round, resulting in a change in gameplay direction and tone compared to the first game. One major change to the series would be made with [[Mike]], a character introduced in the first game. Introduced in the first game as a joke character, being the only [[Human]] in a world of [[Raposa]], Miah decided to revolve the story around him and change the status quo. This would be accomplished with the story setting up the game's [[Real Life|infamous ending]], directly inspired by the Canadian TV series [[:Wikipedia:The Odyssey (TV series)|The Odyssey]], which featured a kid falling into a coma and visiting a new world within his dreams, which he becomes aware of.

It's development cycle was not free of issues, however; it was also affected by crunch time, resulting in a portion of the game being rushed and a fair amount of content being left out of the final release, including an entire section of [[Lavasteam]] and an additional wind-based village. Being developed in tandem with another 5th Cell title, [[:wikipedia:Scribblenauts (video game)|Scribblenauts]], further complicated development. To the team's confusion, a second [[Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter (Wii)|Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter]] was being developed around the same time for the [[Wii]] by [[Planet Moon Studios]]. Miah had initially rejected the idea of doing an entry for the system due to it not matching the scope he wanted,<ref>[https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/fountain-of-scribbles-5th-cell-s-jeremiah-slaczka-speaks Fountain of Scribbles: 5th Cell's Jeremiah Slaczka Speaks, Game Developer]</ref> however he gave his blessing for them to go through with it anyway. 5th Cell would also be thanked in the game's [[Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter (Wii) Credits|Special Thanks]] section in the credits, and it was even declared canon by the DS version's lead designer Matthew Pellicane<ref>[https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/05/27/pre-e3-2009-drawn-to-life-the-next-chapter-ds-interview Pre-E3 Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter DS Interview, IGN]</ref> - which Miah and Joe would both later backpedal on, as they didn't consider it part of the main story.

===Game Failures and 5th Cell Layoffs===
Following Brett Caird's departure in 2013 and the acquisition of the [[Drawn to Life series]] by [[505 Games]] the same year, the rest of the team focused on other upcoming projects. Three announced games were in development around that time, one of which was Scribblenauts Worlds, a 3D beat-em-up spin-off intended as an early PlayStation 4/Xbox One release that was quietly cancelled after test screenings. 5th Cell also saw the release of an official art book art book of the studio, The Art of 5th Cell, compiled by Edison Yan and published by Udon Entertainment, while containing a foreword by the remaining founders. This book would see release in October 2014 to decent reviews.

Another scrapped project was Anchors in the Drift, a free-to-play Action RPG for mobile devices with additional attacks available via collectable cards. The project was announced and elaborated on by Miah in 2015, with a crowdfunding campaign launched on [[:Wikipedia:Fig (company)|Fig]] as one of their first campaigns, alongside [[:Wikipedia:Psychonauts 2|Psychonauts 2]] and [[:Wikipedia:The Outer Wilds|The Outer Wilds]]. Out of the three launch campaigns, only Anchors in the Drift failed to reach it's $500,000 goal. The game was subsequently reworked into a different, more limited demo released on the [[App Store]] in 2019, which has since been delisted. This concept would be reworked into the [[Steam]] game Castlehold, which released via Early Access in 2021, which would end up being their most recent game release as of January 2026.

5th Cell also set their sights on a new spin-off for mobile devices, Scribblenauts: Fighting Words. A beta for the game was released in 2016 via Apple TestFlight, with photos of the project allowed to be taken but videos were prohibited. Shortly afterwards, however, [[:Wikipedia:Warner Bros. Games|Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment]] cancelled the title for unknown reasons, after almost two years of development. As a result of this cancellation, 5th Cell was forced to lay off 45 employees from the studio, including lead animator Tim Borrelli. Following this, Joe and composer David J. Franco also left the studio with two other developers to form [[Digital Continue]].

===Potential Drawn to Life 3 Ideas===
Miah had originally intended to continue the series with the Odyssey inspiration in mind, with Mike being able to return to the Raposa Realm after going to sleep.<ref>[https://youtu.be/EoxNnnrowm4?t=1221 The Drawn to Life Fanbase Interviews Jeremiah Slaczka, 20:21]</ref> He also suggested the possibility of exploring aspects of Mike as he grew up, as well as how it would affect the Raposa's world. This vision would never go into fruition, as Miah had instead put all hands on deck for other projects, leading to Joe attempting to revive the series instead. One pitch was while he was still at 5th Cell, although this would end up falling through. Two more pitches were made while at Digital Continue, with the third pitch resulting in [[Drawn to Life: Two Realms]], the most recent entry in the series.

Two Realms ended up being the only canon entry to not have Miah or 5th Cell involved at any point during development or mentioned in a Special Thanks section in [[Drawn to Life: Two Realms Credits|the game's credits]], although various past employees would develop it under Digital Continue. While 5th Cell and Digital Continue are both currently still around as developers, there was no new information on games in development from 2021 to mid-2026.

===Modern Titles===
On July 21st, 2026, 5th Cell released a trailer for their newest game, the multiplayer-focused friendlike  title Broke Wizards, set to be released on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store on August 13th, 2026. According to a press kit available on the official website, the game was directed by Miah once again and kickstarted production on November 1st, 2025, giving the game a production time of just over nine months. In a distinction from most friendlike games, it is fully playable in single player.

=={{Icon|Button}} Notable Games==
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:100% float:left">
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
 
