Rockstar Vienna
Encyclopedia
Rockstar Vienna was a Vienna
, Austria
-based developer
of video games, and a sub-division of Rockstar Games
. Rockstar Vienna was founded on January 4, 1993, joined Take-Two Interactive
in February 2001, and was announced to join Rockstar Games during the tenth anniversary of the company in 2003. As of 2005, the company claimed to employ an estimated 100 people. It closed on May 11, 2006.
Prior to the 2003 acquisition of the company, Rockstar Vienna had developed several personal computer game
s: Whale's Voyage (1993), Der Clou! (1994), Rent-a-Hero
(1999), Alien Nations (2000) and The Sting! (2001). Rockstar releases include console
ports of titles developed by other subsidiaries of Rockstar Games, including Max Payne
for the Xbox
(2001), Max Payne 2
for the PlayStation 2
and Xbox (2003), and the Grand Theft Auto: Double Pack (containing Grand Theft Auto III
and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
) for the Xbox (2003).
On May 11, 2006, Take-Two Interactive closed their Rockstar Vienna office without any previous announcement, and employees were denied access to their workplace by security personnel in the morning.
On January 17, 2007, the founders of Rockstar Vienna officially announced the formation of their new company Games That Matter Productions GmbH However, this was short lived as Deep Silver announced that it had acquired the studio on August 22, 2007 and was rebranded Deep Silver Vienna.
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
-based 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...
of video games, and a sub-division of Rockstar Games
Rockstar Games
Rockstar Games is a major video game developer and publisher based in New York City, owned by Take-Two Interactive following its purchase of UK video game publisher BMG Interactive. The brand is mostly known for Grand Theft Auto, Max Payne, L.A...
. Rockstar Vienna was founded on January 4, 1993, joined 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...
in February 2001, and was announced to join Rockstar Games during the tenth anniversary of the company in 2003. As of 2005, the company claimed to employ an estimated 100 people. It closed on May 11, 2006.
Prior to the 2003 acquisition of the company, Rockstar Vienna had developed several personal computer game
Personal computer game
A PC game, also known as a computer game, is a video game played on a personal computer, rather than on a video game console or arcade machine...
s: Whale's Voyage (1993), Der Clou! (1994), Rent-a-Hero
Rent-A-Hero
Rent-A-Hero is a top-down role-playing video game series released by Sega for the Mega Drive console in 1991 with a large emphasis on humor. The game features the same graphic engine previously used in the development of Phantasy Star III. However, Rent-A-Hero has an unusual innovation for the genre...
(1999), Alien Nations (2000) and The Sting! (2001). Rockstar releases include 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...
ports of titles developed by other subsidiaries of Rockstar Games, including Max Payne
Max Payne
Max Payne is a BAFTA Award–winning third-person shooter video game developed by Finnish developers Remedy Entertainment and published by Gathering of Developers in July 2001 for Microsoft Windows. Ports created later in the year for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and the GameBoy Advance were published by...
for 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...
(2001), Max Payne 2
Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne
Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne is a third-person shooter video game developed by Remedy Entertainment for Microsoft Windows and Rockstar Vienna for the Xbox & PlayStation 2 and published by Rockstar Games. The game is a direct sequel to Max Payne and is followed by Max Payne 3...
for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The 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...
and Xbox (2003), and the Grand Theft Auto: Double Pack (containing Grand Theft Auto III
Grand Theft Auto III
Grand Theft Auto III is a 2001 open world action computer and video game developed by DMA Design in the United Kingdom, and published by Rockstar Games. It is the first 3D title in the Grand Theft Auto series. It was released in October 2001 for the PlayStation 2, May 2002 for Microsoft Windows,...
and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is a 2002 open world action computer and video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the second 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise and sixth original title overall...
) for the Xbox (2003).
On May 11, 2006, Take-Two Interactive closed their Rockstar Vienna office without any previous announcement, and employees were denied access to their workplace by security personnel in the morning.
