Private company

5th Cell

Logo: 5th Cell, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons3

Video game company

5th Cell is an independently-owned American video game developer founded in 2003 as 5th Cell Media, LLC. Led by Jeremiah Slaczka and Marius Fahlbusch, the company is most well known for creating the Drawn to Life and Scribblenauts series. While the company remains a registered legal entity, it has been largely inactive since mass layoffs in 2016.2 Its products include Scribblenauts Unlimited and Super Scribblenauts.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

Aug 28, 2003Founded1
  • Industryvideo game industry1
  • HeadquartersBellevue1
  • Websitewww.5thcell.com
  • Legal formlimited liability company1

5th Cell is an independently-owned American video game developer founded in 2003 as 5th Cell Media, LLC. Led by Jeremiah Slaczka and Marius Fahlbusch, the company is most well known for creating the Drawn to Life and Scribblenauts series. While the company remains a registered legal entity, it has been largely inactive since mass layoffs in 2016.2

The story

Canceled

According to The Art of 5th Cell book, "As of 2014, 5th Cell has shipped 21 titles and there are 23 unreleased titles/concepts we worked on to various stages of completion"

Scribblenauts Fighting Words, a puzzle RPG mobile spin-off of the Scribblenauts series, cancelled in 2016.

Anchors in the Drift, an action RPG game cancelled in 2015. Came back as a game with the same name but that also got cancelled. It is believed that Anchors in the Drift may have been reworked into Castlehold.

Scribblenauts Worlds, a 3D beat-em-up game cancelled in 2014.

Unnamed Scribblenauts Wii game, a Scribblenauts game for the Nintendo Wii had been in development around 2011 for about a year before Nintendo gave 5th Cell the Wii U, and Scribblenauts Unlimited was developed instead.

Unnamed Nintendo Wii Racer, a racing game planned for the Nintendo Wii system. Would have featured a similar mechanic to Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed allowing for vehicles to transform between cars, boats and planes mid-race depending on the obstacles on the course.

Unnamed Mobile MMORPG, a MMORPG in development for mobile phones, canceled in 2005 due to lack of funding.

Unnamed Nintendo Wii Dungeon Crawler, a dungeon crawler in development for the Nintendo Wii. Canceled for unknown reasons.

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Unknown PSP game, an unknown PSP game was canceled sometime in the mid-2000s in favor of 5TH Cell switching to the Nintendo DS since it was cheaper to develop for.

From Wikipedia’s article on 5th Cell, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Leadership

Who has led 5th Cell, and when. Pick a name to see everywhere that person has worked.

Products and brands

  • Scribblenauts
  • Scribblenauts Unlimited
  • Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure
  • Super Scribblenauts

Listed on Wikidata.1

Licensed titles

2004

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (mobile) - published by Electronic Arts

2005

Darts Pro! (mobile) - published by THQ

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Ministry of Sound: Club Manager (mobile) - published by THQ

2006

Pat Sajak's Lucky Letters (mobile) - developed for UIEvolution (an ex-subsidiary of Square Enix)

Moto GP Manager (mobile) - published by THQ

Full Spectrum Warrior: Mobile (mobile) - published by THQ

Spin-off titles

These are titles directly based on 5TH Cell's original games that were not developed by 5TH Cell themselves.

2008

Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition (DS) - developed by Altron, published by THQ

2009

Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter (Wii) - developed by Planet Moon Studios, published by THQ

2011

Scribblenauts Remix (iOS), (Android) - co-developed by Iron Galaxy Studios and 5TH Cell, published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

2018

Scribblenauts Showdown (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch) - developed by Shiver, published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

2020

Drawn to Life: Two Realms (Nintendo Switch, Steam, iOS, Android) - developed by Digital Continue, published by 505 Games

From Wikipedia’s article on 5th Cell, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Timeline

  1. Aug 28, 2003Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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