Black Rock Studio
Encyclopedia
Black Rock Studio was a video game developer
based in Brighton
, England
. The studio was founded by Tony Beckwith in 1998 as Pixel Planet. It was then acquired by the Climax Group
in 1999 and was renamed Climax Brighton. In 2004, it became Climax Racing, as the Climax Group rebranded its studios. On 28 September 2006, it was acquired by Buena Vista Games
and was eventually renamed Black Rock Studio in 2007. The last game the studio developed for the Climax Group was MotoGP '07
, which was completed after its acquisition by Buena Vista Games. The name is derived from a district in Brighton
. In early 2011, the company faced lay-offs and was forced to abandon sequels for Pure
and Split/Second. Despite good reviews for both games, Disney Interactive Studios turned down both sequels to focus on freemium
content.
On 30 June 2011, Disney Interactive Studios announced their intent to enter a consultation process on the proposal to close the studios. It was later confirmed that the studio has been shutdown and that several ex-employees have formed new studios, including Roundcube Entertainment, ShortRound Games and Boss Alien.
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
based in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The studio was founded by Tony Beckwith in 1998 as Pixel Planet. It was then acquired by the Climax Group
Climax Group
Climax Group is a British independent video game development company. It was founded by Karl Jeffery in 1988 and is based in Portsmouth, Hampshire....
in 1999 and was renamed Climax Brighton. In 2004, it became Climax Racing, as the Climax Group rebranded its studios. On 28 September 2006, it was acquired by Buena Vista Games
Buena Vista Games
Disney Interactive Studios, Inc. , is a Worldwide American video game company...
and was eventually renamed Black Rock Studio in 2007. The last game the studio developed for the Climax Group was MotoGP '07
MotoGP '07
MotoGP '07 is the fifth game in THQ's MotoGP series for Xbox 360 and PC. The purchase of the Climax Racing studio, developer of most of the previous titles in the series, from Climax Studios by Disney Interactive Studios led to speculation over who would be developing the game...
, which was completed after its acquisition by Buena Vista Games. The name is derived from a district in Brighton
Black Rock (Brighton and Hove)
Black Rock is an area of wasteland located near Brighton Marina in the city of Brighton and Hove.-History:From at least the early 19th Century , Black Rock was the site of an inn and a few houses overlooking cliffs to the east of the then town of Brighton....
. In early 2011, the company faced lay-offs and was forced to abandon sequels for Pure
Pure
-Computing:* A pure function* Pure Software, a company founded in 1991 by Reed Hastings to support the Purify tool* Pure-FTPd, FTP server software* Pure , functional programming language based on term rewriting-Companies and products:...
and Split/Second. Despite good reviews for both games, Disney Interactive Studios turned down both sequels to focus on freemium
Freemium
Freemium is a business model that works by offering a product or service free of charge while charging a premium for advanced features, functionality, or related products and services...
content.
On 30 June 2011, Disney Interactive Studios announced their intent to enter a consultation process on the proposal to close the studios. It was later confirmed that the studio has been shutdown and that several ex-employees have formed new studios, including Roundcube Entertainment, ShortRound Games and Boss Alien.
Developed as "Climax Brighton"
| Name | Platform(s) | Release date(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Gumball 3000 | PlayStation 2 PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan... |
2002 |
| MotoGP | Windows Microsoft Windows Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal... , Xbox Xbox The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console... |
2002 |
| Rally Fusion: Race of Champions Rally Fusion: Race of Champions Rally Fusion: Race of Champions is a racing game released for the Sony Playstation 2, Nintendo Gamecube and Xbox consoles in 2002. It was developed by Climax Brighton and published by Activision.- Gameplay :... |
GameCube Nintendo GameCube The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia... , PlayStation 2 PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan... , Xbox |
2002 |
| ATV Quad Power Racing 2 ATV Quad Power Racing 2 ATV Quad Power Racing 2 is an all-terrain vehicle racing video game released in 2003. It is the sequel to ATV Quad Power Racing. It is available for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. It was developed by Climax Brighton, and published by Acclaim Entertainment.-Game types:Career- Players first... |
GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox | 2003 |
| MotoGP 2 MotoGP 2 MotoGP 2 is a Grand Prix motorcycle racing video game developed by Climax Brighton for the Xbox and personal computer. It was the second title in in THQ's MotoGP series and based the 2002 MotoGP season. Players could take part in a single race on three choosable circuits or participate in a full... |
Windows, Xbox | 2003 |
| The Italian Job | GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox | 2003 |
| Hot Wheels World Race Hot Wheels World Race Hot Wheels World Race is a racing video game released in 2003 by Climax Group and THQ. The game is based on the movie and TV series of the same name that was released by Hot Wheels and Mainframe Entertainment, and 35 Hot Wheels toy automobiles were released in conjunction with the TV... |
GameCube, PlayStation 2, Windows | 2003 |
Developed as "Climax Racing"
| Name | Platform(s) | Release date(s) |
|---|---|---|
| ATV Offroad Fury 3 ATV Offroad Fury 3 ATV Offroad Fury 3 is an off road racing game for the PlayStation 2 console.Released in 2004, ATV Offroad Fury 3 is the third installment of the Offroad Fury series.The game showcases racing on all-terrain vehicles on various track types and events.... |
PlayStation 2 | 2004 |
| Hot Wheels: Stunt Track Challenge Hot Wheels: Stunt Track Challenge Hot Wheels: Stunt Track Challenge is a video game published by THQ. It was released on November 9, 2004. It is sort of a stuntman game show that consists of minigames, races, and stunt challenges. Mini games usually involve collecting icons in a limited amount of time. Races take place on one of 12... |
GameCube, PlayStation 2, Windows | 2004 |
| ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin' Trails ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin' Trails ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin' Trails is a PlayStation Portable exclusive game made in 2005. Over half of the game sales were made from selling the game in the PSP Bundle Pack. The game was developed by Climax Racing.... |
PlayStation Portable PlayStation Portable The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004... |
2005 |
| MotoGP 3: Ultimate Racing Technology | Windows, Xbox | 2005 |
| MotoGP '06 | Xbox 360 Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles... |
2006 |
| ATV Offroad Fury Pro ATV Offroad Fury Pro ATV Offroad Fury Pro is the second game in the series for the PlayStation Portable, developed by Climax Racing and published by Sony Computer Entertainment America. It is the successor of ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin' Trails... |
PlayStation Portable | 2006 |
| ATV Offroad Fury 4 ATV Offroad Fury 4 ATV Offroad Fury 4 is a racing video game, developed by Climax Racing. The game was released in North America on October 31, 2006 exclusively for the PlayStation 2... |
PlayStation 2 | 2006 |
| MotoGP '07 MotoGP '07 MotoGP '07 is the fifth game in THQ's MotoGP series for Xbox 360 and PC. The purchase of the Climax Racing studio, developer of most of the previous titles in the series, from Climax Studios by Disney Interactive Studios led to speculation over who would be developing the game... |
Windows, Xbox 360 | 2007 |
Developed as "Black Rock Studio"
| Name | Platform(s) | Release date(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Pure Pure (video game) Pure is an off-road, quad-bike trick-racing video game for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Windows published by Disney Interactive Studios and developed by Black Rock Studio... |
PlayStation 3 PlayStation 3 The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles... , Windows, Xbox 360 |
2008 |
| Split Second: Velocity | PlayStation 3, Windows, Xbox 360 | 2010 |