<center>
{| class="wikitable"
|+
|-
! Game !! Publisher/Co-Developer !! System !! Release Date
|-
| [[File:minipoccha.png|125px|center|link=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915045736/http://www.5thcell.com/games.php?menu=0&game=mpoccha]] || [[File:thqwireless.png|center|125px|link=THQ]] || [[File:nokiaseries40&60logo.png|center|100px]] || 2004
|-
| [[File:siege.png|125px|center|link=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915045742/http://www.5thcell.com/games.php?menu=0&game=siege]] || [[File:thqwireless.png|center|125px|link=THQ]] || [[File:nokiaseries40&60logo.png|center|100px]] || 2004
|-
| [[File:sealteam6.png|125px|center|link=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915045800/http://www.5thcell.com/games.php?menu=0&game=st6]] || [[File:thqwireless.png|center|125px|link=THQ]] || [[File:nokiaseries40&60logo.png|center|100px]] || 2004
|-
| [[File:dnalogo.png|125px|center|link=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915045731/http://www.5thcell.com/games.php?menu=0&game=dna]] || <center>[[File:Merscom.png|100px|link=https://www.mobygames.com/company/5930/merscom-llc/]] / [[File:Enlight.png|100px|link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enlight_Software]]</center> || [[File:Microsoft Windows Logo.png|center|100px]] || 2006
|-
|[[File:Start_Screen_Drawn_to_Life_Logo.png|center|150px|link=Drawn to Life]] || [[File:THQ_logo_2000.png|center|100px]] || [[File:Nintendo_DS_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Sept. 10, 2007
|-
|[[File:lqlogo.png|150px|center|link=https://locksquest.fandom.com/wiki/Lock's_Quest]] || [[File:THQ_logo_2000.png|center|100px]] || [[File:Nintendo_DS_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Sept. 8, 2008
|-
|[[File:scribblenauts.png|150px|center|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Scribblenauts_(video_game) Scribblenauts]] || <center>[[File:wbgames2005.png|50px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Warner_Bros._Interactive_Entertainment]] / [[File:Konami.png|100px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Konami]]🇯🇵</center> || [[File:Nintendo_DS_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Sept. 15, 2009
|-
|[[File:TNCLogoHQ.png|150px|center|link=Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter]] || [[File:THQ_logo_2000.png|center|100px]] || [[File:Nintendo_DS_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Oct. 8, 2009
|-
|[[File:ssnlogo.png|150px|center|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Super_Scribblenauts Super Scribblenauts]] || <center>[[File:wbgames2010.png|62px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Warner_Bros._Interactive_Entertainment]]/ [[File:Konami.png|100px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Konami]]🇯🇵</center> || [[File:Nintendo_DS_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Oct. 12, 2010
|-
|[[File:DtLCollectionLogoRed.png|center|150px|link=Drawn to Life Collection]] || [[File:THQ_logo_2000.png|center|100px]] || [[File:Nintendo_DS_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Nov. 23, 2010
|-
|[[File:ScribblenautsRemix-logo.png|center|150px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Scribblenauts_Remix]] ||<center> [[File:wbgames2010.png|62px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Warner_Bros._Interactive_Entertainment]] / [[File:irongalaxy.png|100px|link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Galaxy]]</center> || <center>[[File:Apple_iOS_Logo.png|100px]]/[[File:Android_Logo.png|50px]]</center> || Oct. 7, 2011
|-
|[[File:runroorunlogo.png|150px|center|https://web.archive.org/web/20130511035846/http://www.5thcell.com/projects/recent-projects/run-roo-run/]] || <center>Self-Published</center> || [[File:Apple_iOS_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Jan. 12, 2012
|-
|[[File:hybridlogo.png|150px|center|link=https://web.archive.org/web/20110207210025/http://www.whatishybrid.com/]] || [[File:microsoftstudios.png|center|125px|link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_Game_Studios]] || <center>[[File:xboxlivearcadelogo.png|125px]]*</center> || Aug. 8, 2012
|-
|[[File:Scribblenauts_Unlimited_Logo.png|center|150px|link=http://scribblenauts.wikia.com/wiki/Scribblenauts_Unlimited]] ||<center>[[File:wbgames2010.png|62px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Warner_Bros._Interactive_Entertainment]] / [[File:Nintendo.png|100px|link=Wikipedia:Nintendo]] 🇪🇺**</center>|| <center>[[File:3DS.png|75px]] / [[File:WiiU.png|75px]] [[File:Steam_Logo.png|75px]] / [[File:Apple_iOS_Logo.png|75px]] [[File:Android_Logo.png|50px]]</center> || Nov 13th, 2012
|-
|[[File:snc.png|center|125px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Scribblenauts_Collection]] || [[File:wbgames2010.png|center|62px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Warner_Bros._Interactive_Entertainment]] || [[File:Nintendo_DS_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Mar. 5, 2013
|-
|[[File:Scribblenauts_Unmasked_Logo.png|150px|center|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Scribblenauts_Unmasked:_A_DC_Comics_Adventure]] ||<center>[[File:wbgames2010.png|62px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Warner_Bros._Interactive_Entertainment]] / [[File:dccomics.png|40px|link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DC_Comics]]</center> || <center>[[File:3DS.png|75px]] / [[File:WiiU.png|75px]] [[File:Steam_Logo.png|center|100px|center]]</center> || Sept. 24, 2013
|-
|[[File:scribblenautsworldslogo.png|150px|center|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Scribblenauts_Worlds]] || [[File:wbgames2010.png|center|62px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Warner_Bros._Interactive_Entertainment]] || <center>[[File:ps4logo.png|100px]] / [[File:xboxonelogo.png|100px]]</center> || Cancelled
|-
|[[File:anchorsinthedriftlogo.png|150px|center]] || <center>Self-Published</center> || <center>[[File:Apple_iOS_Logo.png|100px]] / [[File:Android_Logo.png|50px]]</center> || Cancelled
|-
|[[File:scribblenautsfightingwordslogo.png|150px|center|link=ttps://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Scribblenauts_Fighting_Words]] || [[File:wbgames2010.png|center|62px|link=https://scribblepedia.ink/wiki/Warner_Bros._Interactive_Entertainment]] || [[File:Apple_iOS_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Cancelled
|-
|<center>[[File:castleholdlogo.png|150px|link=https://store.steampowered.com/app/1425410/Castlehold/]]****</center> || <center>Self-Published</center> || [[File:Steam_Logo.png|center|100px]] || Mar. 3, 2021
|-
|<center>[[File:BrokeWizardsLolo.png|150px|link=https://store.steampowered.com/app/4398500/Broke_Wizards/]]</center> || <center>Self-Published</center> || <center>[[File:Steam_Logo.png|100px|link=https://store.steampowered.com/app/4398500/Broke_Wizards/]] / [[File:epicgamesstorelogo.png|100px|link=https://store.epicgames.com/p/broke-wizards-42bfa8]]</center> || Aug. 13, 2026
|}
</center>

*The game is no longer available to purchase following the closure of the Xbox 360 Marketplace in July 2024, however the online servers for many Xbox 360 titles are still active. The status of Hybrid's servers is yet to be clarified, however. 
**3DS/Wii U versions only. 
***Castlehold is still available on Steam, but remains in Early Access. It also appears to have connection issues upon startup after completing the demo, rendering the game unplayable.
{{ReadMore|:wikipedia:5th Cell#Original Titles}}
</div></div>

== {{IconSVG|Trivia}} Trivia ==
* According to Jeremiah Slaczka in an interview with Nintendo Power, 5th Cell derived their name from a corporation featured in a script he wrote.
** Seal Team 6 would also name the antagonistic group after them - Red Cell.
* Before Drawn to Life, 5th Cell considered developing titles for the PlayStation Portable, only to reject the idea after realizing how expensive it was to develop for.<ref>[https://www.eurogamer.net/scribblenauts-developer-ditched-psp-concept Scribblenauts creator ditched PSP concept, Eurogamer]</ref>
* Due to 5th Cell creating their own creator page on [[Steam]], their original page within the Scribblenauts releases redirects to [https://store.steampowered.com/developer/WBGames Warner Bros. Games' page].
* The '''Advancing Entertainment''' slogan was introduced with D.N.A, and would end up being used on the company's website until 2013.
* 5th Cell doesn't consider any games based on their IP that were developed by other studios to be canon, meaning [[Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition]], [[Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter (Wii)]], [[Drawn to Life: Two Realms]], Scribblenauts Showdown, Scribblenauts Mega Pack, and the Locks Quest remake are all noncanonical to each respective series.<ref>https://ibb.co/Qv5K96JQ</ref>

