Junction Point Studios
Encyclopedia
Junction Point Studios is a video game developer
based in Austin
, Texas
. The studio was established in 2005 by Warren Spector
and Art Min, prominent figures in the game development industry. The new studio is based around several former employees of Ion Storm
, where Spector and Min previously worked.
On July 13, 2007, it was announced that Disney Interactive had acquired Junction Point Studios. Junction Point developed Epic Mickey
, a Wii
game which was released on November 25, 2010 in Europe and on November 30 in North America. The game is about Mickey Mouse
's adventure in wasteland where forgotten characters like Oswald the Lucky Rabbit
live. Junction Point has indicated that its game will be a "combination of action and roleplaying, traditional narrative and player choice", and will use Emergent Game Technologies' Gamebryo
Engine. The game has been developed for the Wii
console platform.
There has been speculation regarding the name "Junction Point" — apparently, this name was used by a canceled game at Looking Glass Studios
, where Spector once worked. According to available descriptions, this game was a "massively multiplayer fantasy role-playing game, changed in midstream to a single-player science-fiction role-playing game
." In March 2007, Spector explained the name in an interview:http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20070305/sheffield_01.shtml
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 Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, 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...
. The studio was established in 2005 by Warren Spector
Warren Spector
Warren Spector is a role-playing game designer and a video game designer. He is known for having worked to merge elements of role-playing games and first-person shooters. He currently resides in Austin, Texas with his wife, fantasy writer Caroline L. Spector...
and Art Min, prominent figures in the game development industry. The new studio is based around several former employees of Ion Storm
Ion Storm Inc.
Ion Storm Inc. was a Texas based developer of computer games founded by John Romero, Tom Hall , Todd Porter, and Jerry O'Flaherty, under the slogan "Design is Law"...
, where Spector and Min previously worked.
On July 13, 2007, it was announced that Disney Interactive had acquired Junction Point Studios. Junction Point developed Epic Mickey
Epic Mickey
Epic Mickey is a 2010 Mickey Mouse action-adventure platforming video game designed by Warren Spector and developed by Junction Point Studios for the Wii console...
, a Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
game which was released on November 25, 2010 in Europe and on November 30 in North America. The game is about Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
's adventure in wasteland where forgotten characters like Oswald the Lucky Rabbit
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit is an anthropomorphic rabbit and animated cartoon character created by Ub Iwerks and Walt Disney for films distributed by Universal Pictures in the 1920s and 1930s...
live. Junction Point has indicated that its game will be a "combination of action and roleplaying, traditional narrative and player choice", and will use Emergent Game Technologies' Gamebryo
Gamebryo
Gamebryo is a game engine, originally from Numerical Design Limited , and the successor to NDL's NetImmerse engine.Since the creation of Gamebryo, NDL merged into Emergent Game Technologies...
Engine. The game has been developed for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
console platform.
There has been speculation regarding the name "Junction Point" — apparently, this name was used by a canceled game at Looking Glass Studios
Looking Glass Studios
Looking Glass Studios was a computer game development company during the 1990s.The company originally formed as Looking Glass Technologies, when Blue Sky Productions and Lerner Research merged....
, where Spector once worked. According to available descriptions, this game was a "massively multiplayer fantasy role-playing game, changed in midstream to a single-player science-fiction role-playing game
System Shock 2
System Shock 2 is a 1999 first-person action role-playing video game, designed by Ken Levine for Microsoft Windows. The title is a sequel to the 1994 PC game System Shock, and was co-developed by Irrational Games and Looking Glass Studios...
." In March 2007, Spector explained the name in an interview:http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20070305/sheffield_01.shtml
- When I was with Looking Glass, the last thing I worked on with them on was a concept that I came up with along with Doug ChurchDoug ChurchDoug Church is an American computer game designer and producer. He attended MIT in the late 1980s, but left and went to work with Looking Glass Studios, when they were making primarily MS-DOS-based first-person adventure/shooter/roleplaying games, including Ultima Underworld, Ultima Underworld II,...
and some other guys. It was a very different approach to multiplayer online games called Junction Point. I loved the name and concept. I'm not revealing anything too dramatic since we're not doing the game, though I'd love to some day, but the name spoke to me more as a name for a studio than a name for a game. [...] It's also nice that it abbreviates to JPS, which rolls off the tongue.