Company:Backbone Entertainment
| Type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Fate | Dissolved |
| Founded | 2003 |
| Defunct | 2015 |
| Headquarters | Emeryville, California , US |
| Products | Death Jr. |
| Parent | Foundation 9 Entertainment (2005–2015) |
Backbone Entertainment was an American video game developer based in Emeryville, California. The company was formed in 2003 as the result of a merger between developers Digital Eclipse and ImaginEngine. In 2005, Backbone merged with The Collective to form Foundation 9 Entertainment.
History
Backbone Entertainment was formed in 2003 through a merger between Digital Eclipse, a developer of emulations of arcade games, and ImaginEngine, an edutainment games developer. ImaginEngine remained an independent studio, based in Framingham, Massachusetts, while Digital Eclipse's studios were absorbed by Backbone, becoming Backbone Emeryville and Backbone Vancouver, respectively.[1][2] In 2004, in co-operation with the University of Hawaii, Backbone opened an office in Honolulu, Hawaii, under the lead of Backbone's chairman, Mark Loughridge.[3][4] On March 29, 2005, Backbone Entertainment announced that it was merging with another developer, The Collective, to form Foundation 9 Entertainment.[5] By this point, Backbone also operated Games2Learn, another edutainment game developer.[5] Later in 2005, Backbone first rose to prominence with the release of Death Jr., a game for PlayStation Portable.[6]
In February 2006, Backbone opened another subsidiary studio, Backbone Charlottetown, in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, under the lead of Andrew Ayre.[7] In May 2007, the new studio, including Ayre and several former Digital Eclipse employees, spun off from Backbone and became Other Ocean Interactive, aiming at showcasing Digital Eclipse's former traits in a smaller fashion.[8][9] In September 2008, Backbone let go most people employed at its Vancouver studio, followed by a full closure of the studio in May 2009.[10][11] In October 2012, Backbone laid off the majority of its Emeryville-based staff to avoid closing completely.[12] A few days later, it was reported that ImaginEngine had shut down, leaving 25 people, including studio head Randall Sanborn, out of work.[1]
Subsidiaries
- Backbone Charlottetown (2006–2007)
- Backbone Emeryville (2003–2015)
- Backbone Vancouver (2003–2009)
- Games2Learn
- ImaginEngine (2003–2012)
Games developed
| Year | Title | Platform(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | The Incredibles: Escape from Nomanisan Island | Microsoft Windows |
| 2005 | Rifts | N-Gage |
| Death Jr. | PlayStation Portable | |
| Namco Museum 50th Anniversary | GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox | |
| Smash TV | Xbox 360 | |
| Gauntlet | Xbox 360 | |
| Joust | Xbox 360 | |
| 2006 | Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 | Xbox 360 |
| Time Pilot | Xbox 360 | |
| Scramble | Xbox 360 | |
| Robotron | Xbox 360 | |
| Contra | Xbox 360 | |
| Frogger | Xbox 360 | |
| Defender | Xbox 360 | |
| Age of Empires | Nintendo DS | |
| Charlotte's Web | Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS | |
| Death Jr. II | PlayStation Portable, Wii | |
| NBA Ballers | PlayStation Portable | |
| Sonic Rivals | PlayStation Portable | |
| MechAssault | Nintendo DS | |
| 2007 | Castlevania | Xbox 360 |
| Streets of Rage 2 | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | |
| Sonic the Hedgehog 2 | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | |
| Sonic the Hedgehog | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | |
| Ecco the Dolphin | Xbox 360 | |
| Golden Axe | Xbox 360 | |
| Yie Ar Kung-Fu | Xbox 360 | |
| Track & Field | Xbox 360 | |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Xbox 360 | |
| Super Contra | Xbox 360 | |
| Rush'n Attack | Xbox 360 | |
| Root Beer Tapper | Xbox 360 | |
| Paperboy | Xbox 360 | |
| Gyruss | Xbox 360 | |
| Cyberball 2072 | Xbox 360 | |
| Bomberman Live | Xbox 360 | |
| Death Jr. and the Science Fair of Doom | Nintendo DS | |
