Red Storm Entertainment
Encyclopedia
Ubisoft Red Storm is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ubisoft Entertainment
, specializing in video games and related merchandise, mainly based on the works of the writer Tom Clancy
. The company develops and markets their own CD
/DVD
-ROM games. The headquarters for Red Storm is currently located in Cary, North Carolina.
and Doug Littlejohns, a British Navy Captain founded Red Storm Entertainment in 1996. Originally part of Virtus
, the company released its first game – Tom Clancy’s Politika, the first in the Power Plays series – in 1997. Based in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina, Red Storm quickly gained a reputation with games like Dominant Species, one of the first 3D
realtime strategy games. However, it was with Rainbow Six (1998) that the company firmly established itself commercially. In contrast to the run-and-gun first person shooters(FPS) that had gone before, Rainbow Six was the first true tactical FPS, a game that rewarded patience and planning as well as good aim and a keen eye. Developed alongside the novel of the same name, Rainbow Six introduced terms like “one shot, one kill” and “tango down” into the gamer lexicon. Its ground-breaking multiplayer action, including a new form of cooperative
gameplay, set the standard for tactical multiplayer.
Red Storm followed on the success of Rainbow Six
with a mission pack, Eagle Watch, and then in 2000 with a sequel, Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear. The company also expanded into turn-based strategy (ruthless.com and Shadow Watch) and military RTS (Force 21). In August 2000 Ubisoft
purchased the studio. At the time of the sale, Red Storm was already producing Ghost Recon
.
Released in 2001, Ghost Recon
won multiple “Game of the Year” awards. The Xbox
version also marked the first time RSE ventured into in-house console development, and was the first Xbox Live
! title to truly take advantage of the possibilities of console multiplayer. Follow-up add-ons like Island Thunder continued to expand the world of the Ghosts, while Red Storm itself grew and moved offices to a new location in Morrisville, NC. By 2003, Ubisoft
was ready to consolidate its North Carolina operations. Ubisoft’s other area studio, Sinister Games in downtown Raleigh, was integrated into Red Storm, with the central base of operations remaining at the Morrisville location.
In 2004, Red Storm released Ghost Recon 2, the follow-up to the original game, designed by now Lead Designer Christian Allen. Delivered on Xbox, it signaled the company’s transition to primarily console development. It produced an add-on, Summit Strike, in 2005, which moved the action to Kazakhstan, as well as downloadable content, something which would become a hallmark of the franchise. More recently, Red Storm has developed the multiplayer aspects of both iterations of the Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter series. It won the BAFTA's Game of the Year and Best Technical Achievement awards in 2006.
Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....
, specializing in video games and related merchandise, mainly based on the works of the writer Tom Clancy
Tom Clancy
Thomas Leo "Tom" Clancy, Jr. is an American author, best known for his technically detailed espionage, military science, and techno thriller storylines set during and in the aftermath of the Cold War, along with video games on which he did not work, but which bear his name for licensing and...
. The company develops and markets their own CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
/DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
-ROM games. The headquarters for Red Storm is currently located in Cary, North Carolina.
History
Tom ClancyTom Clancy
Thomas Leo "Tom" Clancy, Jr. is an American author, best known for his technically detailed espionage, military science, and techno thriller storylines set during and in the aftermath of the Cold War, along with video games on which he did not work, but which bear his name for licensing and...
and Doug Littlejohns, a British Navy Captain founded Red Storm Entertainment in 1996. Originally part of Virtus
Virtus
In Roman mythology, Virtus was the deity of bravery and military strength, the personification of the Roman virtue of virtus. The Greek equivalent deity was Arete....
, the company released its first game – Tom Clancy’s Politika, the first in the Power Plays series – in 1997. Based in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina, Red Storm quickly gained a reputation with games like Dominant Species, one of the first 3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
realtime strategy games. However, it was with Rainbow Six (1998) that the company firmly established itself commercially. In contrast to the run-and-gun first person shooters(FPS) that had gone before, Rainbow Six was the first true tactical FPS, a game that rewarded patience and planning as well as good aim and a keen eye. Developed alongside the novel of the same name, Rainbow Six introduced terms like “one shot, one kill” and “tango down” into the gamer lexicon. Its ground-breaking multiplayer action, including a new form of cooperative
Cooperative
A cooperative is a business organization owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit...
gameplay, set the standard for tactical multiplayer.
Red Storm followed on the success of Rainbow Six
Rainbow Six
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six is a media franchise created by American author Tom Clancy about a fictional international counter-terrorist unit called "Rainbow." The franchise began with Clancy's novel Rainbow Six, which was adapted into a successful series of tactical first-person shooter video games.-...
with a mission pack, Eagle Watch, and then in 2000 with a sequel, Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear. The company also expanded into turn-based strategy (ruthless.com and Shadow Watch) and military RTS (Force 21). In August 2000 Ubisoft
Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....
purchased the studio. At the time of the sale, Red Storm was already producing Ghost Recon
Ghost Recon
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon is an American series of military tactical shooter video games created by Red Storm Entertainment, the game development studio founded in part by American author Tom Clancy....