=={{Icon|Painting}} Media ==
<center>
<tabber>
|-|Website=
<gallery widths="310" captionsize="medium" captiontextcolor="#8e8e8e" bordersize="none" bordercolor="transparent" captionalign="center" spacing="small" position="center">
5thCellCurrentFront.png|5th Cell's front page prior to ''Broke Wizards''.
5thCell2006Front.png|5th Cell's front page from 2006.
5thCell2017Front.png|5th Cell's front page from 2017.
5thCellDTL2006.png|5th Cell's Drawn to Life page from 2006.
5thCellDTL2007.png|5th Cell's Drawn to Life page from 2007.
5thCellDTL2013.png|5th Cell's Drawn to Life page from 2013.
5thCellDTL2015.png|5th Cell's Drawn to Life page from 2015.
5thCellTNC2009.png|5th Cell's Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter page from 2009.
5thCellTNC2013.png|5th Cell's Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter page from 2013.
5thCellTNC2015.png|5th Cell's Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter page from 2015.
</gallery>
|-|Screenshots=
<gallery widths="310" captionsize="medium" captiontextcolor="#8e8e8e" bordersize="none" bordercolor="transparent" captionalign="center" spacing="small" position="center">
DTL1Screen1.png|5th Cell Drawn to Life Website Screenshot
DTL1Screen2.png|5th Cell Drawn to Life Website Screenshot
DTL1Screen3.png|5th Cell Drawn to Life Website Screenshot
DTL1Screen4.png|5th Cell Drawn to Life Website Screenshot
TNCScreen1.png|5th Cell Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter Website Screenshot
TNCScreen2.png|5th Cell Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter Website Screenshot
TNCScreen3.png|5th Cell Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter Website Screenshot
TNCScreen4.png|5th Cell Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter Website Screenshot
</gallery>
|-|Other=
<gallery widths="310" captionsize="medium" captiontextcolor="#8e8e8e" bordersize="none" bordercolor="transparent" captionalign="center" spacing="small" position="center">
TheArtof5thCellCover.png|The box art for The Art of 5th Cell.
JoweeLaunchCake.jpg|A cake featuring Jowee celebrating the launch of Drawn to Life.
File:JoweeMaxwellCake.jpeg|Cakes for both Jowee and Maxwell celebrating the launch of Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter and Scribblenauts.
</gallery>
</tabber>
</center>

=={{Icon|Note}} References==
<references/>

{{Navbox/Studios|Drawn to Life|5th Cell|boxcolor=#adadad}}
{{Navbox/Studios|Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter (DS)|5th Cell|boxcolor=#adadad}}

[[Category:Drawn to Life]]
[[Category:Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter]]
[[Category:Developers]]

Drawn to Life: Two Realms

2026-08-09T19:32:07Z

67.168.251.64: I added and changed some info with a new discovery I made today

{{Spoiler|Drawn to Life: Two Realms|boxcolor=#3c8915}}
{{Infobox/Game
|image=<tabber>
|-|Logo=[[File:DrawntoLifeTwoRealms.png|250px]]
|-|Box Art▾={{#tag:tabber|
{{!}}-{{!}}Base=[[File:DtLTRcover.jpg|250px]]
{{!}}-{{!}}US=[[File:Drawn to Life TR Cover (US).jpeg|200px]]
{{!}}-{{!}}EUR=[[File:Drawn to Life TR Cover (EUR).png|200px]]
{{!}}-{{!}}AUS=[[File:Drawn to Life TR Cover (AUS).png|200px]]
}}
|-|Back Cover▾=
'''Note: These are exclusive to PAL-region physical cases'''
{{#tag:tabber|
{{!}}-{{!}}English=[[File:TRBackENG.png|200px]]
{{!}}-{{!}}French/Dutch=[[File:TRBackFR.png|200px]]
}}
</tabber>
|developer=[[File:DCLogo.png|100px|link=Digital Continue]]
|publisher=[[File:505_Games_logo.svg.png|90px|link=505 Games]] (🇺🇸/🇪🇺/🇦🇺/🇯🇵/🇭🇰/🇹🇼) [[File:H2LOGO.png|65px|link=H2 Interactive]] (🇰🇷)<ref>[[File:NINTENDOKOREA2.jpg|100px]]</ref>
|date=[[File:GooglePlay.png|100px|link=Google Play]] '''WW:''' Nov. 17, 2020<ref>[[File:TRGP.jpg|100px]]</ref> [[File:Nintendo Switch Logo.png|25px|link=Nintendo Switch]]/[[File:Steam Logo.png|50px|link=Steam]]/[[File:AppStore.png|75px|link=App Store]] 🇺🇸🇪🇺 '''NA/EU:''' Dec. 07, 2020 🇦🇺🇯🇵🇭🇰 '''AUS/JPN/HK:''' Dec. 08, 2020 🇰🇷 '''KOR:''' Dec. 10, 2020 🇹🇼 '''TWN''' Dec. 17th, 2020<ref>[[File:TRTAIWANRATING2025.PNG|100px]]</ref>
|platform=<center>[[File:Nintendo Switch Logo.png|50px|link=Nintendo Switch]] / [[File:Steam Logo.png|100px|link=Steam]] ([[File:Microsoft Windows Logo.png|50px|link=Wikipedia:Microsoft Windows]] / [[File:Linux Proton Logo.png|50px|link=Wikipedia:Proton (software)]]) [[File:AppStore.png|125px|link=App Store]] / [[File:GooglePlay.png|125px|link=Google Play]]</center>
|genre=Adventure/Platform
|rating=<tabber>
|-|ESRB=[[File:ESRBE.png|50px|center]]
|-|PEGI=[[File:PEGI3.png|50px|center]]
|-|USK=[[File:USK0.png|50px|center]]
|-|IARC=[[File:IARC3.png|50px|center]]
|-|GRAC=[[File:GRACALL.png|50px|center]]
|-|ACB=[[File:ACBG.png|50px|center]]
|-|GRRS=[[File:GSRRPlogo.png|50px|center]]
</tabber>
|prevgame={{Icon|TNC}}
|boxcolor=#3c8915
}}
{{Quote|text=Now that Mike is awake, a new human world is revealed. Travel between the Raposa and Human towns to uncover the mystery of the Shadow. Use the Book of Imagination to enter the mind and challenge townspeople, enemies, and Raposa in over 100 platforming challenges. Jump, spin, and ground pound your way through unique puzzles and save Mike and his friends. |character=505 Games Description}}
{{BR|ClearLeft}}

'''Drawn to Life: Two Realms''' is the sequel to ''[[Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter]]'', developed by [[Digital Continue]] and published by [[505 Games]], with the South Korean release distributed by [[H2 Interactive]]. Many of the original creators of the first two DS games make a return in ''Drawn to Life: Two Realms'', including artists Chern Fai and Edison Yan, executive producer Joseph Tringali, and composer David J. Franco.

It was released as '''Drawn to Life: Two Kingdoms''' ('''ドローントゥライフ〜 2つの王国〜''', ''Dorōn to Raifu: 〜Futatsu no Ōkoku〜'') in Japan and '''Draw, Touch: Two Kingdoms''' ('''그려라, 터치: 두 개의 왕국''', ''Geuleyola, Teochi: Du Gaeui Wang-gug'') in Korea.

It is the 6th game in the [[Drawn to Life Series]].

The game is available in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish (Spain), Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, and Simplified and Traditional Chinese.

__TOC__

=={{Icon|Button}} Gameplay ==
''Drawn to Life: Two Realms'' is a 2D puzzle-platformer game in which you draw your own [[Hero|hero]] to play as, similar to [[Drawn to Life Series|previous installations]]. Unlike previous games in the series, ''Drawn to Life: Two Realms'' takes on an isometric design within [[:Category:Villages|villages]] outside of levels, and allows the player to explore the never-before-seen Human world. New to the game is the addition of "toys" which can be placed directly into the level to help [[Hero|The Hero]] progress. This is analogous to the [[Action Drawing]] mechanic seen in [[Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter]] and [[Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter (Wii)]].

=== Village Mode ===
Unlike previous [[Drawn to Life Series|Drawn to Life games]], ''Drawn to Life: Two Realms'' adopts a pixel-inspired isometric view of the [[:Category:Villages|village areas]] outside of levels, this time including the [[Human]] realm's [[Belleview]]. There are stray [[Rapo-Coins]] scattered throughout Belleview and [[Rapoville]], as well as [[Speed Fruit]] that give the [[Hero]] a brief speed boost.

