Checkmate Solutions
Encyclopedia
Checkmate Solutions was a video game developer
based in Hooton
, Cheshire
in the United Kingdom
, which was founded in 2003. The company was best known for specialising in the design & development of music sequencing software, most notable of which was Ejay
.
brand. This was largely due to Jester's portfolio moving away from music titles and expanding into the racing genre with titles such as Super Trucks Racing
and TT Superbikes http://www.jesterinteractive.com/ttsuperbikesrrrc/.
Checkmate Solutions began with three people working on a concept for a Personal Information Management tool, which was warmly received by private and government investors. However, due to delays in gov't funding, this project never came to fruition. This meant that Checkmate's first project would see the Wright brothers return to their previous skillset to develop music sequencing software entitled Dance eJay 7 and HipHop eJay 6 for Empire Interactive
under the banner of Empire's (then) newly acquired Ejay
brand.
After the successful launch of Dance 7 & HipHop 6 in Europe, Checkmate began designing other eJay products for Empire, on various platforms including Nintendo DS http://hornydog.co.uk/miniport/ejay_pro_1.jpg and Xbox
.
In early 2006 Empire Interactive's product direction changed, resulting in the cancellation of all future music projects. This left Checkmate free to pursue other goals. Some months later, Empire decided to have another foray into the world of music sequencing, and they published what would be Checkmate's final product, Techno eJay 5.
Due to the sporadic nature of Checkmate's working relationship with Empire, and the lack of funding to return to the Personal Information Management Software project it was decided to close the company toward the end of 2006, with staff moving on to roles in other companies.
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 Hooton
Hooton, Cheshire
Hooton is a village in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England in the south of the Wirral Peninsula near Ellesmere Port.- History :...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, which was founded in 2003. The company was best known for specialising in the design & development of music sequencing software, most notable of which was Ejay
EJay
eJay is a series of musical arrangement software and games, primarily for Microsoft Windows. The first edition, Dance eJay, was released in , supports eight tracks of audio and, as with its successors, permits the arrangement of sound bites by a drag-and-drop interface...
.
History
Checkmate Solutions Limited was formed after brothers Tim & Lee Wright left their key positions at Jester Interactive Limited (Creative Director and Development Director, respectively). Their final project at Jester was MUSIC 3000, which was also Jester's final outing under the Music (software)Music (software)
Music is the common name of a series of music creation programs created by Jester Interactive and published by Codemasters. The programs are tools that allow the user to create music. This can be done either by inserting pre-made riffs and other sound samples, or creating original riffs by...
brand. This was largely due to Jester's portfolio moving away from music titles and expanding into the racing genre with titles such as Super Trucks Racing
Super Trucks Racing
Super Trucks Racing is a truck racing video game for the PlayStation 2. All drivers and sponsor information are based on 2002 season of the Super Trucks racing series....
and TT Superbikes http://www.jesterinteractive.com/ttsuperbikesrrrc/.
Checkmate Solutions began with three people working on a concept for a Personal Information Management tool, which was warmly received by private and government investors. However, due to delays in gov't funding, this project never came to fruition. This meant that Checkmate's first project would see the Wright brothers return to their previous skillset to develop music sequencing software entitled Dance eJay 7 and HipHop eJay 6 for Empire Interactive
Empire Interactive
Empire Interactive was a UK based video game developer and publisher founded in 1987. It was closed under administration on 4 May 2009.-About Empire Interactive:...
under the banner of Empire's (then) newly acquired Ejay
EJay
eJay is a series of musical arrangement software and games, primarily for Microsoft Windows. The first edition, Dance eJay, was released in , supports eight tracks of audio and, as with its successors, permits the arrangement of sound bites by a drag-and-drop interface...
brand.
After the successful launch of Dance 7 & HipHop 6 in Europe, Checkmate began designing other eJay products for Empire, on various platforms including Nintendo DS http://hornydog.co.uk/miniport/ejay_pro_1.jpg and 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...
.
In early 2006 Empire Interactive's product direction changed, resulting in the cancellation of all future music projects. This left Checkmate free to pursue other goals. Some months later, Empire decided to have another foray into the world of music sequencing, and they published what would be Checkmate's final product, Techno eJay 5.
Due to the sporadic nature of Checkmate's working relationship with Empire, and the lack of funding to return to the Personal Information Management Software project it was decided to close the company toward the end of 2006, with staff moving on to roles in other companies.
Games
- Dance eJay 7 - PCPersonal computerA personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
(2005) - HipHop eJay 6 - PCPersonal computerA personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
(2005) - Techno eJay 5 - PCPersonal computerA personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
(2006)