Big Huge Games
Big Huge Games Inc. ( BHG ) was an American game development studio based in Timonium, Maryland, who became known for the development of strategy games notoriety.
History
Beginnings as a strategy game developer
The company was founded in 2000 by the game developers Tim Train, David Inscore, Jason Coleman and Brian Reynolds, who participated already in developers such as MicroProse and Firaxis Games to many successful strategy titles including Civilization II, Colonization, and Sid Meier 's Alpha Centauri.
The reputation of the founder and the success of the games in which they had participated, made it easy for them to find a large publisher who supported the development financially: The software company Microsoft acquired with an exclusive contract all publishing and distribution rights to the titles of BHG. Microsoft funded the development of the first title with several million dollars. In addition, Big Huge Games was awarded the program code for Age of Empires II Microsoft for free use.
The first published title of the new company, the strategy game Rise of Nations, published in May 2003. It received excellent ratings and numerous awards ( including seven "Game of the Year" Awards), and the sales figures could convince. In April 2004, the first add -on, Thrones and Patriots followed. Together, the main program and expansion sold until October 2004, when the gold edition appeared with both programs, about a million times.
The sequel Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends, which unlike its predecessor, however, no historical events re-enacted, but is located in a fantasy steampunk world, exist in both vapor- based technology and magic, was published in May 2006. However, although the development budget and the development team has been increased in comparison to Rise of Nations and the title received high critical acclaim, sold Publisher Microsoft only about a third of what could be deducted from Rise of Nations. Microsoft therefore decided to terminate the contract for the development of Rise of Nations 2.
As a result, Big Huge Games Catan developed, the Xbox Live Arcade version of the board game The Settlers of Catan by Klaus Teuber. The development studio was also The Asian Dynasties of real-time strategy game Age of Empires III involved, which was released on 30 October 2007 at the add-on.
Acquisition, realignment and closure
In February 2007, work began on a new action role-playing game. Oblivion and The Elder Scrolls III: For the project, the former lead designer of The Elder Scrolls IV was Morrowind, Ken Rolston, committed. In the meantime, on 15 January 2008, Big Huge Games was acquired by THQ, however, offered by serious losses of the Group in March 2009 as part of austerity for sale again.
On 27 May 2009, the development studio of Curt Schilling's 38 Studios was acquired from Providence, Rhode Iceland, it was announced on 30 June 2009 that the studio founder Reynolds had left the company and taken a job as head designer at Zynga East. 38 Studios were working at the time of acquisition has long been on a MMORPG developed by author RA Salvatore fantasy world of Amalur worked. The background scenario of 38 studios fantasy world was then the basis for Big Huge Games single-player role-playing game on 9 February 2012 under the title Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning appeared. Were involved alongside Ken Rolston and Mark Nelson ( Shivering Isles ( add-on for Oblivion ), Morrowind, Fallout 3), and Ian Frazier ( Titan Quest ). It was the first game of the company, which was not distributed by Microsoft, was publisher Electronic Arts.
On 24 May 2012, announced that 38 Studios had massive financial problems due to all employees, including the employees of Big Huge Games released. A large part of the workforce was acquired by Epic Games and made the newly established studio Epic Baltimore, more employees were transferred to Zynga East and ZeniMax Online Studios. 38 Studios filed on June 7, 2012, a bankruptcy declaration.
38 Studios was closed after bankruptcy, and the brands and technologies of the Company on 11 December 2013 at auction, including the rights to the games and the names of Big Huge Games. The rights to Rise of Nations / Rise of Legends - including a fully developed, but so far unreleased iOS game called Rise of Nations: Tactics - as well as the naming rights to Big Huge Games were an unknown buyer for $ 320,000. For the rights to Kingdoms of Amalur, which also included the rights to the unfinished MMO with the project title of Copernicus and the accompanying software / techniques developed for this purpose along with the completed game and the brand, but found himself a sufficiently high priority. Also no buyers found the Big Huge Games Engine and the rights to the board game implementation Catan for Xbox Live.
Published title
- Rise of Nations (2003)
- Rise of Nations: Thrones and Patriots (2004, Add-on)
- Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends ( 2006)
- Catan (2007 ) (Xbox 360)
- Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties (2007)
- Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning ( 2012)