Company:Empire Interactive

From HandWiki
Empire Interactive
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryVideo games
FateAdministration
Founded1987; 39 years ago (1987)
Founders
  • Ian Higgins
  • Simon Jeffrey
Defunct1 May 2009 (2009-05-01)
Headquarters
London
,
England
Area served
Europe
Key people
Ian Higgins (CEO; 1987–2008)
Number of employees
55 (2009)
ParentSilverstar Holdings (2006–2009)

Empire Interactive was a British video game developer and publisher based in London. Founded in 1987 by Ian Higgins and Simon Jeffrey, it was acquired by Silverstar Holdings in 2006 and collapsed in 2009.

History

Empire Interactive was founded by Ian Higgins (chief executive officer) and Simon Jeffrey (managing director) in 1987.[1][2] In November 2000, the company acquired development studio Razorworks.[3]

As well as full priced titles, Empire also had a budget range of titles, Xplosiv, for PC and PS2.[4] Initially launched for PC in January 2000, Xplosiv also published titles in Europe from third parties such as Sega and Microsoft.[5][6] Later, in 2003, Empire began launching titles for PS2.[7]

In March 2002 Empire acquired music creation software eJay.[4][8] The company sold internal development studio Strangelite, responsible for Starship Troopers (2005) and various PC ports of Sega games, to Rebellion Developments on 1 June 2006.[9]

Silverstar Holdings, a U.S. public company listed on NASDAQ, offered a deal to acquire Empire Interactive in late October 2006.[10] The deal was accepted by 90% of Empire Interactive's shareholders by late November, and so Silverstar Holdings acquired 85% of Empire Interactive's shares. The deal was valued at approximately yes|yes|GB|}}£4.5 million. Admissions of further Empire Interactive shares on the Alternative Investments Market of the London Stock Exchange, were expected to be cancelled, effective by 20 December.[1][11] Higgins stepped down from his position in May 2008.[2][12] In July, Empire Interactive reduced its staff count by 30%, with the intent to sell Razorworks.[13] Razorworks was sold to and absorbed by Rebellion Developments a few days later.[14] Two months after Silverstar Holdings was delisted from NASDAQ in March 2009, Empire Interactive was placed into administration on 1 May 2009, with KPMG Restructuring appointed as administrator. Subsequently, 49 out of 55 employees were laid off, with the remaining six staying to aiding KPMG Restructuring in the winding-down of the company. Empire Interactive's intellectual property was sold to U.S.-based company New World IP.[15][16] Shortly thereafter, U.S. publisher Zoo Publishing acquired an exclusive licence for the publishing and distribution of Empire Interactive from New World IP.[17][18]

In late June 2026, Işık Şekercigil, a British–Turkish dual citizen with a background in mobile gaming, claimed to have acquired the Empire Interactive trademark and established a company by that name. Unter this brand, Şekercigil further said to have obtained the brand for the defunct 3DO console and the intellectual property for some games by the 3DO Company with plans to revive the console and remaster the games.[19][20] The former was to include a retro console and a licensable console ecosystem, akin to the original 3DO.[21] Throwback Entertainment, which had previously acquired the 3DO's trademark, refuted these claims and said it had never transferred its ownership. Josh Fairhurst, the CEO of Limited Run Games, corroborated that the ownership had not changed hands and branded the revival announcement "not legitimate".[19][20] In early July, Şekercigil claimed that he had obtained the trademark for "The 3DO Company" instead of the console's "3DO" brand.[22] He further announced the abandonment of his plans for the 3DO revival, citing ownership claims raised over both games and hardware, as well as the fear of prolonged legal issues. Instead, he sought to develop original games under the Empire Interactive banner.[22][23][24]

