Big Huge Games

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Big Huge Games

logo
legal form Daughter of 38 Studios (2009-2012)
Independent (2014-2016)
subsidiary of Nexon (since 2016)
founding 2000
October 2014 (reopening)
resolution May 24, 2012
Reason for dissolution Parent company's financial problems
Seat United StatesUnited StatesTimonium, Maryland
management Brian Reynolds (2000-2009; 2014)
Number of employees 100 (May 2012)
Branch Software development
Website bighugegames.com

Brian Reynolds at E3 2003

Big Huge Games Inc. ( BHG ) is the name of two American development studios for computer games , both of which were founded by game designer Brian Reynolds . The first company by that name was founded based in Timonium , Maryland , and gained notoriety primarily for developing strategy games like Rise of Nations . In 2012 the studio was closed due to the bankruptcy of the parent company 38 Studios. In 2013, company founder Brian Reynolds bought the rights to the name Big Huge Games and renamed his Baltimore newly founded studio SecretNewCo to Big Huge Games. In March 2016, the studio was bought by the Korean game provider Nexon .

Company history

Started as a strategy game developer

The company was founded in 2000 by game developers Tim Train , David Inscore , Jason Coleman and Brian Reynolds , who have worked on many successful strategy titles for developers such as MicroProse and Firaxis Games , including Civilization II , Colonization and Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri .

The fame of the founders and the success of the games they had worked on made it easy for them to find a large publisher who would support the development financially: the software company Microsoft acquired all publishing and distribution rights with an exclusive contract the titles of BHG. Microsoft funded the development of the first title with several million dollars. In addition, Big Huge Games received the Age of Empires II program code from Microsoft for free use.

The first published title of the young company, the strategy game Rise of Nations , appeared in May 2003. It received excellent ratings and several awards (including seven " Game of the year " awards), and the sales figures were also impressive. The first add-on , Thrones and Patriots, followed in April 2004 . Together, the main program and expansion sold around one million times until October 2004, when the gold edition appeared with both programs.

The follow-up game Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends , which, unlike its predecessor, does not re-enact historical events, but is set in a fantasy steampunk world in which both steam-based technology and magic exist, was published in May 2006. But although the development budget and the development team were increased compared to Rise of Nations and the title received high critical praise, publisher Microsoft only sold around a third of what Rise of Nations could sell . Microsoft therefore decided to terminate the contract for the development of Rise of Nations 2 .

As a result, Big Huge Games developed Catan , the Xbox Live Arcade version of the board game The Settlers of Catan by Klaus Teuber . The development studio was also involved in the add-on The Asian Dynasties of the real-time strategy game Age of Empires III , which was released on October 30, 2007.

Takeover, realignment and closure

Work on a new action role-playing game began in February 2007. For the project, the former lead designer of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind , Ken Rolston , was hired. In the meantime, on January 15, 2008, Big Huge Games was taken over by publisher THQ , but after serious losses by the group it was offered for sale again in March 2009 as part of austerity measures.

On May 27, 2009 the development studio was bought by Curt Schillings 38 Studios from Providence , Rhode Island , and on June 30, 2009 it was announced that studio founder Reynolds had left the company and assumed a position as chief designer of Zynga East . At the time of the takeover, 38 studios had been working on an MMORPG in the Amalur fantasy world developed by the book author RA Salvatore for a long time . The background scenario from 38 Studios Fantasy World then became the basis for Big Huge Games single-player role-playing game, which was released on February 9, 2012 under the title Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning . In addition to Ken Rolston, Mark Nelson ( Shivering Isles (add-on to Oblivion), Morrowind , Fallout 3 ) and Ian Frazier ( Titan Quest ) were also involved. It was the company's first non-Microsoft game, published by Electronic Arts .

