Headfirst Productions
Encyclopedia
Headfirst Productions was a British
video game studio established by father and son Mike and Simon Woodroffe (Adventure Soft
) in 1998. The studio was an independent developer
of games for both the console
and PC
market.
, Headfirst had problems with publisher Bethesda Softworks
regarding finances. Some time after that about half of the company left, so the second project's team (Call of Cthulhu: Destiny's End), along with some people from the CoC:DCotE production team, stayed on board trying to keep working on the project, porting it to the next-gen consoles, while the directors were trying to secure a publishing deal for the game. After several months of struggle the company went into administration.
After that most unfortunate event, majority of staff have left to other West Midlands
game companies, namely Codemasters
, Eurocom
and Sega Racing Studio
. In February 2006, Headfirst Productions went into administration in an effort to pay off outstanding debts owed because of production costs associated with the many years of Cthulhu development, and other unsigned projects. Assets were liquidated, employees were laid off, and the company was dissolved less than a month later.
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...
video game studio established by father and son Mike and Simon Woodroffe (Adventure Soft
Adventure Soft
Adventure Soft is a UK-based video game developer established by Mike Woodroffe, first as an importer and reseller of Adventure International games. The firm operates out of Sutton Coldfield, and is best known for the Simon the Sorcerer series of games....
) in 1998. The studio was an independent developer
Independent video game development
Independent video game development is the process of creating video games without the financial support of a video game publisher. While large firms can create independent games, they are usually designed by an individual or a small team of as many as ten people, depending on the complexity of the...
of games for both the console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
and PC
Personal computer
A 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...
market.
Games
- Battle of the Planets (cancelled)
- Call of Cthulhu: Beyond the Mountains of Madness (cancelled)
- Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the EarthCall of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the EarthCall of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth is a Lovecraftian horror first-person action-adventure game developed by Headfirst Productions and published by Bethesda Softworks in 2005, in conjunction with 2K Games. The game was released for the PC and Xbox systems; the Xbox version is officially...
(2005) - Call of Cthulhu: Destiny's EndCall of Cthulhu: Destiny's EndCall of Cthulhu: Destiny's End was a third-person survival horror video game that was in production at British developer Headfirst Productions. It was planned as a sequel to the 2005 game Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth....
(vaporware) - Call of Cthulhu: Tainted Legacy (cancelled)
- DeadlandsDeadlandsDeadlands is a genre-mixing alternate history roleplaying game which combines the Western and horror genres, with some Steampunk elements. It was written by Shane Lacy Hensley and published by Pinnacle Entertainment Group....
(cancelled) - Simon the Sorcerer 3DSimon the Sorcerer 3DSimon the Sorcerer 3D , was released by Adventure Soft on 13 April 2002 for Microsoft Windows. The story follows where Simon the Sorcerer II: The Lion, the Wizard and the Wardrobe left off but some time in the future...
(2002)
Bankruptcy
After having published Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the EarthCall of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth
Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth is a Lovecraftian horror first-person action-adventure game developed by Headfirst Productions and published by Bethesda Softworks in 2005, in conjunction with 2K Games. The game was released for the PC and Xbox systems; the Xbox version is officially...
, Headfirst had problems with publisher Bethesda Softworks
Bethesda Softworks
Bethesda Softworks, LLC, is an American video game company. A subsidiary of ZeniMax Media, the company was originally based in Bethesda, Maryland and eventually moved to their current location in Rockville, Maryland...
regarding finances. Some time after that about half of the company left, so the second project's team (Call of Cthulhu: Destiny's End), along with some people from the CoC:DCotE production team, stayed on board trying to keep working on the project, porting it to the next-gen consoles, while the directors were trying to secure a publishing deal for the game. After several months of struggle the company went into administration.
After that most unfortunate event, majority of staff have left to other West Midlands
West Midlands (region)
The West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,...
game companies, namely Codemasters
Codemasters
The Codemasters Software Company Limited, or Codemasters is a British video game developer founded by Richard and David Darling in 1986...
, Eurocom
Eurocom
Eurocom is a British video game developer founded specifically to develop games for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Since then Eurocom has expanded to several other platforms including handheld game systems and most major video game consoles.The company was once famous for its arcade to console...
and Sega Racing Studio
Sega Racing Studio
Sega Racing Studio was a computer and video game developer established in 2005 for the sole purpose of developing AAA Sega racing titles...
. In February 2006, Headfirst Productions went into administration in an effort to pay off outstanding debts owed because of production costs associated with the many years of Cthulhu development, and other unsigned projects. Assets were liquidated, employees were laid off, and the company was dissolved less than a month later.