=== Imagination Battles ===
Like Adventure Modes in the previous entries in the series, Imagination Battles are the main form of gameplay. They are the side-scrolling levels and each take place inside the mind of a character, accessible by the [[Hero]] through the [[Book of Imagination]]. They typically have multiple sections for the Hero to traverse, and each battle has at least one section where the player must place enemies to complete the level. There are 27 Imagination Battles in the main story, 54 Imagination Battles as optional side quests, and 20 Imagination Battles available as downloadable content.
{{ReadMore|Drawn to Life: Two Realms/List of Levels}}

=== Draw Mode ===
A brand-new [[Creation Tool]] expands the creative possibility with millions of colors, unique stickers, templates, new hero animations. Unlock additional Stickers to further customize and save out your unique Hero looks via the new “Outfit System”.

In ''Drawn to Life: Two Realms'', [[Draw Mode (Two Realms)|Draw Mode]] enjoys a major overhaul. Like previous ''Drawn to Life'' installments, stamps, templates, and basic drawing tools are available (such as the fill bucket, eraser, and varying brush sizes). However, new tools exist such as transparency locking (Alpha Lock) and a digital color-picker.

A basic color palette exists which allows the player to choose basic colors for their creations. The colors available on this basic palette are nearly identical to those available on the standard palette of [[Drawn to Life|Drawn to Life's]] [[Draw Mode]], with the exclusion of one color.

=== Downloadable Content ===
==== Creative Pack ====
The first set of DLC for ''Drawn to Life: Two Realms'' was the Creative Pack, releasing on February 4th, 2021. This DLC added 20 [[Sticker]]s, 9 [[Stamp]]s, 19 [[Hero#Gallery|Templates]], 10 Challenge Levels, and more screen resolution support on Steam. [[Seedlee]] and [[Taz]] were also added to [[Rapoville]] at night. Many bugs were fixed in this update, including animation issues, scoring issues, issues with [[Dreamer]]s, [[Grabber]]s, and [[Megamini]]s, as well as other crashes and glitches.

==== Creative Pack #2 ====
The second and final set of DLC for ''Drawn to Life: Two Realms'' was the Creative Pack #2, releasing on April 21st, 2021. This DLC added 15 [[Sticker]]s, 15 [[Hero#Gallery|Templates]], 10 [[Stamp]]s, and 10 more Challenge Levels. This update also added [[Cumulus]] and [[Kuragekko]] to [[Rapoville]] at night. There were presumably some bug fixes, but no such patch notes exist.

=={{Icon|Book}} Story ==
<center>''(Note: For the sake of formatting and navigation, the Story section of this page is broken into Chapters. These are based on the "Boss Fights/Shadow Fights" in the game but are'' '''''not official''''' '' and should not be treated as such.)''</center>
===Chapter 1===
The game begins with [[Mari]] on the [[Secret Beach]]. She is praying to the [[Creator]] and reminiscing on the past [[Drawn to Life|two]] [[Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter|games]] when [[Wilfre]] appears behind her. He gives her the [[Book of Imagination]] and tells her how different the human realm is from the [[Raposa]] realm, which still exists despite supposedly disappearing from existence at the end of the second game. Mari thanks him for his help and goes to [[Creation Hall]].

Inside Creation Hall, Mari prays to the Creator again and asks for a new [[Hero]]. After sending her a Hero, she asks how the Hero will fit in in the human realm. The Creator tells Mari the humans will see the Hero as one of them, and after a brief tutorial to Imagination Battles, Mari says goodbye to the Hero.

The Hero enters the human realm in a town called [[Belleview]] and sees a fight between [[Mike]] and [[Tony]] and [[Teo]], where Tony is trying to steal Mike’s scooter. After the Hero has an Imagination Battle in Tony’s head, Tony forgets why he’s harassing Mike, angering Teo. After Tony runs off, Mike introduces himself to the Hero before remembering that he needs to go to the store, where [[Heather]] is waiting for him.

At the store, Heather is upset about Mike being late, yelling at him about how he doesn’t care. After another Imagination Battle, the Hero calms Heather down and introduces themself. Suddenly, [[Mr. Esow]] approaches and wrongly accuses Mike of stealing from his shop. The Hero does battle in Mr. Esow’s head, and afterwards, Mr. Esow apologizes, telling Mike he'll give him a discount on all future ExcitoSticker purchases. Mike and Heather say goodbye and run back home.

That night, [[Aldark]] appears to the Hero tells them to leave. Aldark summons a horde of [[Minimus]] to attack the Hero, so the Hero has an Imagination Battle with one. After winning, the Hero steps back and runs into the portal, returning to [[Rapoville]].

===Chapter 2===
They report back to Mari, but [[Jowee]] overhears their conversation. Upset he's been excluded from the plan, Jowee challenges the Hero to an Imagination Battle. After losing, Jowee calms down and mentions he's been grumpy since [[Chef Cookie]] stopped selling his [[Banya]] Scones. He asks the Hero to convince him to start selling them again, much to Mari’s dismay.

The Hero chats with Chef Cookie and finds out he’s been eating all the Banya Scones. After an Imagination Battle, Chef Cookie apologizes and gives the Hero a Banya Scone to give to Jowee. The Hero returns to Jowee and Mari and watches as the two split the scone. Mari then tells the Hero to try to bring Mike back to Rapoville. Jowee suggests drawing him an awesome looking [[Watch]] that would allow him to travel between realms. After drawing the watch, the Hero returns to Belleview. The Hero stumbles on Mike outside at night; confronted by [[Shadow]] monsters. After fighting a [[Maximus]] in an Imagination Battle, more Shadows approach. The Hero convinces Mike to come back with him to Rapoville.

===Chapter 3===
Mike and the Raposa reunite after 4 years, but he only vaguely remembers everyone. Mari brings Mike, the Hero, and Jowee inside [[Village Hall]], and explains some of what she knows about the Shadow and how it can only manifest at night. She's cagey on how she learned the information, but she asks Mike to hang around until it's night, which would mean it's daytime in the human world. When the sun goes down, Mike and the Hero return back to Belleview. Wilfre watches as they leave the village and remarks about how impressed he is, stating “Maybe they have a chance after all…”

Back in Belleview, Mike says he's exhausted and that he’s going to take a nap. As the sun begins to set, the Hero wakes Mike up. [[Aly]] calls on the phone and asks to meet Mike in the Park, so Mike leaves, excited. The Hero follows him and overhears Aly confiding in Mike that her parents have been fighting and her dad left. Mike makes an offhand joke that the Hero is stalking him, and asks the Hero to go help find Aly’s dad. Aly is skeptical of the new "kid" being able to do anything but gives the Hero her father’s description regardless.

The Hero finds Aly’s dad, [[Bruce Lannialli]], loitering outside the [[Police Station]]. He yells at the Hero, telling them to stay out of their family’s business, and the Hero has an Imagination Battle in his head. Aly and Mike catch up to the Hero, and she confronts her dad about leaving. He admits that he was in the wrong and goes back to his house. Aly thanks the Hero and Mike, and she asks if maybe Mike wants to meet her at the Ice Cream shop later tonight. Mike agrees, but Aly then invites the Hero as well.

That night, the Hero walks to the [[Ice Cream Shop]] to meet Mike and Aly, where Mike orders a scoop of Mayonnaise Ice Cream. Mike offers to walk Aly back home, but on the way back, he sees a Shadow. He warns Aly about it, but because she can’t see the Shadow monster, she thinks Mike is spazzing out and runs off. Mike is confused but finally accepts that this isn't a dream and that the Raposa are real. They decide to return to Rapoville to chat with Mari about the Shadow.

