Cyberlore Studios
Encyclopedia
Cyberlore Studios was a developer of computer games based in Northampton, Massachusetts
. The company was founded by Lester Humphreys, Ken Grey, and Herb Perez. Since 1992, they produced expansion pack
s for MechWarrior 4, Heroes of Might and Magic II, and Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness
. They also produced Playboy: The Mansion
(2004), a simulation game based on the life of Hugh Hefner
and Playboy
, and a PlayStation 2
version of the classic board game Risk
. Their most notable game is Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim
, whose original concept was created by Jim DuBois, who worked as a senior designer there.
In 2005, Cyberlore ceased development of general entertainment games after the collapse of their publisher, Hip Games, and the subsequent layoff of 2/3 of their staff. The company refocused on the serious game
corporate training market, under the new company name of Minerva.
Northampton, Massachusetts
The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of Northampton's central neighborhoods, was 28,549...
. The company was founded by Lester Humphreys, Ken Grey, and Herb Perez. Since 1992, they produced expansion pack
Expansion pack
An expansion pack, expansion set, or supplement is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game or video game. These add-ons usually add new game areas, weapons, objects, and/or an extended storyline to a complete and already released game...
s for MechWarrior 4, Heroes of Might and Magic II, and Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness
Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness
Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness is a fantasy-themed real-time strategy game published by Blizzard Entertainment and first released for DOS in 1995 and for Mac OS in 1996...
. They also produced Playboy: The Mansion
Playboy: The Mansion
Playboy: The Mansion is a business simulation video game for the PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows and Xbox consoles, developed by Cyberlore Studios, published by Groove Games and ARUSH Entertainment and licensed by Playboy Enterprises....
(2004), a simulation game based on the life of Hugh Hefner
Hugh Hefner
Hugh Marston "Hef" Hefner is an American magazine publisher, founder and Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Enterprises.-Early life:...
and Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
, and a 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...
version of the classic board game Risk
Risk (game)
Risk is a strategic board game, produced by Parker Brothers . It was invented by French film director Albert Lamorisse and originally released in 1957 as La Conquête du Monde in France. Risk is a turn-based game for two to six players...
. Their most notable game is Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim
Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim
-External links:**...
, whose original concept was created by Jim DuBois, who worked as a senior designer there.
In 2005, Cyberlore ceased development of general entertainment games after the collapse of their publisher, Hip Games, and the subsequent layoff of 2/3 of their staff. The company refocused on the serious game
Serious game
A serious game is a game designed for a primary purpose other than pure entertainment. The "serious" adjective is generally prepended to refer to products used by industries like defense, education, scientific exploration, health care, emergency management, city planning, engineering, religion,...
corporate training market, under the new company name of Minerva.
Published works
- Al-Qadim: The Genie's CurseAl-Qadim: The Genie's CurseAl-Qadim: The Genie's Curse is an action role-playing game for the PC set in the Al-Qadim campaign setting of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. It was developed by Cyberlore Studios and published in 1994 by Strategic Simulations, Inc.-Plot:...
(1994) - Entomorph: Plague of the DarkfallEntomorph: Plague of the DarkfallEntomorph: Plague of the Darkfall is an action-adventure computer role-playing game by Strategic Simulations, Inc. In Entomorph, the player controls the character Warrick. It is the second computer game based in the fictional universe World of Aden, the first being World of Aden: Thunderscape...
(1995) - Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark PortalWarcraft II: Beyond the Dark PortalWarcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal is an expansion pack developed by Cyberlore Studios, released in 1996 by Blizzard Entertainment for their award winning real-time strategy computer game Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness...
(1996) - Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Price of Loyalty (1997)
- Deadlock II: Shrine WarsDeadlock II: Shrine WarsDeadlock II: Shrine Wars is a sci-fi turn-based strategy computer game developed by Cyberlore Studios and published by Accolade, released on February 28, 1998 as a sequel to Deadlock: Planetary Conquest...
(1998) - Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom SimMajesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim-External links:**...
(2000) - Majesty: The Northern ExpansionMajesty: The Northern ExpansionMajesty: The Northern Expansion is an expansion pack to the real-time strategy game Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim. It was developed by Cyberlore Studios and published by MicroProse for Windows in 2001. In January, 2002. Majesty Gold Edition was released for Windows bundling Majesty and The...
(2001) - MechWarrior 4: Black Knight (2001)
- MechWarrior 4: MercenariesMechWarrior 4: MercenariesMechwarrior 4: Mercenaries is a vehicle simulation video game for the PC released in 2002. It is a standalone expansion of Mechwarrior 4, based on the Battletech Mechwarrior game universe....
(2002) - Risk: Global DominationRisk: Global DominationRisk: Global Domination is a game for the PlayStation 2 , about the very popular board game, Risk. It was released in 2003. In Risk: Global Domination, the player tries to dominate the world by defeating eleven famous generals...
(2003) - Playboy: The MansionPlayboy: The MansionPlayboy: The Mansion is a business simulation video game for the PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows and Xbox consoles, developed by Cyberlore Studios, published by Groove Games and ARUSH Entertainment and licensed by Playboy Enterprises....
(2004)