Hi-Rez Studios

Hi-Rez is an independent, privately held video game studio. The company was established in 2005 by Erez Goren and Todd Harris. Hi-Rez Studios' games include the squad-based shooter Global Agenda, the critically acclaimed Tribes: Ascend, the third-person MOBA Smite, card game Hand of the Gods: Smite Tactics and the hero shooter Paladins.[2] In 2012, Hi-Rez Studios was recognized as a Top 30 Video-Game Developer by Game Developer Magazine and Gamasutra.[3] Hi-Rez are the current owners of the Metaltech license, including Battledrome, Earthsiege, Starsiege, the CyberStorm series, and the Tribes series. With the exception of Battledrome and CyberStorm, the games were released as freeware by Hi-Rez on October 30, 2015.[4]

Hi-Rez Studios
Private
IndustryVideo games
Founded2005
Headquarters
Alpharetta, Georgia
,
United States
Key people
  • Erez Goren
  • Todd Harris
  • Stew Chisam
  • Mike Dudgeon
Products
Number of employees
450+[1]
Divisions
  • Alacrity Arthouse
  • Evil Mojo Games
  • First Watch Games
  • Heroic Leap Games
  • Red Beard Games
  • Titan Forge Games
Subsidiaries
  • Hi-Rez China
  • Hi-Rez UK
Websitehirezstudios.com

History
Hi-Rez Studios offices in Alpharetta, Georgia

Erez Goren founded Hi-Rez Studios with Todd Harris in 2005. They hired experienced game developers from other successful titles, including City of Heroes, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and Call of Duty.[1] Hi-Rez Studios employs more than 200 people at its development facility in the northern Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta.[1] In August 2018, the company split into three separate development studios. The Hi-Rez Studios Twitter account tweeted on February 5, 2019 that they had fired community manager Thomas Cheung [5] after being arrested on charges of child sex solicitation along with 20 others in a joint sting operation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.[6]

Games developed
Title Platform(s) Year[lower-alpha 1] Notes
Global Agenda Microsoft Windows 2010
Tribes: Ascend Microsoft Windows 2012
Smite Microsoft Windows, macOS, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch 2014
Jetpack Fighter iOS, Android 2016
Hand of the Gods: Smite Tactics Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 2018 Shut down Jan.1st, 2020
Paladins Strike iOS, Android
Paladins Microsoft Windows, macOS, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
Realm Royale Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch Early Access
Rogue Company Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2020
Smite Rivals Microsoft Windows, iOS, Android TBA On hold
Tribes Universe Microsoft Windows Cancelled
  1. Year of first release, game might have released on other platforms at a later date.

Global Agenda

Global Agenda is an online team-based game. The game went live on February 1, 2010. In April 2011, Global Agenda became the first free-to-play game released on the Steam platform, introducing Elite and Free Agents and an in-game cash shop featuring Agenda Points.[7]

Tribes Universe

Tribes Universe was a massively multiplayer online shooter developed by Hi-Rez Studios based on the Tribes series. The game, along with Hi-Rez Studios' Tribes intellectual property acquisition from InstantAction, was first announced on October 23, 2010. While alpha testing was said to begin at the start of 2011, development on Tribes Universe was canceled when Hi-Rez Studios decided to start working on Tribes: Ascend.[8][9]

Tribes: Ascend

Tribes: Ascend is a free-to-play multiplayer-only first-person shooter and part of the Tribes franchise. It was announced by Hi-Rez Studios on March 11, 2011, at the PAX East, and released on April 12, 2012. Tribes: Ascend earned a metascore of 86, and PC Gamer ranked it at #8 in an article on the Best Shooters of All Time.[10] Aspects from previous Tribes games such as jetpacks and skiing are featured in the game.[11]

Hi-Rez Studios representative Todd Harris announced the company's abandonment of the game on July 12, 2013.[12]

Smite

Smite is a free-to-play third-person MOBA for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and OS X. Players take on the visage of mythological deities from different pantheons and take part in arena combat, using powers and team tactics against other player-controlled deities and non-player controlled minions. Hi-Rez Studios announced Smite on April 21, 2011, at PAX East, and began its closed beta period on May 31, 2012 for PC. An open beta followed on January 24, 2013. The beta process produced more than 74 million hours of playtime and a large competitive community.[13] Throughout the beta, Hi-Rez Studios also hosted a series of LAN and online events with cash prize pools.[14] Smite was officially released in North America and Western Europe on March 25, 2014 for the PC. On August 19, 2015, Hi-Rez Studios released the Xbox One version,[15] on May 31, 2016 the PlayStation 4 version was released.[16] and on February 19, 2019 the Nintendo Switch version was released [17]

Paladins

Paladins is a free-to-play online team-based game. The player has to pick a champion each with unique abilities to fight. There are four types of groups: Damage, Support, Flank and Front Line.[18] The current version of the card system permits pre-designed loadouts that provide augments to various abilities and stats, as well as “items" that can be purchased by credits. To get credits the player has to play and fight others. Items can be upgraded mid-match to provide additional performance bonuses.The game was announced on August 5, 2015. Paladins went into open beta on September 16, 2016, and released on Steam as an early access title the same day.[19]

Jetpack Fighter

Jetpack Fighter is a free-to-play high speed platformer for mobile. The game was released first for iOS on January 7, 2016, and Apple editors featured it as a Best New Game. As of July 27, 2016, the game has been released on Android. The game has earned a metascore of 83.[20]

References
  1. "Hi-Rez Founder and CEO Steps Down After a Successful Year of Growth to Pursue Other Interests". playstationlifestyle. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  2. "Hi-Rez Studios The Official Website of Hi-Rez Studios Alpharetta GA". Hirezstudios.com. Retrieved 2014-07-03.
  3. "Our Top 30 Developers". Game Developer and Gamasutra. Retrieved 2014-07-03.
  4. https://www.polygon.com/2015/10/30/9646074/tribes-free-downloads-pc-ps2
  5. A brief statement on @Elvinelol, Twitter: Hi-Rez Studios, 2019, retrieved 2019-02-10
  6. "Operation Interception" Targets Those Seeking Sex with a Minor - 21 Arrested in Five-Day Undercover Operation, Georgia government website: Georgia Bureau of Investigation, 2019, retrieved 2019-02-10
  7. "Global Agenda: Free Agent on Steam". Valve. Archived from the original on 2014-03-26. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
  8. https://www.vg247.com/2012/01/05/hi-rez-tribes-universe-on-hold-priority-for-now-is-ascend/
  9. What ever happened to Tribes Universe, officially?
  10. "The Best Shooters of All Time". PC Gamer. 2013-07-04. Archived from the original on 2014-07-08. Retrieved 2014-07-03.
  11. "Tribes Ascend Home". Hi-Rez Studios. Archived from the original on 2014-01-07. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
  12. "Tribes Ascend Reddit". HiRezTodd. 2013-07-12. Retrieved 2016-03-08.
  13. "Hi-Rez Studios releases SMITE in North America and Europe". Hi-Rez Studios. 25 Mar 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-06-13. Retrieved 20 Jun 2014.
  14. "SMITE Tournament Series: Week 24 Recap". Hi-Rez Studios. 14 Oct 2013. Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 20 Jun 2014.
  15. Smite makes its official Xbox One debut next week
  16. Smite on PS4 Launches May 31
  18. "Paladins Game Preview". mmos.com.
  19. https://mmos.com/review/paladins
  20. "Jetpack Fighter". Metacritic. Retrieved 2016-06-24.
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