Foundation 9 Entertainment
Encyclopedia
Foundation 9 Entertainment (sometimes abbreviated as F9E) is an entertainment media conglomerate that has developed video games, comic book
s, film
and television series. The company is one of the largest independent game developer
s in the world, and has more than 450 employees working in its various studios in California
, Massachusetts
, Oregon
, U.S, Sheffield, UK, and Pune, India
. Its current CEO is James North-Hearn.
, The Collective
. and Oregon
-based developer Pipeworks Software
. Afterward, on May 26, 2005, F9E announced a partnership with Circle of Confusion
. Unlike F9E's other studios, which primarily work in software development, Circle of Confusion is a production and management company that represents creative staff in entertainment.
On June 1, 2006 Foundation 9 received $150 million from Francisco Partners
, a private equity firm. Foundation 9 announced the acquisition of Shiny Entertainment
on October 2, 2006, Amaze Entertainment
on November 14, 2006, and Sumo Digital
on August 17, 2007. On May 25, 2007, the Charlottetown
, PEI
studio of Foundation 9 constituent Backbone Entertainment was spun off
to become Other Ocean Interactive.
Other subsidiaries include ImaginEngine
(part of Backbone Entertainment
) and, formerly, Griptonite Games
(part of Amaze Entertainment
). Digital Eclipse is not a studio under the Foundation 9 hierarchy, as all games under the Digital Eclipse brand were developed at the Backbone Entertainment studios. Digital Eclipse was originally one of the core companies that came together to form Backbone, the progenitor of F9E.
The Collective and Shiny were merged in late 2007 and relocated to a new 60000 square feet (5,574.2 m²) headquarters in Irvine
. The resultant studio was named Double Helix
in early 2008. In May 2009, Foundation 9 completed the closure of its Vancouver, Canada-based studio of Backbone Entertainment, after a series of staff cutbacks beginning September 2008. In July 2009, Foundation 9 closed The Fizz Factor
, its Texas
-based studio.
Amaze was consolidated under Griptonite at the same time, and Double Helix scaled back its operations. In August 2011, Foundation 9 sold Griptonite to Glu Mobile.
The original CEO of Foundation 9 was Jon Goldman, who came from Backbone, and founder of ImaginEngine. Upon the acquisition of Amaze, he was joined by COO David Mann, a co-founder of Amaze, who, on January 16, 2008, assumed the position of President. As of March 17, 2008, James North-Hearn, one of Sumo Digital's founders, has assumed the CEO position.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
s, film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and television series. The company is one of the largest independent game developer
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...
s in the world, and has more than 450 employees working in its various studios in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, U.S, Sheffield, UK, and Pune, India
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
. Its current CEO is James North-Hearn.
History
Foundation 9 was formed on March 29, 2005 through the merger of Backbone EntertainmentBackbone Entertainment
Backbone Entertainment is an independent video game development company located in Emeryville, California.Backbone Entertainment is the result of a 2003 merger between Digital Eclipse Software and ImaginEngine...
, The Collective
The Collective, Inc.
The Collective, Inc. was an American video game development company located in Newport Beach, California. The company has created several games based on movies and television shows since its founding in 1997.-History:...
. and Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
-based developer Pipeworks Software
Pipeworks Software
-History:Part of Foundation 9 Entertainment, the largest independent game developer in North America, Pipeworks Software, Inc. began life as an independent studio with senior artists, designers, and programmers from such titles as Tribes, Pro Pilot, Populous, Aces, 3D Ultra, Front Page Sports, and...
. Afterward, on May 26, 2005, F9E announced a partnership with Circle of Confusion
Circle of confusion
In optics, a circle of confusion is an optical spot caused by a cone of light rays from a lens not coming to a perfect focus when imaging a point source...
. Unlike F9E's other studios, which primarily work in software development, Circle of Confusion is a production and management company that represents creative staff in entertainment.
On June 1, 2006 Foundation 9 received $150 million from Francisco Partners
Francisco Partners
Francisco Partners is a private equity firm focusing on structured investments in the information technology sector.Francisco Partners Management LLC was founded in August 1999 and is headquartered in San Francisco and maintains an additional office in London, United Kingdom...
