Illusion Softworks
Encyclopedia
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
and Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. The company focuses mostly on first-person
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
and third-person shooter
Third-person shooter
Third-person shooter is a genre of 3D action games in which the player character is visible on-screen, and the gameplay consists primarily of shooting.-Definition:...
games. Since the foundation in 1997, till the sale to Kush Games
Kush Games
Kush Games was a video game developer based out of Camarillo, California. They focused on non-violent, sports video games such as MLB Baseball 2K and NHL 2K...
(a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive
Take-Two Interactive
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is a major American publisher, developer, and distributor of video games and video game peripherals. Take-Two wholly owns 2K Games and Rockstar Games. The company's headquarters are in New York City, with international headquarters in Windsor, United Kingdom...
) ten years later, its owners and key managers were founders Petr Vochozka and Jan Kudera. In September 2008, the company was renamed 2K Czech. , it had 188 employees.
History
The primary mission of Illusion Softworks was to develop games for the PCPersonal 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...
and game consoles (PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
, Dreamcast, 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...
etc.) The company's first well known game was Hidden & Dangerous
Hidden & Dangerous
Hidden & Dangerous is a WWII 1999 computer and video game developed by Illusion Softworks and published by Take-Two Interactive and TalonSoft for Windows, the Dreamcast, and the PlayStation. The PlayStation port of the game was developed by Tarantula Studios...
, a tactical shooter
Tactical shooter
A tactical shooter is a subgenre of shooter game that includes both first-person shooters and third-person shooters. These games typically simulate realistic combat, thus making tactics and caution more important than quick reflexes in other action games...
game in 1999, where the player takes control of a four man British Special Air Service
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
team executing a number of important sabotage and/or rescue campaigns during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. This game also represents the beginning of cooperation with worldwide publisher Take-Two Interactive
Take-Two Interactive
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is a major American publisher, developer, and distributor of video games and video game peripherals. Take-Two wholly owns 2K Games and Rockstar Games. The company's headquarters are in New York City, with international headquarters in Windsor, United Kingdom...
. Their first 3D game was the not so famous - Flying Heroes
Flying Heroes
Flying Heroes is a fantasy action game produced by Take 2 Interactive, Illusion Softworks, and Pterodon.- Gameplay :Flying Heroes is an arena based shooter game that takes place on various flying creatures. There are four clans to choose from, with varying creatures or machines for players. The...
, which featured fantasy mid-air action duels. In this game, Illusion Softworks presented a brand new 3D engine called the Ptero-Engine (named after The Pterodon
Pterodon
Pterodon is a game developer located in the Czech Republic. In the year of 2006 they joined Illusion Softworks. Pterodon was founded in 1997 by Jarek Kolář and Michal Janáček.The logo of this company is a pterosaur, presumably a Pteranodon...
company, which co-developed the software). The company prepared its own LS3D engine
LS3D engine
The LS3D game engine was developed by Illusion Softworks and used by the gamesMafia: City of Lost Heaven, Hidden & Dangerous 2 and Chameleon....
for the game Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven
Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven
Mafia is a third-person shooter video game initially made for Microsoft Windows in . It was developed by Czech company Illusion Softworks and published by Gathering of Developers...
, which was first released in 2002. The game met with great acclaim from critics and was even labeled the best game about the Mob
Organized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
because of its original plot and revolutionary capabilities within its gameplay. In 2003, Illusion Softworks released two games. The first being a first-person shooter entitled Vietcong, which was situated in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. This game had also been developed alongside Pterodon, using their enhanced Ptero-Engine II. The second game was a continuation to their first tactical shooter: Hidden & Dangerous 2
Hidden & Dangerous 2
-Audio:Music from the game was provided by the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra based in Brno, Czech Republic.-Expansion:An expansion pack titled Sabre Squadron was released during October 19, 2004, in the US, introduced nine new single player missions, seven new multiplayer maps, and a now finished,...
, also made with the LS3D engine. The official sequel to Vietcong titled Vietcong 2
Vietcong 2
Vietcong 2 is a tactical shooter PC game, developed by Pterodon and Illusion Softworks, published by 2K Games in October 2005, and set during the Vietnam War. It is the direct sequel to Vietcong.- Gameplay :...
, was released in 2005 (once again in cooperation with Pterodon
Pterodon
Pterodon is a game developer located in the Czech Republic. In the year of 2006 they joined Illusion Softworks. Pterodon was founded in 1997 by Jarek Kolář and Michal Janáček.The logo of this company is a pterosaur, presumably a Pteranodon...
).
