DC Studios

DC Studios Inc. was a British-Canadian video game developer based in Montreal, Quebec. Originally founded in Glasgow, Scotland, in December 1999, the company later expanded to Montreal, Edinburgh, Scotland and Dublin, Ireland. In May 2005, the company acquired State of Emergency 2 from the defunct VIS Entertainment. The game released to severe financial underperformance, as a result of which all DC Studios operations in the United Kingdom were halted, leaving only the Montreal studio with 55 employees, which in turn shut down in September the following year.

This article is about a British-Canadian video game developer. For the studio responsible for films based on characters from DC Entertainment, see DC Films.

DC Studios Inc.
Private
IndustryVideo games
FateDissolved
SuccessorFirebrand Games
Founded3 December 1999 (1999-12-03) in Glasgow, Scotland
FounderMark Greenshields
Defunct25 September 2007 (2007-09-25)
Headquarters
Montreal, Quebec
,
Canada
Key people
Mark Greenshields (CEO)
Number of employees
55 (2006)

History

DC Studios was founded on 3 December 1999.[1] It was set up in Glasgow, Scotland, by Mark Greenshields,[2] who had previously left Steel Monkeys, another Scotland-based development studio.[3] In November 2000, the company expanded with a second outfit located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.[4] In August 2003, Andrew McLennan left his position as commercial director from Steel Monkeys, at the time run by his brother Derek as managing director, to join DC Studio as business development director.[3][5] In April 2005, DC Studios opened a government-funded development studio in Dublin, Ireland, seeking to employ 50 further staff.[6]

In May 2005, the company acquired the rights to State of Emergency 2 from previously defunct VIS Entertainment.[7][8] Following its release, however, the game severely underperformed in sales, due to which DC Studios announced on 4 June 2006 that it had ceased all operations in the United Kingdom, laying off all staff, including 29 from its Edinburgh offices.[9][10] Only their Montreal office remained open, holding 55 staff.[11] That Montreal office was finally shut down in favour of opening a Merritt Island, Florida, office for Greenshields' newer venture, Firebrand Games, on 25 September 2007.[12][13]

Games developed
Year Title Platform(s) Publisher(s)
1999 Mia Hamm Soccer 64 Nintendo 64 SouthPeak Games
2000 NBA Jam 2001 Game Boy Color Acclaim Sports
2001 Activision TV Game Dedicated console Toymax
Army Men Advance Game Boy Advance The 3DO Company
2002 Salt Lake 2002 Ubi Soft
NBA Jam 2002 Acclaim Sports
Bratz Game Boy Advance, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation Ubi Soft
Atari TV Game Dedicated console Jakks Pacific
Taxi 2 PlayStation Ubi Soft
Jim Henson's Bear in the Big Blue House
2003 Le Tour de France: 1903-2003 – Centenary Edition PlayStation 2 Konami
Charmed J2ME In-Fusio
Cartoon Network Speedway Game Boy Advance Majeso Sales
2004 XS Moto XS Games
Fear Factor: Unleashed Hip Interactive
Kenny vs Spenny: Versusville Microsoft Windows Breakthrough New Media
The Cat in the Hat PlayStation NewKidCo
2005 Rayman DS Nintendo DS Ubisoft
Disney's Cinderella: Magical Dreams Game Boy Advance Disney Interactive
Whac-A-Mole Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS Activision Value
Winx Club Game Boy Advance, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2 Konami Digital Entertainment
2006 State of Emergency 2 PlayStation 2 SouthPeak Games
VeggieTales: LarryBoy and the Bad Apple Game Boy Advance Crave Entertainment
Hannah Montana Buena Vista Games
Disney's Chicken Little: Ace in Action Nintendo DS
2007 Code Lyoko The Game Factory
Thrillville: Off the Rails LucasArts

References
  1. "FIVE YEARS OLD AND FINANCIALLY FIT". gamesindustry.biz. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  2. "Focus On: DC Studios' Mark Greenshields". gamesindustry.biz. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  3. "Director leaves brother's games company to join rival". scotsman.com. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  4. "British game developer takes business to new level in Montreal". Retrieved 1 July 2018 – via The Globe and Mail.
  5. Jenkins, David. "Gamasutra - The Art & Business of Making Games". www.gamasutra.com. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  6. Jenkins, David. "Gamasutra - The Art & Business of Making Games". www.gamasutra.com. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  7. "New State of Emergency declared as Glasgow firm takes on game". scotsman.com. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  8. "DC Studios picks up State of Emergency 2". gamesindustry.biz. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  9. "State Of Emergency spells end for 29 staff GAMING: REDUNDANCIES". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  10. Jenkins, David. "DC Studios Closes Scottish Development HQ". gamasutra.com. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  11. "DC Studios shuts down". eurogamer.net. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  12. "'Montreal is not an efficient place to run a business'". mcvuk.com. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  13. Boyer, Brandon. "Race Game Developer Firebrand Gets U.S. Office". gamasutra.com. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
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