Company:EA Bright Light
 | |
| Formerly | EA UK |
|---|---|
| Type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Video games |
| Predecessor | Bullfrog Productions |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Defunct | 2011 |
| Headquarters | Guildford, England , United Kingdom |
Key people | Harvey Elliott (General Manager)[1] |
| Products | The F.A. Premier League Football Manager series (1997–2001) Harry Potter series (2002–2011) |
Number of employees | 100[2] |
| Parent | Electronic Arts (1995–2011) |
EA Bright Light (formerly known as EA UK) was a British video game developer founded in 1995 by Electronic Arts. The studio was primarily known for its work on licensed franchises such as the video game adaptation of the Harry Potter series. As of 2019, a subsidiary known as EA UK exists, albeit being a publishing operation.
History
EA UK was founded in Chertsey, England , United Kingdom in 1995 by Electronic Arts. In 2001, Bullfrog Productions was merged into EA UK, making it to inherit franchises such as Populous, Dungeon Keeper, Syndicate, and Theme Park.[3]
Originally focusing on developing original IPs, the studio released several well-received titles such as Zubo, the first EA title exclusive to Nintendo DS, in 2008.[4] However, the title was a commercial failure, forcing the company to amend its policy and shift to develop casual games and games that were aiming for younger audience.[2] In later years, they also worked on licensed franchises, such as the video game adaptation of the Harry Potter series, which generally received mixed reviews from critics.[5] The company also worked on few Hasbro-related board game adaptations, such as Hasbro Family Game Night, which was released in 2008.[6]
EA UK was renamed to EA Bright Light in 2008, with its headquarter moved to Guildford, England , United Kingdom .[7] In 2011, after both the movie and the video game franchise of Harry Potter were ended, Electronic Arts began a consultation process to shut down EA Bright Light so as to "help centralise development on future projects, reduce development costs and will allow for better knowledge and talent sharing within the organization".[8] After their last title, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 was released, Electronic Arts silently shut down EA Bright Light by the end of 2011.[9] Most employees from Bright Light joined Criterion Games and Playfish, the remaining 2 subsidiaries of Electronic Arts in UK,[10] while others joined Jagex and Supermassive Games.[2]
Despite EA declaring that Bright Light would revive several IPs from Bullfrog, none of the titles were developed before the company's closure.[11] Before the company's closure, it is known that they were developing a Maxis-related title.[2]
Games developed
| Year | Title | Platform(s) |
|---|---|---|
| as EA UK | ||
| 1997 | FIFA Soccer Manager | Microsoft Windows |
| 1998 | The F.A. Premier League Football Manager 99 | Microsoft Windows |
| 1999 | The F.A. Premier League Stars | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation |
| 1999 | The F.A. Premier League Football Manager 2000 | Microsoft Windows |
| 2000 | The F.A. Premier League Football Manager 2001 | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation |
| 2000 | The F.A. Premier League Stars 2001 | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation |
| 2001 | The F.A. Premier League Football Manager 2002 | Microsoft Windows |
| 2001 | F1 2001 | PlayStation 2, Xbox |
| 2002 | Shox | PlayStation 2 |
| 2002 | FIFA Football 2003 | PlayStation |
| 2002 | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets | PlayStation 2 |
| 2003 | Harry Potter | GameCube, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox |
| 2004 | Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox |
| 2004 | Catwoman | GameCube, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox |
| 2005 | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire | GameCube, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox, PlayStation Portable |
| 2007 | Burnout Dominator | PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 2 |
| 2007 | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, macOS |
| 2007 | The Orange Box | PlayStation 3 |
| as EA Bright Light | ||
| 2008 | Zubo | Nintendo DS |
| 2008 | Monopoly | PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360 |
| 2008 | Hasbro Family Game Night | PlayStation 2, Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS |
| 2009 | Trivial Pursuit | PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360 |
| 2009 | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince | Microsoft Windows, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Xbox 360, macOS |
| 2009 | Need for Speed | PlayStation Portable |
| 2009 | Hasbro Family Game Night 2 | Microsoft Windows, Wii |
| 2009 | Foto Face: The Face Stealer Strikes[12] | DSiWare |
| 2010 | Flips[12] | Nintendo DS |
| 2010 | Hasbro Family Game Night 3 | PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360 |
| 2010 | Create | PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, Wii, Mac |
| 2010 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 | Microsoft Windows, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii |
| 2011 | Spare Parts | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 |
| 2011 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 | Microsoft Windows, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii |
References
- ↑ Daniel Emery. "Inside Games: EA Bright Light Studio". BBC. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8129243.stm.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Rob Crossley (2012-01-05). "EA switches off Bright Light studio". Developer Online. http://www.develop-online.net/news/ea-switches-off-bright-light-studio/0110810.
- ↑ "Bullfrog Productions: A History Of The Legendary UK Developer". 22 February 2012. https://www.nowgamer.com/bullfrog-productions-a-history-of-the-legendary-uk-developer/.
- ↑ Michael French (2008-05-13). "Feature: How new IP Zubo has changed the way EA UK makes games". Developer Online. http://www.develop-online.net/news/feature-how-new-ip-zubo-has-changed-the-way-ea-uk-makes-games/0102831.
- ↑ "EA and Warner Bros. Announce Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Videogame". IGN. 2010-06-01. http://www.ign.com/articles/2010/06/01/ea-and-warner-bros-announce-harry-potter-and-the-deathly-hallows-videogames.
- ↑ "EA Makes Family Game Night Easier Than Ever". IGN. 2009-11-06. http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/11/06/ea-makes-family-game-night-easier-than-ever.
- ↑ Michael French (2007-11-01). "EA to close Chertsey, UK base as part of revamp". Developer Online. http://www.develop-online.net/news/ea-to-close-chertsey-uk-base-as-part-of-revamp/0101890.
- ↑ Jonathan Downin (2011-10-14). "EA considering closure of Harry Potter developer". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-considering-closure-of-harry-potter-developer/1100-6340140/.
- ↑ Tom Curtis (2012-01-05). "Report: EA shuts down Bright Light". Gamasutra. http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/128991/Report_EA_shuts_down_Bright_Light.php.
- ↑ Henry Gilbert (2012-01-02). "EA quietly closed Harry Potter studio Bright Light late last year". GamesRadar. http://www.gamesradar.com/ea-quietly-closed-harry-potter-studio-bright-light-late-last-year/.
- ↑ James Orry (2009-07-20). "There's hope that EA will revive classic Bullfrog IP". VideoGamer.com. http://www.videogamer.com/news/theres_hope_that_ea_will_revive_classic_bullfrog_ip.html.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Michael French (2009-11-30). "EA Bright Light launches DSiWare game". Developer Online. http://www.develop-online.net/news/ea-bright-light-launches-dsiware-game/0105839.
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