Games

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Boyes, Emma (22 November 2006). "Empire Interactive accepts Silverstar takeover". https://www.gamespot.com/articles/empire-interactive-accepts-silverstar-takeover/1100-6162247/. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Empire Interactive co-founder stands down". 1 May 2008. https://www.mcvuk.com/empire-interactive-co-founder-stands-down/. 
  3. ↑ Walker, Trey (21 November 2000). "Empire Interactive Acquires Razorworks". https://www.gamespot.com/articles/empire-interactive-acquires-razorworks/1100-2657048/. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Corporate". Empire Interactive. 2004. http://www.empireinteractive.com/corporate/. 
  5. ↑ "Empire signs exclusive budget deal with Sega Enterprises for its budget range, Xplosiv". Empire Interactive. October 2000. http://www.empireinteractive.com/corporate/files/pdfs/xplosivsegaoct2000.pdf. 
  6. ↑ "Empire Adds Momentous Value to Xplosiv Range". 20 September 2004. http://www.empireinteractive.com/corporate/files/pdfs/MicrosoftbudgetagreementSept%202004.pdf. 
  7. ↑ "Empire's Xplosiv business expands into PlayStation 2". Empire Interactive. 2 May 2003. http://www.empireinteractive.com/corporate/files/pdfs/ps2budget.pdf. 
  8. ↑ "Empire Acquires eJay". Empire Interactive. 7 March 2002. http://www.empireinteractive.com/corporate/files/pdfs/ejayfinalised.pdf. 
  9. ↑ Jenkins, David (1 June 2006). "Rebellion Acquires Strangelite From Empire". https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/rebellion-acquires-strangelite-from-empire. 
  10. ↑ Boyes, Emma (30 October 2006). "Silverstar to acquire Empire". https://www.gamespot.com/articles/silverstar-to-acquire-empire/1100-6160663/. 
  11. ↑ Boyer, Brandon (4 December 2006). "Empire Accepts 90% Acquisition From Silverstar". https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/empire-accepts-90-acquisition-from-silverstar. 
  12. ↑ Androvich, Mark (1 May 2008). "Empire CEO steps down". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/empire-ceo-steps-down. 
  13. ↑ Jenkins, David (3 July 2008). "Empire Interactive Cuts Staff, Will Sell Studio". https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/empire-interactive-cuts-staff-will-sell-studio. 
  14. ↑ Elliott, Phil (19 July 2008). "Rebellion acquires Razorworks". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/rebellion-acquires-razorworks. 
  15. ↑ "Confirmed: Empire goes into administration". 5 May 2009. https://www.mcvuk.com/confirmed-empire-goes-into-administration/. 
  16. ↑ Martin, Matt (5 May 2009). "Empire IP rights sold as 49 staff made redundant". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/empire-ip-rights-sold-as-49-staff-made-redundant. 
  17. ↑ Graft, Kris (7 May 2009). "Zoo Publishing Picks Up Empire Slate". https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/zoo-publishing-picks-up-empire-slate. 
  18. ↑ Nelson, Randy (7 May 2009). "Empire Interactive's catalog sold to Zoo". https://www.engadget.com/2009/05/07/empire-interactives-catalog-sold-to-zoo/. 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Yarwood, Jack (29 June 2026). ""I'm Currently Of The Opinion That This Is Not Legitimate" – There's Something Weird Going On With 3DO Right Now". https://www.timeextension.com/news/2026/07/im-currently-of-the-opinion-that-this-is-not-legitimate-theres-something-weird-going-on-with-3do-right-now. 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Hayton, Phil (1 July 2026). "33 years later, the 3DO could make an unexpected comeback, but the '90s console revival is already being branded as "not legitimate"". https://www.gamesradar.com/hardware/retro/33-years-later-the-3do-could-make-an-unexpected-comeback-but-the-90s-console-revival-is-already-being-branded-as-not-legitimate/. 
  21. ↑ McFerran, Damien (30 June 2026). "3DO's (Alleged) New Owner "Working Carefully Through Complexities" To Return To The Hardware Arena". https://www.timeextension.com/news/2026/06/3dos-alleged-new-owner-working-carefully-through-complexities-to-return-to-the-hardware-arena. 
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Yarwood, Jack (2 July 2026). "Empire Interactive Withdraws From "3DO Project" Due To "Likelihood Of Prolonged Legal Disputes"". https://www.timeextension.com/news/2026/07/empire-interactive-withdraws-from-3do-project-due-to-likelihood-of-prolonged-legal-disputes. 
  23. ↑ Hayton, Phil (2 July 2026). "Plans to revive the 3DO are already dead, with the publisher claiming it "did not anticipate such fragmentation of rights"". https://www.gamesradar.com/hardware/retro/plans-to-revive-the-3do-are-already-dead-with-the-publisher-claiming-it-did-not-anticipate-such-fragmentation-of-rights/. 
  24. ↑ Cooper, Daniel (2 July 2026). "A strange attempt to revive the 3DO is already dead". https://www.engadget.com/2206578/3do-revival-empire-interactive/. 



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