Company:Night Dive Studios
 | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video game industry |
| Founded | November 7, 2012 in Vancouver, Washington (state) , United States |
| Founder | Stephen Kick |
| Headquarters | Portland, Oregon , Oregon , |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | |
| Products | Video games |
| Website | nightdivestudios |
Night Dive Studios, LLC (stylized as Nightdive Studios) is an American video game development company that was founded on November 7, 2012 by video game artist Stephen Kick (formerly of Sony Online Entertainment) in Vancouver, Washington. Based in Portland, Oregon , the company is best known for obtaining rights to classic video games that are no longer available, updating them for compatibility with modern platforms, and re-releasing them into digital distribution.
Their first release was an updated version of System Shock 2, a classic from 1999 which influenced many later video games.[1]
History
Stephen Kick had been a character artist with Sony Online Entertainment but had found the desire to make his own games.[2] He took time to travel around the world, bringing some video games along with him to find inspiration, but was surprised that he could not find a legal way to acquire System Shock 2, which had seemingly fallen into abandonware.[2][3] Kick began investigating the situation for this, and discovered that System Shock 2's intellectual property (IP) rights were hung up between Electronic Arts, the game's publisher, and Meadowbrook Insurance Group (a subsidiary of Star Insurance Company) which had acquired the assets to the game's developer, Looking Glass Studios, after their closure.[4][3] Kick approached Meadowbrook to negotiate the rights to System Shock 2 as to be able to port the game for modern systems. Meadowbrook agreed, and with that, Kick founded Night Dive Studios in late 2012 to support this effort.[2] The version was eventually released through GOG.com in February 2013, where System Shock 2 had been one of the most requested games from consumers, with other storefronts following later.[5][6][7]
With this release, Kick decided to continue Night Dive in similar efforts to bring back older games to modern systems.[2] In 2013, the studio released updated versions of I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream, a video game designed by science fiction author Harlan Ellison and based on his eponymous short story,[8][9] Wizardry VI, VII, and 8,[10] and two Trilobyte titles The 7th Guest and The 11th Hour.[11]
In 2014, Night Dive Studios re-released 28 titles from the Humongous Entertainment children’s adventure games catalog,[12] as well as the cult classic adventure game Bad Mojo. The company also generated speculation that it might be planning to re-release The Operative, as news sources took notice of a Night Dive Studios trademark filing that included material referencing the No One Lives Forever franchise.[13][14] CEO Kick responded to these rumors by saying that the company could not comment on future releases for the time being.[15] Kick later revealed that they had indeed been working on trying to acquire the publishing rights for both No One Lives Forever and its sequel, to the point where they had the original source code to construct a remake of the title, but could not get the three companies with stake in the games' IP, Activision, 20th Century Fox, and Warner Bros., to negotiate the rights.[16]
2014 also saw the company’s participation in the Humble Bundle series of games collections, with a Humble Bundle package in May 2014 that featured all of the company’s titles through that date,[17] and a "flash sale" bundle in July that featured the company's Humongous Entertainment re-release titles.[18]
In December 2014, Night Dive Studios coordinated the re-release of the 1996 first-person shooter role playing hybrid game Strife as Strife: Veteran Edition, after acquiring rights to the game. Because the game's source code had been lost, a derivative of the Chocolate Doom subproject Chocolate Strife was used as the game's engine, with its original programmers being contracted to do additional coding for the re-release. The source code of Strife: Veteran Edition has been made available under GPLv3 on GitHub by Night Dive Studios' and Samuel "Kaiser" Villarreal on December 12, 2014.[19] While this was the first source code opened for a Night Dive Studios release, Stephen Kick announced his commitment in recovering, preserving and also opening of more source code in a Reddit AMA in 2016.[20]