| Sonic the Hedgehog | iOS | |
| Brooktown High | PlayStation Portable | |
| Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | |
| Sonic Rivals 2 | PlayStation Portable | |
| Shrek n' Roll | Xbox 360 | |
| Yaris | Xbox 360 | |
| 2008 | Discs of Tron | Xbox 360 |
| Monster Lab | Wii | |
| Wolf of the Battlefield | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | |
| 1942: Joint Strike | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | |
| Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | |
| Tron | Xbox 360 | |
| 2009 | Altered Beast | Xbox 360 |
| Comix Zone | Xbox 360 | |
| Diner Dash | Xbox 360 | |
| Gunstar Heroes | Xbox 360 | |
| Military Madness | Xbox 360 | |
| Phantasy Star II | Xbox 360 | |
| Space Invaders Extreme | Xbox 360 | |
| Shinobi | Xbox 360 | |
| Sonic & Knuckles | Xbox 360 | |
| Sonic the Hedgehog 3 | Xbox 360 | |
| Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection | PS3, Xbox 360 | |
| G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra | Nintendo DS | |
| Rock Band Unplugged | PlayStation Portable | |
| Lego Rock Band | Nintendo DS | |
| Marvel vs. Capcom 2 | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | |
| 2010 | X-Men | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 |
| Rock Band 3 | Nintendo DS, Wii | |
| 2011 | Ugly Americans | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 |
| Sonic Generations (Emulation for Sonic the Hedgehog) | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | |
| Zombie Apocalypse | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | |
| 2012 | The Simpsons Arcade Game | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 |
| Dance Central 3 | Xbox 360 | |
| Midway Arcade Origins | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Takahashi, Dean (October 12, 2012). "ImaginEngine game studio shuts down (exclusive)". https://venturebeat.com/2012/10/12/imaginengine-game-studio-shuts-down-exclusive/.
- ↑ Adams, David (August 19, 2005). "Foundation 9 Goes Next-Gen". https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/08/19/foundation-9-goes-next-gen.
- ↑ Reyes, B.J. (February 3, 2004). "Software company seeks talent from university's media academy". http://archives.starbulletin.com/2004/02/03/business/index4.html.
- ↑ Hao, Sean (April 11, 2004). "Making a game of it". http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2004/Apr/11/bz/bz02a.html.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Jenkins, David (March 29, 2005). "Backbone Entertainment, The Collective To Merge". https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/96165/Backbone_Entertainment_The_Collective_To_Merge.php.
- ↑ Krupa, Daniel (October 9, 2012). "Death Jr. Dev Faces Closure". https://www.ign.com/articles/2012/10/09/death-jr-dev-faces-closure.
- ↑ Carless, Simon (February 6, 2006). "Foundation 9 To Open New Canadian Studio". https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/99006/Foundation_9_To_Open_New_Canadian_Studio.php.
- ↑ VB Staff (September 22, 2017). "Other Ocean: Building the past, the future, and the present". https://venturebeat.com/2017/09/22/other-ocean-building-the-past-the-future-and-the-present/.
- ↑ Boyer, Brandon (April 7, 2008). "Other Ocean: iPhone To Be 'Major Player' In Handheld Market". https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/109109/Other_Ocean_iPhone_To_Be_Major_Player_In_Handheld_Market.php.
- ↑ Kyllo, Blaine (January 28, 2009). "Vancouver's video game family tree". https://www.straight.com/article-198534/video-game-family-tree.
- ↑ Lavender, Terry (November 18, 2009). "Is it Game Over for Vancouver's Video Game Industry? Not quite yet". https://www.vancouverobserver.com/blogs/megabytes/2009/11/18/it-game-over-vancouvers-video-game-industry-not-quite-yet.
- ↑ Rose, Mike (October 9, 2012). "Layoffs at digital game studio Backbone Entertainment". https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/179049/Layoffs_at_digital_game_studio_Backbone_Entertainment.php.
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