Back in Rapoville, Mari tells Mike that because part of him spent time in Rapoville 4 years ago, he's able to see the Shadow. She reveals that after they restored [[Color]] to their world, the Shadow was banished into Belleview. Mike wants to go back and fight it, but Mari tells him that the Hero needs more time to build up their imagination. She then tells the Hero to challenge [[Crazy Barks]] when they’re ready. Mike tells the Hero they're wasting time and should get back to Belleview to check on Aly. Mike uses the Watch, and the Hero runs after. Unbeknownst to them, Aldark appears in Aly’s room and allows a Minimus to corrupt her. The Hero and Mike return to Belleview at night and encounter Aldark. The Hero steps in to battle him but Aldark summons [[Desperate]] instead. The Hero fights it in an Imagination Battle and day arrives.

===Chapter 4===
Mike tells the Hero he needs to check on Aly, so he runs off towards her house. The Hero goes to [[Aly's House]] and finds her angry with Mike. She calls him a weirdo and tells him to get out. Mike runs off, blaming the Hero for her now hating him, so the Hero goes back to see Mari.

When they return to Rapoville, Mari isn’t there, so they talk to Jowee instead. He tells the Hero that the best idea is to tell Mike to stop acting like a baby and to ask Aly on an adventure. Mari walks over and the two of them argue. She tells the Hero that it's probably best to give Mike some space and asks if the Hero can help her solve some problems around the Village in the meantime.

[[Pirate Beard]], [[Unagi]], and [[Indee]] are about to leave on an adventure but they’re too to set off. After the Hero has an Imagination Battle with each of them, the three Raposa resolve to go on an adventure themselves. Then, [[NavyJ]] tells the Hero that he has stage fright before his next big show, so the Hero has to help him overcome his fear. After an Imagination Battle, NavyJ is thankful but tells the Hero he can't perform until he has security. The Hero finds [[Cricket]] and learns that he is searching for a [[Baki Thief]] who keeps stealing [[Farmer Brown]]'s Banya Crop. The Hero waits until that night and catches the Baki thief, revealed to be an [[Acorn Baki]], and fights it in an Imagination Battle. The Baki Thief runs off and Cricket lets it go.

The Hero finally returns to Mari, and she thanks them for the help. She then tells the Hero to go see if Heather would have any ideas. Mari also asks the Hero to send her the Raposa’s regards, saying that they miss her. In Belleview, the Hero asks Heather if she's seen Mike. She hasn’t but she tells the Hero that Mike and Tony were acting weird; and heading toward the [[School]]. Heather says they left a while ago and since it's getting dark, she's afraid they're up to something.

At the school, the Hero sees Mike, but Tony is nowhere to be found. Mike is arguing with Aldark. Hero overhears Aldark make Mike an offer – he would release Aly from the Shadow if Mike did something for him. Before Mike can respond, Tony comes running up asking Mike who he's talking to. He also says that he heard the security guard outside; and they need to go before they get in trouble. Mike and Tony leave, running past the Hero. Aldark then walks up to the Hero and asks what the Hero can possibly offer Mike, before sending [[Arrogance]] to fight the Hero.

===Chapter 5===
After an Imagination Battle with Arrogance, the Hero finds Mike back at his house. Heather is telling him how worried she was, but he tells her to leave him alone and gets mad at the Hero. Heather says that the Hero must think the entire town in crazy and begins to explain what happened after they left the hospital 4 years ago.

After the crash, the entire town was thankful that Mike woke up from his coma. They also held a memorial service for Mike’s parents, but eventually, everyone began to blame everyone else for the accident. People complained about inviting the carnival to visit and not repaving the road the accident occurred on. No one seemed to care about how Mike was feeling, as they were so caught up in washing away their own guilt. Heather then tells the Hero that Aly was the only person who took the time to get to know Mike and care about him. Heather then asks the Hero to talk to Aly to see what had happened between her and Mike.

The Hero meets up with Aly, and she reveals more on what happened. Aly reveals that [[Deputy Snyder]] was driving the other car in the accident, and she gets angry at Heather for trying to find the good in everyone. The Hero has an Imagination Battle in her head and ends up freeing her from control of the Shadow. Just then, Bruce comes in asking about Aly’s mom, asking where she is so he can apologize. She asks the Hero to go talk to her mom, a doctor at the local hospital, and help bring them back together. In the meantime, she's going to try and find Mike and apologize.

At the hospital, Aly’s mom, [[Dr. Curie]], gets mad at her daughter for “blabbering on” about their family’s issues, and gets mad at the Hero in turn. After an Imagination Battle, Dr. Curie and Bruce reconcile, so the Hero sets off in search of Mike and Aly.

The Hero goes to [[Mike's House]] and walks in on an argument between Aly, Heather, and Tony. Tony claims that Mike went through a portal, but Heather and Aly don’t believe him. Heather and Aly think he's exaggerating, but Tony insists he’s not lying. Tony leaves the house and goes to the Arcade, and Aly asks the Hero to find Mike. Back in Rapoville, the Hero meets with Mari. Mari said they didn’t know he came back, and tells the Hero to check the new [[Watersong]], [[Lavasteam]], and [[Galactic Jungle]] Districts with Jowee.

In the Lavasteam district, Jowee reminisces on their adventures in Lavasteam, and then explains that the villages they traveled to in their last adventure decided to set up homes in Rapoville for people to live when they travel. Eventually, [[King Miney]] shows up, but is too distracted trying to recruit more Raposa to come work in Lavasteam and won't talk to the Hero. The Hero has an Imagination Battle in his head, clearing his mind. After this, King Miney recognizes the Hero, and Jowee asks him if he’s seen Mike. Miney says that he has and points them in the direction of the Galactic Jungle district.

In the Galactic Jungle district, [[Click]] complains to Jowee about the next [[Mayor (Position)|Mayoral]] election happening in Galactic Jungle. Click is scared of the citizens of Galactic Jungle voting him out, so he is visiting Rapoville to try and convince Mari to endorse him. Jowee tries to talk him out of bribing Mari for her endorsement, but fails, so the Hero has an Imagination Battle in his head. Click realizes that his fears are unfounded; and even if he loses the election; everything will be ok. Jowee asks him about Mike, but Click says that he hasn't seen anyone strange, although Click says [[Miles]] might know something.

Outside the Watersong district, Jowee asks Miles what's wrong, but Miles refuses to say anything to the two. Eventually, he confesses that he's run away from Watersong because he misses his mother, [[Rose]]. He's thinking of staying in Rapoville; but is struggling with his responsibility as future Mayor of Watersong. After an Imagination Battle, Jowee suggests that the Hero draw a [[Pet]] to keep Miles company. Miles names the pet YoYaYa and starts to feel encouraged. He asks Jowee why they needed to talk to him, and Jowee asks about Mike. Miles tells the group that Mike rented the [[Watersong House|house]] in the Watersong district, so the two get Mari and go to the house.

In the house, Jowee, Mari, and the Hero corner Mike, and ask him why he came to the village. Mike tells them that it’s his fault Belleview is in shambles, and that he wished he didn’t survive the car accident. Jowee gets mad at him, but Mari tells him to calm down. Mari then talks to Mike about how she felt when [[Mayor|her dad]] was killed by Wilfre, how she blamed herself but had her friends to support. She then reveals to the group that Wilfre is alive, and that he was the one who told Mari about the Shadow being banished into the Human realm. She admits that refused to act for years in fear that the Shadow would re-enter the Raposa realm. Mike gets mad and runs out of the house as Mari beings to fall into a spiral of self-doubt, escaping to the Secret Beach. Jowee says that he and the Hero should go help Mari before finding Mike, so the two go the the Secret Beach.