In February 2015, it was announced by CEO Kick that they were working on re-releasing PowerSlave for digital distribution services with an added bonus of porting the Saturn version into the package. Kick also announced that he was working with the original developers of Noctropolis and the original source code and the updated package will feature remastered music, widescreen support and bug fixes.[20]
On September 22, 2015, Night Dive Studios released the original System Shock in the Enhanced Edition that adds support for more resolutions and mouselook. Night Dive Studios has since announced it has acquired full rights to the System Shock series, and are considering developing a third title in the series, as well as remakes for both previous titles, working with original concept artist Robert Waters for some of the design.[1]
On November 4, at Fragments of Silicon, Stephen Kick announced new upcoming releases from both, Night Dive Studios and the Retroism brand, including Titanic, Starlord, Forsaken and Machines: Wired for War.[21]
On April 6, again at Fragments of Silicon, a returning Stephen Kick further confirmed that they were working on looking into the revival of the classic WARP/Kenji Eno game D which had been published by Acclaim in 1996.[22]
Games
Original intellectual property
| Year of release | Title | Developer(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Strife: Veteran Edition |
|
| 2015 | Spirits of Xanadu | Good Morning, Commander |
| System Shock: Enhanced Edition |
| |
| 2016 | Womb Room | Bearded Eye |
| 2020 | System Shock | Night Dive Studios |
| TBA | System Shock 3 | OtherSide Entertainment |
Acquisitions
| Year of re-release | Year of original release | Title | Developer(s) | Original publisher(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 1999 | System Shock 2 | Electronic Arts | |
| 1990 | Wizardry 6: Bane of the Cosmic Forge | Sir-Tech | Sir-Tech | |
| 1990 | Wizardry 7: Crusaders of the Dark Savant | Sir-Tech | Sir-Tech | |
| 2001 | Wizardry 8 | Sir-Tech Canada | Sir-Tech | |
| 1995 | I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream | The Dreamers Guild | Cyberdreams | |
| 1999 | Shadow Man | Acclaim Studios Teesside | Acclaim Entertainment | |
| 1993 | The 7th Guest | Trilobyte | Virgin Interactive Entertainment | |
| 1995 | The 11th Hour | Trilobyte | Virgin Interactive Entertainment | |
| 2014 | 1996 | Harvester | DigiFX Interactive | Merit Studios |
| 1997 | Spy Fox in "Dry Cereal" | Humongous Entertainment | Humongous Entertainment | |
| 1996 | Putt-Putt and Pep's Balloon-o-Rama | Humongous Entertainment | Humongous Entertainment | |
| 1996 | Freddi Fish and Luther's Maze Madness | Humongous Entertainment | Humongous Entertainment | |
| 1992 | Putt-Putt Joins the Parade | Humongous Entertainment | Humongous Entertainment | |
| 1996 | Pajama Sam: No Need to Hide When It's Dark Outside | Humongous Entertainment | Humongous Entertainment | |
| 1994 | Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds | Humongous Entertainment | Humongous Entertainment | |
| 1999 | Spy Fox 2: "Some Assembly Required" | Humongous Entertainment | Humongous Entertainment | |
| 1996 | Putt-Putt and Pep's Dog on a Stick | Humongous Entertainment | Humongous Entertainment | |
| 1996 | Freddi Fish and Luther's Water Worries | Humongous Entertainment | Humongous Entertainment | |
| 1998 | Pajama Sam 2: Thunder and Lightning Aren't so Frightening | Humongous Entertainment | Humongous Entertainment | |
| 1996 | Freddi Fish 2: The Case of the Haunted Schoolhouse | Humongous Entertainment | Humongous Entertainment | |
| 1993 | Putt-Putt Goes to the Moon | Humongous Entertainment | Humongous Entertainment | |
| 1994 | Putt-Putt and Fatty Bear's Activity Pack | Humongous Entertainment | Humongous Entertainment | |
