Pub trivia fans and those looking for an example of just how cut-throat the video game industry can be, take a look at this list. Try and memorise it if you must, but know it is very long, because it’s a list of every developer and studio that’s closed down since 2006.
But first, a few caveats! This list may not be 100% complete, as it’s been compiled by Sidhe Interactive’s Mario Wynands and NeoGAF user Kifimbo, not the great all-knowing Video Game God in the Sky. It also doesn’t mean all these people wound up unemployed, as it’s often (though sadly not always) the case that when one studio closes another either opens or those sacked find work elsewhere.
Still. It’s one long-ass list.
3D Realms – 2009
7 Studios (Activision) – 2011
Backbone Vancouver
BigBig (Sony) – 2012
Bizarre Creations (Activision) – 2010/2011
Black Rock (Disney) – 2011
Blue Fang Games – 2011
Blue Tongue (THQ) – 2011
BottleRocket – 2009
Brash Entertainment – 2008
Budcat (Activision) – 2010
Castaway Entertainment – 2008
Cheyenne Mountain – 2010
Cing – 2010
Clover Studios (Capcom) – 2006
Codemasters Guildford – 2011
Cohort Studios – 2011
Concrete Games – 2008
Deep Silver Vienna – 2010
DICE Canada – 2006
EA Chicago – 2007
EA Bright Light – 2011/2012
EA Japan – 2007
Eidos Manchester – 2009
Eidos Hungary – 2010
Ensemble Studios (Microsoft) – 2008
Factor 5 – 2009
FASA (Microsoft) – 2007
Fizz Factor – 2009
Flagship Studios – 2008
Flight Plan – 2010
Frozen North Productions
FuzzyEyes – 2009
Gamelab – 2009
Game Republic – 2011
GRIN – 2009
Helixe (THQ) – 2008
Hudson Entertainment – 2011
Humannature Studio (Nexon Vancouver) – 2009
Ignition London – 2010
Ignition Florida – 2010
Incognito Entertainment (Sony) – 2009
Indie Built (Take-Two) – 2006
Iron Lore – 2008
Juice Games (THQ) – 2011
Kaos Studios (THQ) – 2011
Killaware – 2011
Killspace Entertainment – 2011
KMM Brisbane – 2011
Krome Studios (might still be operating on skeleton crew) – 2010
Kuju Manila – 2009
Kuju Chemistry – 2009
Kush Games – 2008
Locomotive Games (THQ) – 2010
Luxoflux – 2010
Mass Media (THQ) – 2008
Monte Cristo – 2010
Monumental Games – 2012
Midway Austin – 2009
Midway Newcastle – 2009
MTV Games – 2011
Multiverse – 2012
NetDevil – 2011
Ninja Studio – 2009
Outerlight – 2010
PAM Development (Take-Two) – 2008
Pandemic Australia (EA) – 2009
Pandemic LA (EA) – 2009
Paradigm Entertainment – 2008
Pi Studios – 2011
Pivotal Games (Take-Two) – 2008
Propaganda Games (Disney) – 2011
Pseudo Interactive – 2008
Rainbow Studios (THQ) – 2011
Realtime Worlds – 2010
Rebellion Derby – 2010
Red Octane – 2010
Rockstar Vienna – 2006
Sandblast Games (THQ) – 2008
SEGA San Francisco – 2010
Shaba Games (Activision) – 2009
SOE Denver – 2011
SOE Seattle – 2011
SOE Tuscon – 2011
Stormfront Studios – 2008
Straylight Studios – 2009
Team Bondi – 2011
The Code Monkeys – 2011
Titan Studios – 2009
THQ Studio Australia – 2009
THQ Digital Warrington – 2009
Transmission Games – 2009
Universomo (THQ) – 2009
Venom Games (Take Two) – 2008
Vicarious Visions California – 2007
Visceral Australia (EA) – 2011
Wolfpack Studios – 2006
Yuke’s Company Of America – 2010
Zoe Mode London – 2009
Phew.
List of studios closed since 2006 [NeoGAF]
Chuloopa
Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 3:55 PMHoly shit…. that’s quite a list…
Lachlan
Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 4:01 PMProgrammers should really be suspicious when their first day of work involves them unloading a bunch of computers off the back off a truck…
Virus__
Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 5:31 PMI always thought there was something wrong about my first day of work when required uniform was a black balaclava, black clothing & a crowbar.