, a private equity firm. Foundation 9 announced the acquisition of Shiny Entertainment
Shiny Entertainment
Shiny Entertainment was an American video game developer based in Laguna Beach, Southern California, and the creator of several popular titles such as Earthworm Jim, MDK, Sacrifice and The Matrix: Path of Neo. Shiny was founded by David Perry in October 1993...
on October 2, 2006, Amaze Entertainment
Amaze Entertainment
Amaze Entertainment was a video game developer from the United States that sold over 100 games in its ten-year history , for several video game platforms, with headquarters located in Kirkland, Washington. Amaze’s primary focus was licensed games based on movie franchises, comic series, and...
on November 14, 2006, and Sumo Digital
Sumo Digital
Sumo Digital Ltd. is an independent game development studio based in Sheffield, United Kingdom. Set up in 2003 following the closure of Infogrames Studios Sheffield/Gremlin Interactive...
on August 17, 2007. On May 25, 2007, the Charlottetown
Charlottetown
Charlottetown is a Canadian city. It is both the largest city on and the provincial capital of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, the wife of George III, Charlottetown was first incorporated as a town in 1855 and designated as a city in 1885...
, PEI
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
studio of Foundation 9 constituent Backbone Entertainment was spun off
Spin out
A spin-out, also known as a spin-off or a starburst, refers to a type of corporate action where a company "splits off" sections of itself as a separate business....
to become Other Ocean Interactive.
Other subsidiaries include ImaginEngine
ImaginEngine
ImaginEngine is a leading studio in the development of quality children's titles and casual title software. The ImaginEngine team is known for its award-winning, commercially successful console, handheld, PC and online games. ImaginEngine specializes in creating entertaining family-friendly...
(part of Backbone Entertainment
Backbone Entertainment
Backbone Entertainment is an independent video game development company located in Emeryville, California.Backbone Entertainment is the result of a 2003 merger between Digital Eclipse Software and ImaginEngine...
) and, formerly, Griptonite Games
Griptonite Games
Griptonite Games, is an American video game developer developer located in Kirkland, Washington. It is currently wholly owned by Glu Mobile, but was formerly a part of super-developer Foundation 9 Entertainment, where it was previously a studio of Amaze Entertainment.-History:Steve Ettinger opened...
(part of Amaze Entertainment
Amaze Entertainment
Amaze Entertainment was a video game developer from the United States that sold over 100 games in its ten-year history , for several video game platforms, with headquarters located in Kirkland, Washington. Amaze’s primary focus was licensed games based on movie franchises, comic series, and...
). Digital Eclipse is not a studio under the Foundation 9 hierarchy, as all games under the Digital Eclipse brand were developed at the Backbone Entertainment studios. Digital Eclipse was originally one of the core companies that came together to form Backbone, the progenitor of F9E.
The Collective and Shiny were merged in late 2007 and relocated to a new 60000 square feet (5,574.2 m²) headquarters in Irvine
Irvine, California
Irvine is a suburban incorporated city in Orange County, California, United States. It is a planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Formally incorporated on December 28, 1971, the city has a population of 212,375 as of the 2010 census. However, the California...
. The resultant studio was named Double Helix
Double Helix Games
Double Helix Games is an American video game developer based in Irvine, California, founded in 2007 through two mergers of Foundation 9 studios, The Collective and Shiny Entertainment...
in early 2008. In May 2009, Foundation 9 completed the closure of its Vancouver, Canada-based studio of Backbone Entertainment, after a series of staff cutbacks beginning September 2008. In July 2009, Foundation 9 closed The Fizz Factor
The Fizz Factor
The Fizz Factor was a video games developer based in Austin, Texas, USA. The company first formed on 9 April 2002, as part of the Amaze Entertainment network of independent studios, and during 2005 the Fizz Factor team were absorbed into Amaze completely. It was announced on November 14, 2006 that...
, its Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
-based studio.
Amaze was consolidated under Griptonite at the same time, and Double Helix scaled back its operations. In August 2011, Foundation 9 sold Griptonite to Glu Mobile.
The original CEO of Foundation 9 was Jon Goldman, who came from Backbone, and founder of ImaginEngine. Upon the acquisition of Amaze, he was joined by COO David Mann, a co-founder of Amaze, who, on January 16, 2008, assumed the position of President. As of March 17, 2008, James North-Hearn, one of Sumo Digital's founders, has assumed the CEO position.