On May 24, 2012, it was announced that 38 Studios had laid off all employees, including the employees of Big Huge Games, due to massive financial problems. A large part of the workforce was taken over by Epic Games and formed the newly founded studio Epic Baltimore, other employees switched to Zynga East and ZeniMax Online Studios . 38 studios filed for bankruptcy on June 7, 2012.

38 Studios closed after bankruptcy and the company's brands and technologies were auctioned on December 11, 2013, including the rights to the games and the Big Huge Games name. The rights to Rise of Nations / Rise of Legends - including a fully developed but previously unreleased iOS game called Rise of Nations: Tactics - and the rights to the name of Big Huge Games found an unknown buyer for $ 320,000. For the rights to Kingdoms of Amalur , which in addition to the finished game and the brand also included the rights to the unfinished MMO with the project title Copernicus and the accompanying software / technology developed for it, there was no sufficiently high bid. The Big Huge Games Engine and the rights to the Catan board game implementation for Xbox Live also failed to find a buyer .

Purchase of the naming rights and a fresh start

In February 2013, Reynolds left Zynga and announced the establishment of a new development studio. The company named SecretNewCo received capital in July 2013, among other things through an investment by the Korean game manufacturer Nexon , which in return secured a minority stake in the company and the publication rights to the first game under development. In October 2014, the company changed its name to Big Huge Games. Reynolds had secured the corresponding naming rights in the auction of the various trademark rights of 38 studios. First game was the mobile Free2Play Strategy Battle Dominations , a game similar to Clash of Clans or Rise of Nations , with the publication in 2015 for Apple iOS and Android announced. In 2016, Nexon took over the studio completely.

Published titles

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Nexon takes over Big Huge Games on Golem.de, accessed on April 1, 2016
  2. ↑ http://www.bighugegames.com/press_rongoldships.shtml ( Memento from July 19, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
  3. ↑ http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/99489-PAX-East-2010-How-Big-Huge-Games-Barely-Survived
  4. ↑ David Martin: New RPG in collaboration with Big Huge Games . In: Videogameszone . February 9, 2007. Retrieved May 4, 2012.
  5. ↑ http://www.xboxdynasty.de/news/_thq_uebernnahm_big_huge_games_fuer_neues_rollenspielprojekt_6850.html
  6. ↑ http://www.gameswelt.de/news/94844-THQ_Entertainment_-_Trennt_sich_von_Big_Huge_Games.html
  7. ↑ Kris Graft: Interview: Brian Reynolds Leaves Big Huge, Now Zynga East Chief Designer ( English ) In: Gamasutra . UBM plc . June 30, 2009. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  8. ↑ Andre Linken: Big Huge Games - Purchased by 38 studios . In: GameStar . IDG . May 27, 2009. Retrieved May 4, 2012.
  9. ↑ Ben Gilbert: 38 Studios and Big Huge Games lay off entire staffs [update ] ( English ) In: Joystiq . AOL . May 24, 2012. Retrieved May 24, 2012.
  10. ^ Brian Crecente: 'Epic Baltimore' rises out of the ashes of Big Huge Games ( English ) In: The Verge . Vox Media . June 3, 2012. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  11. ↑ Mike Stanton: Schilling's 38 Studios declares bankruptcy; law enforcement investigating ( English ) In: Providence Journal . June 7, 2012. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  12. ↑ http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/26/5238072/rise-of-nations-tactics-38-studios-forgotten-game
  13. ↑ http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/207020/38_Studios_auction_raises_320000_fails_to_sell_Amalur_franchise.php
  14. ↑ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/38-studios-auction-finds-no-buyer-for-amalur-mmo-kingdoms-of-amalur-reckoning-sequel/1100-6416719/
  15. ^ Former chief game designer Brian Reynolds: On Zynga, games, and the future
  16. ↑ Zynga's Former Chief Game Designer Takes Strategic Investment From Nexon For SecretNewCo
  17. ↑ Brian Reynolds revives Big Huge Games and unveils first mobile strategy title: DomiNations