Jowee and the Hero arrive at the beach and remind Mari of everything that she's done for the Raposa. She tells Jowee this time she's giving up for real and running away. The Hero does a second Imagination Battle with Mari and helps her overcome her guilt. Mari, with a renewed focus, tells the Hero to return to Belleview and eliminate the last remaining Shadow in Belleview, and then face Aldark.

The Hero returns to Belleview and is met by Aldark. Aldark laughs, telling the Hero how he observed Mike on his way back, and then begins to tell the Hero about the link between the realms. The only reason the Hero was able to travel between realms was because deep down, Mike still had memories of them. Aldark begins to berate the Hero before sending [[Furious]] to attack them. The Hero has an Imagination Battle with Furious and defeats the Shadow monster.

===Chapter 6===
The Hero then spots Aly, Tony, and Heather walking by. As they explain the situation to the Hero, they realize that Mike is going to confront Deputy Snyder and “settle this whole thing once and for all.” The three of them hurry to the Police Station where they find Mike yelling at Deputy Snyder and blaming him for the death of this parents. He tells him that he doesn’t want to hear any excuses, and Deputy Snyder, still grief stricken over the incident, tells Mike that he can't stop thinking about that night. The Hero has an Imagination Battle with Snyder and helps free him from his guilt. However, before Snyder can say anything, Mike, now furious, confesses that he wishes Snyder, and the rest of his friends, didn't exist. The Hero then enters faces Mikes runaway imagination in a battle, and comes out victorious.

Mike, with Aly, Tony, Heather, and a bunch of townspeople looking on, forgives Deputy Snyder. He tells the Hero that the time has come to face and defeat Aldark once and for all, and he leads him the shadow monster. Aldark, now furious at the Hero, mocks the Hero and claims that in the end, the human realm will be bathed in Shadow. Aldark then summons an army of Shadow beings (who can now be seen by the townspeople) and challenges the Hero to one final Imagination Battle.

After being defeated, Aldark questions his power, but continues to mock and threaten the Hero as he fades into the shadows with his army. Mike celebrates and promises that he’ll do his best to keep the Shadow away. The two of them say goodbye as the Hero returns to the Raposa realm.

As Jowee and Mari celebrate the Hero’s victory with them, Wilfre appears and congratulates the Hero, but remarks that the battle against the Shadow is far from over. Wilfre states that the next time the Shadow appears, it could be impacting everyone, and not just one town. He then leaves, stating that he has important work to attend to, promising to report to Mari if he finds anything interesting. Mari then asks the Hero to stick around a bit longer, aware they they’ll have to leave soon.

As the credits roll, we see snapshots of life after the Hero’s intervention. Tony and Teo are on speaking terms again. Jowee and Mari go eat at Cookie’s Restaurant. Aly’s family is reunited and happy. Pirate Beard, Indee, and Unagi set out on their adventure. NavyJ holds his concert. The Baki Theif is revealed to be a mother who was gathering food for her children. Jowee joins Miney’s mining team along with [[Moe]], [[Key]], and [[Crazy Diggz]]. Mari gives Click her endorsement. Mike is shown to be a good friend to Deputy Snyder now.

Sometime after these events, Jowee meets up with Mari on the Secret Beach. Mari mentions that she feels the best whenever the Hero is around, as they make her feel like everything is going to be alright. Suddenly, Jowee turns to Mari and proposes to her. He says that he asked the Creator to design her a beautiful ring, and she accepts his proposal. In Belleview, Mike is talking to Aly about a test they had in school, when Aly asks why he decided to forgive Deputy Snyder. Mike thinks for a second and begins to tell her the story of a Hero.

=={{Icon|Building}} Reception ==
===Critical Reviews===
{|class="InfoboxGeneric" style="border:solid 3px {{{boxcolor|#3c8915}}}; border-radius: 5px; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7); float:right; margin-left:10px; width: 35%; max-width: 40em; box-shadow: #0000003b 0 0px 7px;"
|-
|colspan="4" class="InfoboxGeneric-Header" style="text-align:center; color: white; background: {{{boxcolor|#3c8915}}}; border-radius: 5px; font-family: ARCO; border-bottom: 4px solid rgb(0 0 0 / 43%); text-shadow: 1px 0 0 #00000085,0 -1px 0 #00000085,0 1px 0 #00000085,-1px 0 0 #00000085;"|<big>'''{{{name|Critical Scores}}}'''</big>
|-
! colspan="4" class="InfoboxGeneric-Header" style="background-color:{{{boxcolor|#3c8915}}}; color:#ffffff; border-radius: 5px; border-bottom: 3.5px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.43);" |<center>'''Aggregated Scores'''</center>
|-
|width="44%"|'''[[File:AppStore.png|100px|link=App Store]]'''
| [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/drawn-to-life-two-realms/id1524333928 2.5/5 ⭐]
|-
|width="44%"|'''[[File:GooglePlay.png|100px|link=Google Play]]'''
| [https://web.archive.org/web/20260209081438/https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.digitalcontinue.drawntolife 2.7/5 ⭐]
|-
|width="44%"|'''[[File:Metacritic.png|100px|link=wikipedia:Metacritic]]'''
| [https://www.metacritic.com/game/drawn-to-life-two-realms/critic-reviews/?platform=pc 60/100 (PC)] || [https://www.metacritic.com/game/drawn-to-life-two-realms/critic-reviews/?platform=nintendo-switch 50/100 (NS)]
|-
|width="44%"|'''[[File:OpenCritic.png|100px|link=wikipedia:Open Critic]]'''
| [https://opencritic.com/game/10646/drawn-to-life-two-realms 53/100 (Average)] || [https://opencritic.com/game/10646/drawn-to-life-two-realms 18% (Reccomended)]
|-
|width="44%"|'''[[File:Steam_Logo.png|100px|link=Steam]]'''
| [https://store.steampowered.com/app/1378070/Drawn_to_Life_Two_Realms/ Mixed (40% Positive Reviews)]
|-
! colspan="4" class="InfoboxGeneric-Header" style="background-color:{{{boxcolor|#3c8915}}}; color:#ffffff; border-radius: 5px; border-bottom: 3.5px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.43);" |<center>'''Review Scores'''</center>
|-
|width="44%"|'''[[File:DigitallyDownloaded.png|100px|link=https://www.digitallydownloaded.net/]]'''
| [https://www.digitallydownloaded.net/2020/12/review-drawn-to-life-two-realms.html 2.5/5 ⭐]
|-
! colspan="2" class="InfoboxGeneric-Line" style="background-color:#DBDBDB;" |
! colspan="2" class="InfoboxGeneric-Line" style="background-color:#DBDBDB;" |
|-
|width="44%"|'''[[File:DualShockers.png|100px|link=https://www.dualshockers.com/]]'''
| [https://www.dualshockers.com/drawn-to-life-two-realms-review/ 5.5/10]
|-
! colspan="2" class="InfoboxGeneric-Line" style="background-color:#DBDBDB;" |
! colspan="2" class="InfoboxGeneric-Line" style="background-color:#DBDBDB;" |
|-
|width="44%"|'''[[File:IGNItalia.png|100px|link=https://it.ign.com/]]'''
| [https://it.ign.com/drawn-to-life-two-realms-pc/176418/review/drawn-to-life-two-realms-la-recensione 6/10]
|-
! colspan="2" class="InfoboxGeneric-Line" style="background-color:#DBDBDB;" |
! colspan="2" class="InfoboxGeneric-Line" style="background-color:#DBDBDB;" |
|-
|width="44%"|'''[[File:Nintendojo.PNG|100px|link=https://www.nintendojo.com/]]'''
| [https://www.nintendojo.com/reviews/review-drawn-to-life-two-realms-switch C-]
|-
! colspan="2" class="InfoboxGeneric-Line" style="background-color:#DBDBDB;" |
! colspan="2" class="InfoboxGeneric-Line" style="background-color:#DBDBDB;" |
|-
|width="44%"|'''[[File:NintendoLife.png|100px|link=wikipedia:Nintendo Life]]'''
| [https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/switch-eshop/drawn_to_life_two_realms 4/10]
|-
! colspan="2" class="InfoboxGeneric-Line" style="background-color:#DBDBDB;" |
! colspan="2" class="InfoboxGeneric-Line" style="background-color:#DBDBDB;" |
|-
|width="44%"|'''[[File:NoisyPixel.png|50px|link=https://noisypixel.net/]]'''
| [https://noisypixel.net/drawn-to-life-two-realms-review-pc-switch-mobile/ 7/10]
|-
! colspan="2" class="InfoboxGeneric-Line" style="background-color:#DBDBDB;" |
! colspan="2" class="InfoboxGeneric-Line" style="background-color:#DBDBDB;" |
|-
|width="44%"|'''[[File:PureNintendo.jpg|50px|link=https://purenintendo.com/]]'''
| [https://purenintendo.com/review-drawn-to-life-two-realms-nintendo-switch/ 3/10]
|-
! colspan="2" class="InfoboxGeneric-Line" style="background-color:#DBDBDB;" |
! colspan="2" class="InfoboxGeneric-Line" style="background-color:#DBDBDB;" |
|-
|width="44%"|'''[[File:ScreenRant.png|100px|link=https://screenrant.com/]]'''
| [https://screenrant.com/drawn-life-two-realms-game-review/ 6/10]
|-
! colspan="2" class="InfoboxGeneric-Line" style="background-color:#DBDBDB;" |
! colspan="2" class="InfoboxGeneric-Line" style="background-color:#DBDBDB;" |
|}