DaForce2000
Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 8:48 PMBetter than loading them onto a truck I guess. :-)
Barry
Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 4:02 PMWhere is Apogee in this list? If I remember correctly they created 3D Realms to work on such titles like Duke Nukem 3D, the Triad game I think but they remained as a developer and publisher. Of course I’m not 100% sure about this as it has been a long time
GooberMan
Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 4:43 PM3D Realms was the operating name of Apogee. Same company.
MrTaco
Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 4:03 PMBlue Tongue, Cing, Clover Studios, Factor 5 – my baww list.
Also, Hudson closed down? Huh, don’t think I heard about that. Shame.
blergh
Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 4:13 PMWow…thats depressing.
weaselfeet
Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 4:17 PMAuran
Barry
Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 4:36 PMAren’t Auran still going but creating Train Sims or something? I’m sure they are still going and still selling games/programmes.
Badger
Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 4:49 PMSort of… it became n3v games somehow, but I’m not sure of the specifics.
Much like Tantalus shut down and became Straight Right and IR Gurus shut down and kind of became TrickStar. I don’t really know the connections/differences between the former companies and the latter (if anyone else does and would like to share, please do!)
Badger
Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 4:52 PMSorry, IR Gurus became Transmission which then shut down. Trickstar was formed by former employees but is a different company.
Cownciler
Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 4:44 PMAuran developments was the part of the company that was shut down. I was there when it happened. Also missing Interzone Games from Perth. We were working on a soccer MMO that will never see the light of day. So very close to finishing only to have the bastards take the IP and piss off back to the states
GooberMan
Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 4:45 PMAnd there’ll be quite a few people who could compete in a game of “Cross off the studios you worked at” with that list and not lose.
AJB
Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 4:52 PMYeah, unfortunately if we didn’t actually work at one or more of them, we have friends who did.
Badger
Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 4:56 PMThis is a sad list, but if you made a list of startups since 2006, even restricting it to startups that have actually released something, I imagine that it would be even longer.
Not to mention more uplifting.
Kung Fu Kai
Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 5:17 PMGreat, now we’re just gonna be stuck with with unoriginal, boring game developers.
It was always the smaller game dev studios who made the best games.
Excelsior
Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 5:18 PMIt makes for sad reading but as Badger says, start ups need to counted and also what else needs to be considered is how many of these started up in rosy economic times and never really were in a position to compete.
Cratesmith
Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 5:53 PMThe really sad thing is that these closures started in 2006, many devs have been hit by closures more than once.
I’ve only been in two of the closures on that list, but I imagine there are some real horror stories out there.
Ad
Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 6:06 PMOh, Pandemic, you made some great games :(
Still, Double Fine is still not on that list, so that cheers me up. Their move to downloadable games has finally let them hit some paydirt.
DefoliateCoffee
Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 6:30 PMso many aussie devs.
wah poor blackrock i was really hoping for a split/second 2
Francis
Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 8:47 PMPerhaps there should be a contrasting list – Game Studio opened since 2006.
This will give a good idea of how things have evolved. I.e. Are there more indie game studios now than before? Certainly more are developing on social/casual media platforms than in 2006 (pre iPhone/facebook era)
N0NEoftheAB0VE
Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 10:36 PMFactor 5 – why did they close that!!? Rogue Squadron FFS – dammit!
I remember Luxoflux made Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen – it wasn’t that bad (had improved graphics over the first movie tie in but they made the stupidest control decision I’ve ever seen in video games – in order to transform you had to HOLD DOWN the RT, let it go and you’d revert to robot form, if not for that decision they might still be operating!)
Sad about Krome but it coincided with the death of the licenced tie-in game.
InformedGamer
Wednesday, January 18, 2012 at 9:54 AMI’d like to know why Mario from Sidhe has so much spare time
yrrnn
Wednesday, January 18, 2012 at 10:07 AMIt’s scary how many of those studios were affiliated with EA…
Telextial
Wednesday, January 18, 2012 at 10:44 AMInfinity Ward should be here in spirit.
Hope Respawn can push out something worthwhile.
Costa
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 9:11 PMTo really put things into perspective for developers, this list should be compared to a list of “Every Publisher that’s Closed Down since 2006″.
There’s something wrong with a system where the “creative creators” of amazing games can’t survive… yet most publishers do just fine.