On January 17, 2007, the founders of Rockstar Vienna officially announced the formation of their new company Games That Matter Productions GmbH However, this was short lived as Deep Silver announced that it had acquired the studio on August 22, 2007 and was rebranded Deep Silver Vienna.
Games
as Rockstar Vienna- Max PayneMax PayneMax Payne is a BAFTA Award–winning third-person shooter video game developed by Finnish developers Remedy Entertainment and published by Gathering of Developers in July 2001 for Microsoft Windows. Ports created later in the year for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and the GameBoy Advance were published by...
(2001) (Xbox) (with Remedy EntertainmentRemedy EntertainmentRemedy Entertainment is a Finnish computer game developer founded in 1995 and based in Espoo, Finland. The company is best known for its Max Payne and Alan Wake series of video games.-History:...
, Rockstar TorontoRockstar TorontoRockstar Toronto is an in-house game development team for Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive, located in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, a town located approximately thirty-five kilometres west of Toronto...
, and Rockstar LeedsRockstar LeedsRockstar Leeds is a British video game developer. Based in the eponymous city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, Rockstar Leeds has primarily published handheld games for Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance , as well as developing Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition and the Grand Theft Auto Stories games for the...
) - Max Payne 2 (2003) (Xbox, PS2) (with Remedy EntertainmentRemedy EntertainmentRemedy Entertainment is a Finnish computer game developer founded in 1995 and based in Espoo, Finland. The company is best known for its Max Payne and Alan Wake series of video games.-History:...
) - Grand Theft Auto IIIGrand Theft Auto IIIGrand Theft Auto III is a 2001 open world action computer and video game developed by DMA Design in the United Kingdom, and published by Rockstar Games. It is the first 3D title in the Grand Theft Auto series. It was released in October 2001 for the PlayStation 2, May 2002 for Microsoft Windows,...
(2003) (Xbox) (with Rockstar NorthRockstar NorthRockstar North is a British video game developer based in Edinburgh, Scotland, best known for creating the Grand Theft Auto and Lemmings franchises in its earlier guise as DMA....
) - Grand Theft Auto: Vice CityGrand Theft Auto: Vice CityGrand Theft Auto: Vice City is a 2002 open world action computer and video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the second 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise and sixth original title overall...
(2003) (Xbox) (with Rockstar NorthRockstar NorthRockstar North is a British video game developer based in Edinburgh, Scotland, best known for creating the Grand Theft Auto and Lemmings franchises in its earlier guise as DMA....
) - Manhunt 2Manhunt 2Manhunt 2 is an action/adventure video game developed by Rockstar Games and the sequel to 2003's Manhunt. The game was released in North America for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and Wii on October 29, 2007....
(2007) (PS2, PSP, Wii) (with Rockstar NorthRockstar NorthRockstar North is a British video game developer based in Edinburgh, Scotland, best known for creating the Grand Theft Auto and Lemmings franchises in its earlier guise as DMA....
, Rockstar LondonRockstar LondonRockstar London is an English video game developer, and in 2005 was the second newest studio to join the Rockstar Games family. Notable productions include Manhunt 2 for the PlayStation 2....
, Rockstar LeedsRockstar LeedsRockstar Leeds is a British video game developer. Based in the eponymous city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, Rockstar Leeds has primarily published handheld games for Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance , as well as developing Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition and the Grand Theft Auto Stories games for the...
, and Rockstar TorontoRockstar TorontoRockstar Toronto is an in-house game development team for Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive, located in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, a town located approximately thirty-five kilometres west of Toronto...
) Upon closure of the studio, the game moved to Rockstar LondonRockstar LondonRockstar London is an English video game developer, and in 2005 was the second newest studio to join the Rockstar Games family. Notable productions include Manhunt 2 for the PlayStation 2....
.
External links
- Rockstar Vienna 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...
. - GamesIndustry.biz: "Rockstar officially confirms closure of Vienna studio". (Registration Required)
- Jurie Horneman's comments of Rockstar Vienna's closure.