Drawn to Life: Two Realms received mixed-to-negative reception on all platforms, with the Nintendo Switch version being the least favored. Criticism was near-unanimously aimed towards the odd lack of user-drawn stage assets, as well as an uproarious amount of bugs and glitches the game contained and Draw Mode on the latter version initially releasing without touch screen support. Further criticism was displayed towards the story and gameplay, with the former bring considered underdeveloped and bloated, and the latter unpolished and prone to difficulty spikes and drops. Praise was given towards the music and visual style, however very little was given to anything else.

According to Metacritic, the aggregated scores resulted in a 60/100 for the PC release, and a 50/100 for the Nintendo Switch version - making the latter the lowest-rated game in the entire [[Drawn to Life Series]]. On Steam, the game received a 44% positive score out of 208 user reviews, whilst OpenCritic's aggregated scores determined only 18% of the critics included recommend it. The iOS and Android versions didn't fare much better critically, with the App Store and Google Play reviews totaling at 2.5/5 and 2.7/5 respectively, albeit based on far less reviews. Fans were much less kind towards Two Realms than critics, with many considering it the worst game in the series.

===Sales===
Not much is known about Drawn to Life: Two Realms' sales figures, as 505 Games is yet to release them. However, with Digital Continue's dormancy and no new announcements made of the series since Creative Pack #2 in 2021, it's been believed that the game sold very poorly, marking this game as the current end of the [[Drawn to Life series]].

{{BR|Clear}}

=={{Icon|Forest}} Beta==
As with any form of entertainment, and especially with video games, many things were planned to be a part of this game, but were not implemented in the final release. A compilation of unused and removed features from this game can be found [[Unused & Removed Features/DTL3|here]].

== {{IconSVG|Trivia}} Trivia ==
*[[5th Cell]] does not consider ''Drawn to Life: Two Realms'' to be canon since they were not involved in the game's development.<ref>https://ibb.co/Qv5K96JQ</ref>
* This is the first Drawn to Life game to not have a physical release.
** A physical box of ''Drawn to Life: Two Realms'' was released in PAL regions with a download key in the box.
* This is the first mainline entry to see a Japanese and Korean release since the original [[Drawn to Life]], as neither of the previous [[Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter|mainline]] [[Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter (Wii)|games]] saw an official release in either region.
** With [[Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition]] never being localized for the region unlike South Korea, Two Realms is also the first entry in general to release in Japan since the original game.
** The Korean release of the game also was the only one to be distributed by a different publisher than the rest of the world.
*** Despite the localizations, the game's logo and gameplay within trailers remained in English throughout all regions.
* Interestingly, [https://505games.com/?post_type=games&p=971/ the main ''Drawn to Life: Two Realms'' page on 505 Games' website] and 505 Games Store page were both removed, and in December 2024 the title was removed from the list of games completely.
** According to the [http://web.archive.org/web/20230303003639/https://www.digitalcontinue.com/ Wayback Machine], Digital Continue's web domain also appeared to have Two Realms missing from their list of games as late as mid-2023, before the site's most recent update.
** There has been no official reason given for any of these absences.
* According to the [http://web.archive.org/web/20201027055130/http://drawntolifegame.com/ Wayback Machine], the game's official web domain was registered using [[Wikipedia:Plesk|Plesk]].
* The game was first leaked on October 22, 2020 on a [https://www.gamerating.org.tw Taiwanese rating site]. They posted the listing for the game, along with its boxart, on their site.<ref>[[File:TRTAIWANRATING2020.png|100px]]</ref>
** On November 2nd, 2020, the [https://www.youtube.com/user/505GamesFrance French 505 Games YouTube channel] accidentally uploaded a short, 40 second trailer for the game. The trailer was quickly set to unlisted and deleted a few hours later.
* The game was [https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/drawn-life-two-realms-0 classified] [https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/drawn-life-two-realms twice] by the Australian Classifications Board in 2020, dated September 1st AEST and December 8th AEST respectively. Both classifications gave the game a G rating.
* The Japanese releases of both [[Drawn to Life]] and Two Realms were done by different ratings boards.
** While the latter was rated by the [https://www.globalratings.com/ International Age Rating Correlation] (IARC) in Japan, the former was rated by the [https://www.cero.gr.jp/en/ Computer Entertainment Rating Organization] (CERO).
* Drew, the official name given to the [[Hero]] on the boxart of all previous games in the [[Drawn to Life Series]], is not present in any promotional material for ''Drawn to Life: Two Realms''.
** This is because the Hero is whoever the player creates, and not a pre-determined hero such as Drew. <ref>[[File:Screenshot_from_2020-11-05_14-33-15.png|100px]]</ref>
*** Drew's design was, however, planned to be reused for the scrapped [[Unused & Removed Features/DTL3#Inflatable_Hero|Inflatable Hero]] toy. It is unknown why it was cut.
* According to the [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.digitalcontinue.drawntolife Google Play description], the Android version of Two Realms released on November 17th, 2020 - three weeks before the official release date.
** The description also states that the game is compatible with Android 4.1, the first version of Android Jelly Bean, which released in 2012. The low API also meant more recent Android models are incompatible with the game.
** Said version was delisted sometime in early 2026.
*** No official reason has been given for any of this.
** Meanwhile, the [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/drawn-to-life-two-realms/id1524333928 App Store] version requires iOS 9 (released in 2015) or above to run, making this game compatible with models as early as the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 (both released in 2011). It is currently unknown if this version has the same compatibility issue with newer models as the Android release.
* A faint beam of light illuminates the Hero during nighttime in the village areas.
* This is the first game in the Drawn to Life series to feature achievements, with 20 achievements available on Steam.
** The "All the options in the world" achievement is notoriously bugged and almost impossible to get without save file modification.
* According to Nintendo's website, the Switch version of the game is backwards-compatible with the Switch 2.<ref>[[File:TRNS2.jpg|100px]]</ref>
*** Said conversion is a straightforward conversion, however, with no major differences found.
*** Strangely, this version runs at 60fps within levels, but 30fps everywhere else in the game.