.
Released in 2001, Ghost Recon
Ghost Recon
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon is an American series of military tactical shooter video games created by Red Storm Entertainment, the game development studio founded in part by American author Tom Clancy....
won multiple “Game of the Year” awards. The 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...
version also marked the first time RSE ventured into in-house console development, and was the first Xbox Live
Xbox Live
Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation. It is currently the only online gaming service on consoles that charges users a fee to play multiplayer gaming. It was first made available to the Xbox system in 2002...
! title to truly take advantage of the possibilities of console multiplayer. Follow-up add-ons like Island Thunder continued to expand the world of the Ghosts, while Red Storm itself grew and moved offices to a new location in Morrisville, NC. By 2003, Ubisoft
Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....
was ready to consolidate its North Carolina operations. Ubisoft’s other area studio, Sinister Games in downtown Raleigh, was integrated into Red Storm, with the central base of operations remaining at the Morrisville location.
In 2004, Red Storm released Ghost Recon 2, the follow-up to the original game, designed by now Lead Designer Christian Allen. Delivered on Xbox, it signaled the company’s transition to primarily console development. It produced an add-on, Summit Strike, in 2005, which moved the action to Kazakhstan, as well as downloadable content, something which would become a hallmark of the franchise. More recently, Red Storm has developed the multiplayer aspects of both iterations of the Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter series. It won the BAFTA's Game of the Year and Best Technical Achievement awards in 2006.
PC games
- Tom Clancy's PolitikaTom Clancy's PolitikaTom Clancy's Politika is a Risk-like game for the PC made by Red Storm Entertainment based on the Tom Clancy's Power Plays novel "Politika"....
(1997) - Dominant Species (1998)
- Tom Clancy's ruthless.comTom Clancy's ruthless.comTom Clancy's ruthless.com is a computer game based on Tom Clancy's Power Plays novel ruthless.com. It was published in 1998 by Red Storm Entertainment. The game puts the player in the position of CEO of a new software company...
(1998) - Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six (1998)
- Rainbow Six: Eagle Watch (expansion; 1999)
- Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Rogue SpearTom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Rogue SpearTom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear is a tactical first-person shooter computer game developed and published by Red Storm Entertainment. It is the sequel to the critically acclaimed Rainbow Six game based on the Tom Clancy novel of the same name....
(1999)- Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear: Urban Operations (expansion; 2000)
- Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear: Covert Ops (expansion; 2000)
- Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear: Black Thorn (expansion; 2001)
- Force 21Force 21Force 21 is a Real-time Strategy game made by Red Storm Entertainment that features a storyline which has US forces fighting PRC forces in the year 2015. It was published in the US in late 1999....
(1999) - Bang! Gunship EliteBang! Gunship EliteBang! Gunship Elite is a space combat simulator that was released for both the Dreamcast and the PC. Similar in play style to games like Wing Commander, or Descent: FreeSpace – The Great War, it allows the player to fly a combat spacecaft in a fully 3D environment and fight enemies piloting...
(2000) - Shadow WatchShadow WatchShadow Watch is a 2000 computer game by Red Storm Entertainment. It is a turn-based tactics game in which the player fights a conspiracy to halt construction of an international space station. It is based on the Tom Clancy's Power Plays novel "Shadow Watch".The player's team consists of six...
(2000) - Anne McCaffreyAnne McCaffreyAnne Inez McCaffrey was an American-born Irish writer, best known for her Dragonriders of Pern series. Over the course of her 46 year career she won a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award...
's Freedom: First Resistance (2000) - Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon (2001)
- Ghost Recon: Desert Siege (expansion; 2002)
- Ghost Recon: Island Thunder (expansion; 2002)
- The Sum of All Fears (2002)
- Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3: Raven ShieldTom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3: Raven ShieldTom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield is a computer game developed and published by Ubisoft and released on March 18, 2003. The Rainbow Six video game series is based on Tom Clancy's best-selling novel of the same name....
(2003) - Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: LockdownTom Clancy's Rainbow Six: LockdownTom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Lockdown is the fourth game in the Rainbow Six series. The initial design and PlayStation 2 version were developed by Red Storm Entertainment and the Xbox version was developed by the Ubisoft Montreal studio. Both are published by Ubisoft...
(2005) - Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier (2012)
- Tom Clancy's Rainbow 6: PatriotsTom Clancy's Rainbow 6: PatriotsTom Clancy's Rainbow 6: Patriots is an upcoming first person shooter video game, part of the Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six series and set to be released in 2013. It is published by Ubisoft, and is developed by the company's Ubisoft Montreal, with additional development by Ubisoft Toronto and Ubisoft Red...