A lesser known game developed by Illusion Softworks was Lurid Land (released March 30, 1998), a platformer-puzzle game.
Silver Wish Games was a division of Illusion Softworks. It was established in 2000 and closed early 2005.
2K Czech
In September 2010, they released Mafia IIMafia II
Mafia II is a third-person action-adventure video game, the sequel to Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven. It is developed by 2K Czech, previously known as Illusion Softworks, and is published by 2K Games...
, the long awaited sequel to the original Mafia game. That same year, they also released three DLC
Downloadable content
Downloadable content is official additional content for a video game distributed through the Internet. Downloadable content can be of several types, ranging from a single in-game outfit to an entirely new, extensive storyline, similarly to an expansion pack. As such, DLC may add new game modes,...
missions for the game. 2K Czech released their first sports game, the third sequel to the popular tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
franchise: Top Spin 4
Top Spin 4
Top Spin 4 is the fourth title in the Top Spin series of tennis video games. developed by 2K Czech and published by 2K Sports released on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii consoles. It is the fourth game in the Top Spin series. The game features licensed professional players, venues and equipment...
. They were working on another first-person shooter game entitled Enemy In Sight, but it is currently shelved.
As Illusion Softworks
- Hidden & DangerousHidden & DangerousHidden & Dangerous is a WWII 1999 computer and video game developed by Illusion Softworks and published by Take-Two Interactive and TalonSoft for Windows, the Dreamcast, and the PlayStation. The PlayStation port of the game was developed by Tarantula Studios...
(1999) (PC, Dreamcast, PlayStation) - Hidden & Dangerous: Fight for Freedom (1999) (PC)
- Flying HeroesFlying HeroesFlying Heroes is a fantasy action game produced by Take 2 Interactive, Illusion Softworks, and Pterodon.- Gameplay :Flying Heroes is an arena based shooter game that takes place on various flying creatures. There are four clans to choose from, with varying creatures or machines for players. The...
(2000) (PC) - Mafia: The City of Lost HeavenMafia: The City of Lost HeavenMafia is a third-person shooter video game initially made for Microsoft Windows in . It was developed by Czech company Illusion Softworks and published by Gathering of Developers...
(2002) (PC, PS2, Xbox) - Vietcong (2003) (PC)
- Hidden & Dangerous 2Hidden & Dangerous 2-Audio:Music from the game was provided by the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra based in Brno, Czech Republic.-Expansion:An expansion pack titled Sabre Squadron was released during October 19, 2004, in the US, introduced nine new single player missions, seven new multiplayer maps, and a now finished,...
(2003) (PC) - Vietcong: Fist AlphaVietcong: Fist AlphaVietcong: Fist Alpha is an expansion pack for the computer game Vietcong. It was released in February 2004.It is a prequel to Vietcong, occurring three months before the events of that game. In Fist Alpha you play the main character of Sergeant First Class Douglas Warren...
(2004) (PC) - Hidden & Dangerous 2: Sabre Squadron (2004) (PC)
- Vietcong: Purple Haze (2004) (PC, PS2, Xbox)
- Vietcong 2Vietcong 2Vietcong 2 is a tactical shooter PC game, developed by Pterodon and Illusion Softworks, published by 2K Games in October 2005, and set during the Vietnam War. It is the direct sequel to Vietcong.- Gameplay :...
(2005) (PC)
As Silver Wish Games
- Wings of WarWings of War (video game)Wings of War is a Flight Simulator developed by Silver Wish Games and published by Gathering of Developers. The game was a standard wartime flight simulator with the underused setting of World War I. Players assume the role of a Royal Air Force pilot fighting the Luftwaffe in several missions...
(2004) (PC, Xbox) - Chameleon (2005) (PC)
- Circus Empire (2007) (PC)
- Axel & PixelAxel & PixelAxel & Pixel is a point-and-click adventure computer game developed by independent Czech Republic game developers, Silver Wish Games...
(2009) (Xbox 360, PC)
As 2K Czech
- Mafia IIMafia IIMafia II is a third-person action-adventure video game, the sequel to Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven. It is developed by 2K Czech, previously known as Illusion Softworks, and is published by 2K Games...
(2010) (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) - Top Spin 4Top Spin 4Top Spin 4 is the fourth title in the Top Spin series of tennis video games. developed by 2K Czech and published by 2K Sports released on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii consoles. It is the fourth game in the Top Spin series. The game features licensed professional players, venues and equipment...
(2011) (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii)
Cancelled games
- Enemy in Sight (PC)
- Moscow Rhapsody - the project with accounting value CZK 129 million ($7 million) was terminated in fiscal year 2009