=={{Icon|Painting}} Media==
<center>
<tabber>
|-|Images=
<gallery widths="310" captionsize="medium" captiontextcolor="#8e8e8e" bordersize="none" bordercolor="transparent" captionalign="center" spacing="small" position="center">
TRSwitchIcon.png|The Home Menu icon for the Nintendo Switch version.
MobileStartup.png|The startup screen for Drawn to Life: Two Realms on mobile devices.
MobileStartupFiles.png|The startup screen unstretchered and without logos.
EdYanPromo.jpg|Promotional art for ''Drawn to Life: Two Realms'', cropped and used for the official soundtrack.
TRNSDownloadFront.jpg|Instructions on the front for a Nintendo Switch download code sleeve.
TRNSDownloadBack.jpg|The back of the sleeve with the code.
CakeLandTR.jpg
GalacticJungleTRPromo.jpg
GreenLandTR.jpg
LevelEditPromo1.jpg
LevelEditPromo2.jpg
HeroEditPromo1.jpg
HeroEditPromo2.jpg
HeroEditPromo3.jpg
RaposaVillagePromoTR.jpg
RealLifePromoTR.jpg
</gallery>

|-|Websites=
<gallery widths="310" captionsize="medium" captiontextcolor="#8e8e8e" bordersize="none" bordercolor="transparent" captionalign="center" spacing="small" position="center">
505Front2020.png|505 Games' front page during Two Realms' release window.
505TR.png|505 Games' (now-deleted) Two Realms content page.
505StoreTR.png|Two Realms' (now-deleted) 505 Games Store page.
H2TR.png|H2 Interactive's Two Realms content page.
TRWEBPRELAUNCH.png|Two Realms' website pre-launch
TRWEB1.png|The home portion of the website.
TRWEB2.png|The video portion of the website.
TRWEB3.png|The platform portion of the website.
TRNSESHOP.png|A portion of Two Realms' page on Nintendo's website.
TRSTEAM.png|A portion of Two Realms' page on Steam.
TRPointsShop.png|Two Realms' Points Shop on Steam.
TRGOOGLEPLAY.png|A portion of Two Realms' (now-deleted) page on Google Play.
TRAPPSTORE.png|A portion of Two Realms' page on the App Store.
</gallery>

|-|Gifs=
<gallery widths="310" captionsize="medium" captiontextcolor="#8e8e8e" bordersize="none" bordercolor="transparent" captionalign="center" spacing="small" position="center">
Some_coins_do_move.gif|Coins, a hero, and Humans in the Real World.
Eheheducky.gif|A duck.
</gallery>

|-|Achievements=
<gallery widths="310" captionsize="medium" captiontextcolor="#8e8e8e" bordersize="none" bordercolor="transparent" captionalign="center" spacing="small" position="center">
bakistack color.jpg|Baki Stack with ketchup and mayonaise, please!
marithink color.jpg|Forethought
starshard color.jpg|Just a piece
1star color.jpg|Who set the bar that low?
bol color.jpg|Raster Hero
theend color.jpg|The End
creation color.jpg|Art Décor
toybox color.jpg|Toybox
megamini color.jpg|Now you're learning!
bakicombo color.jpg|Creative Combo
rollyflip color.jpg|Pinball Hero
3starall color.jpg|Drawn to Greatness
4kscore color.jpg|It's not cheating if the game allows for it
alltoys color.jpg|All the options in the world
1kspent color.jpg|Big Spender
3star color.jpg|You earned the Big Prize
talkallrapo color.jpg|Raposa love to chat
200coinsvillage color.jpg|Where are the coins coming from, anyway?
speedfruit color.jpg|Go faster
talkallhuman color.jpg|If only they knew what you really looked like
</gallery>

|-|Videos=
{{#tag:tabber|
{{!}}-{{!}}English=
<youtube>nVYuoQHcFhY</youtube> Announcement Trailer 
<youtube>3SLTnDO3r-8</youtube>
 Launch Trailer 
<youtube>5mndphtfJco</youtube>
 Creative Pack #1 Trailer 
<youtube>5X3aENjA6go</youtube>
 Creative Pack #2 Trailer
{{!}}-{{!}}Italian=
<youtube>QB-8IPTurAE</youtube>
 Italian Reveal Trailer 
<youtube>FfbXLdT9LQk</youtube>
 Italian Launch Trailer 
<youtube>4GwOyICUSHo</youtube>
 Italian Creative Pack Trailer
{{!}}-{{!}}French=
<youtube>4tJ0l6Jwv7c</youtube>
 French Reveal Trailer 
<youtube>lxDxVnDuR6w</youtube>
 French Launch Trailer 
<youtube>PDNBAykrLEI</youtube>
 French Creative Pack Trailer
{{!}}-{{!}}Spanish=
<youtube>Ksi-BtXXk3U</youtube>
 Spanish Reveal Trailer 
<youtube>A7xc4TZpqrQ</youtube>
 Spanish Launch Trailer 
<youtube>RN4ggpoN7gQ</youtube>
 Spanish Creative Pack #1 Trailer 
<youtube>7vX_wZNfe_k</youtube>
 Spanish Creative Pack #2 Trailer
{{!}}-{{!}}German=
<youtube>8PITY0VismI</youtube>
 German Reveal Trailer 
<youtube>G4U1aRx-L24</youtube>
 German Launch Trailer 
<youtube>jC0nmK7Coeo</youtube>
 German Creative Pack #1 Trailer 
<youtube>eb7bYH7EF-g</youtube>
 German Creative Pack #2 Trailer
{{!}}-{{!}}Japanese=
<youtube>ljkrGZ2t8Ec</youtube>
 Japanese Reveal Trailer 
<youtube>kn-3pZrNtA0</youtube>
 Japanese Launch Trailer 
<youtube>KKmvo2vG2Wg</youtube>
 Japanese Creative Pack Trailer
{{!}}-{{!}}Korean=
<youtube>pVhZtXDA31o</youtube>
 Korean Reveal Trailer 
<youtube>JW3FrXb2xnw</youtube>
 Korean Launch Trailer 
<youtube>3JhaTDwIPBA</youtube>
 Korean Launch Trailer (Shortened) 
<youtube>XF9OgUyoM6o</youtube>
 Korean Creative Pack #1 Trailer 
<youtube>xO1U8l11y88</youtube>
 Korean Creative Pack 2 Trailer
}}
</tabber>
</center>

----
<references/>

[[Category:Games]]
[[Category:Drawn to Life: Two Realms]]
[[Category:Needs Two Realms Info]]