City Interactive was established in Warsaw, Poland, through the merger of three smaller companies. Initially known for publishing budget-priced games for PC and handheld consoles like the Nintendo DS, the company later transitioned to producing larger-budget titles. In 2013, the company officially rebranded itself as CI Games.
During the late 2000s, the publisher built a diverse portfolio of casual and niche titles across multiple platforms. For the Nintendo DS, the company released the culinary simulation
Sushi Academy in 2008, followed by the fashion-themed
I Love Beauty Hollywood Makeover and the adventure game
Chronicles of Mystery: Curse of the Ancient Temple in 2009. That same year, they published the DS version of the popular racing game
TrackMania Turbo.
The publisher also targeted home consoles, releasing the light-gun style shooter
Chicken Riot for the Nintendo Wii in 2010, following its initial 2009 debut. These releases represented a strategy of targeting broad, casual audiences with accessible gameplay mechanics. This era of publishing laid the operational groundwork for the company's subsequent expansion into international markets and its evolution into a developer of major global franchises.