Mean Hamster Software, Inc. was a video game developer founded by John Swiderski in 1985. Mean Hamster Software created several games for the Atari 5200 from 1999-2004. They then created Myst for Windows Mobile in 2005, and after the release of Riven: The Sequel to Myst for Pocket PC in 2006, Mean Hamster began work on its first casual games. The company was located in Deer Park, Washington (just outside Spokane, WA). In 2006, Mean Hamster Software acquired the rights to the Exidy catalog, which includes titles such as Crossbow, Venture and Mouse Trap. The company closed its doors and laid off all its remaining employees in September 2012.

Casual game development

In 2007, Mean Hamster began work on casual games and partnered with PlayFirst to produce a casual game entitled Pet Shop Hop which was released in March 2008. From there, Mean Hamster partnered with Big Fish Games, Namco and Mesmo, Inc. to develop more titles. Games developed by Mean Hamster Software include: Mean Hamster Software was named one of Washington State's "Top Video Game Developers" in the September 2008 Issue of Washington CEO magazine.