(2013)
Console games
- Aironauts (PlayStationPlayStationThe 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...
) (1999) - Bang! Gunship EliteBang! Gunship EliteBang! Gunship Elite is a space combat simulator that was released for both the Dreamcast and the PC. Similar in play style to games like Wing Commander, or Descent: FreeSpace – The Great War, it allows the player to fly a combat spacecaft in a fully 3D environment and fight enemies piloting...
(2000) (Dreamcast) - Tom Clancy's Rainbow SixTom Clancy's Rainbow SixTom Clancy's Rainbow Six is a tactical shooter computer game and the first in the Rainbow Six series. It was developed and published by Red Storm Entertainment for the PC in 1998. It was later ported to Mac OS, Nintendo 64, PlayStation, Dreamcast and Game Boy Color. An expansion pack, Tom Clancy's...
(Nintendo 64Nintendo 64The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
, PlayStationPlayStationThe 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...
) (1999), (Dreamcast) (2000) - Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Rogue SpearTom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Rogue SpearTom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear is a tactical first-person shooter computer game developed and published by Red Storm Entertainment. It is the sequel to the critically acclaimed Rainbow Six game based on the Tom Clancy novel of the same name....
(Dreamcast) (2000), (PlayStationPlayStationThe 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...
) (2001) - The Sum of All Fears (GameBoy Advance, GameCube) (2002)
- Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon (PlayStationPlayStationThe 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...
, XboxXboxThe 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...
) (2002), (GameCube) (2003) - Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Island ThunderTom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Island ThunderTom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Island Thunder is an expansion pack for Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon, released for Windows and Xbox.-Plot Summary:In 2010 Cuba is free, or at least it's supposed to be. Since Fidel Castro's death in the storyline in 2006, the island of Cuba is wary of the communist rule it had...
(XboxXboxThe 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...
) (2003) - Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Jungle StormTom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Jungle StormTom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Jungle Storm is an expansion of Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon for the PlayStation 2. It contains the content of Island Thunder along with eight new single-player missions set in Colombia and additional multiplayer maps...
(PlayStation 2PlayStation 2The 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...
) (2004) - Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2 is the third console installment in the popular Ghost Recon tactical shooter video game series, published by Ubisoft. It is a sequel to Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon....
(PlayStation 2PlayStation 2The 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...
, XboxXboxThe 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...
(2004), (GameCube) (2005) - Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2: Summit StrikeTom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2: Summit StrikeTom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2: Summit Strike is the expansion to Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2. There are several minor differences between Summit Strike, and Ghost Recon 2. The most notable being the difficulty, Summit Strike being regarded as the harder of the two...
(XboxXboxThe 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...
) (2005) - Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: LockdownTom Clancy's Rainbow Six: LockdownTom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Lockdown is the fourth game in the Rainbow Six series. The initial design and PlayStation 2 version were developed by Red Storm Entertainment and the Xbox version was developed by the Ubisoft Montreal studio. Both are published by Ubisoft...
(PlayStation 2PlayStation 2The 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...
, XboxXboxThe 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...
, GameCube) (2005) - Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced WarfighterTom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced WarfighterTom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter is the third installment in the popular Ghost Recon tactical shooter video game series, published by Ubisoft in 2006. As in previous Ghost Recon games, players command their team of Ghosts while neutralizing hostile forces and completing various mission...
(Xbox 360Xbox 360The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
) (2006) - Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 is the sequel to Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter. It expands on the game play of Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter and is the fourth installment in the popular Ghost Recon tactical shooter video game series, published by Ubisoft.The game...
(PlayStation 3PlayStation 3The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, Xbox 360Xbox 360The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
) (2007) - America's Army: True SoldiersAmerica's Army: True SoldiersAmerica’s Army: True Soldiers is a first-person shooter video game developed by Red Storm Entertainment and published by Ubisoft. It was released on November 17, 2007...
(Xbox 360Xbox 360The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
) (2007) - Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier (2012)
- Tom Clancy's Rainbow 6: PatriotsTom Clancy's Rainbow 6: PatriotsTom Clancy's Rainbow 6: Patriots is an upcoming first person shooter video game, part of the Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six series and set to be released in 2013. It is published by Ubisoft, and is developed by the company's Ubisoft Montreal, with additional development by Ubisoft Toronto and Ubisoft Red...
(2013)
External links
- Red Storm Entertainment's official website
- Red Storm Entertainment's Facebook
- Red Storm Entertainment entry at MobyGamesMobyGames-Platforms not yet included:- Further reading :* Rusel DeMaria, Johnny L. Wilson, High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media; 2 edition , ISBN 0-07-223172-6...
- Linkedin.com/companies