| 1997 | Putt-Putt Travels Through Time | Humongous Entertainment | Humongous Entertainment | |
| 2001 | Spy Fox 3: "Operation Ozone" | Humongous Entertainment | Infogrames | |
| 2000 | Pajama Sam 3: You Are What You Eat from Your Head to Your Feet | Humongous Entertainment | Humongous Entertainment | |
| 1998 | Freddi Fish 3: The Case of the Stolen Conch Shell | Humongous Entertainment | Humongous Entertainment | |
| 1998 | Spy Fox in Cheese Chase | Humongous Entertainment | Humongous Entertainment | |
| 2003 | Pajama Sam: Life Is Rough When You Lose Your Stuff! | Humongous Entertainment | Atari, Inc. | |
| 1999 | Freddi Fish 4: The Case of the Hogfish Rustlers of Briny Gulch | Humongous Entertainment | Humongous Entertainment | |
| 1998 | Putt-Putt Enters the Race | Humongous Entertainment | Humongous Entertainment | |
| 2000 | Putt-Putt Joins the Circus | Humongous Entertainment | Humongous Entertainment | |
| 2003 | Putt-Putt: Pep's Birthday Surprise | Humongous Entertainment | Atari, Inc. | |
| 1999 | Spy Fox in Hold the Mustard | Humongous Entertainment | Humongous Entertainment | |
| 1997 | Pajama Sam's Sock Works | Humongous Entertainment | Humongous Entertainment | |
| 1998 | Pajama Sam's Lost & Found | Humongous Entertainment | Humongous Entertainment | |
| 2001 | Freddi Fish 5: The Case of the Creature of Coral Cove | Humongous Entertainment | Infogrames | |
| 1994 | Tex Murphy: Under a Killing Moon | Access Software | Access Software | |
| 1989 | Tex Murphy: Mean Streets | Access Software | Access Software | |
| 1991 | Tex Murphy: Martian Memorandum | Access Software | Access Software | |
| 1996 | Tex Murphy: The Pandora Directive | Access Software | Access Software | |
| 1998 | Tex Murphy | Access Software | Access Software | |
| 1995 | Putt-Putt Saves the Zoo | Humongous Entertainment | Humongous Entertainment | |
| 1996 | Bad Mojo Redux | Pulse Entertainment | ||
| 1990 | Sid Meier's Covert Action | MPS Labs | MicroProse | |
| 1993 | Sid Meier's Pirates! Gold Plus |
|
MicroProse | |
| 1994 | Sid Meier's Colonization | MicroProse | MicroProse | |
| 1992 | Rex Nebular and the Cosmic Gender Bender | MicroProse | MicroProse | |
| 1989 | Sword of the Samurai | MPS Labs | MicroProse | |
| 1994 | Dragonsphere | MPS Labs | MicroProse | |
| 1992 | Darklands | MPS Labs | MicroProse | |
| 1993 | BloodNet | MicroProse | MicroProse | |
| 2001 | Pajama Sam: Games to Play on Any Day | Humongous Entertainment | Infogrames | |
| 1993 | Fatty Bear's Birthday Surprise | Humongous Entertainment | Humongous Entertainment | |
| 1996 | Deadlock | Accolade | Accolade | |
| 1998 | Deadlock II | Accolade | ||
| 1999 | Redline | Beyond Games | Accolade | |
| 1999 | Slave Zero | Infogrames North America | Infogrames North America | |
| 1997 | 7th Legion |
|
MicroProse | |
| 2000 | B-17 Flying Fortress | Wayward Design | Hasbro Interactive | |
| 1991 | F-117A Nighthawk Stealth Fighter 2.0 | MPS Labs | MicroProse | |
| 1994 | Fleet Defender: The F-14 Tomcat Simulation | MicroProse | MicroProse | |
| 1989 | Silent Service | MicroProse | MicroProse | |
| 1992 | Task Force 1942: Surface Naval Action in the South Pacific | MPS Labs | MicroProse | |
| 1995 | Across the Rhine | MPS Labs | MicroProse | |
| 1991 | Command HQ | Ozark Softscape | Microplay Software | |
| 1996 | Eradicator | Accolade | Accolade | |
| 1998 | NAM | TNT Team | GT Interactive Software | |
| 1990 | Silent Service 2 | MPS Labs | MicroProse | |
| 1993 | The Labyrinth of Time | Terra Nova Development |
| |
| 1994 | Inherit the Earth: Quest for the Orb | The Dreamers Guild |
| |
| 2015 | 1994 | 1942: The Pacific Air War | MPS Labs | MicroProse |
| 1992 | Challenge of the Five Realms: Spellbound in the World of Nhagardia | MicroProse | MicroProse | |
| 1988 | F-19 Stealth Fighter | MicroProse | MicroProse | |
| 1991 | Hyperspeed | MPS Labs | MicroProse | |
| 1990 | Knights of the Sky | MicroProse | MicroProse | |
| 1995 | Let's Explore the Jungle | Humongous Entertainment | Humongous Entertainment | |
| 1995 | Let's Explore the Farm | Humongous Entertainment | Humongous Entertainment | |
| 1995 | Let's Explore the Airport | Humongous Entertainment | Humongous Entertainment | |
| 1998 | Z.A.R. | Maddox Games | Auric Vision | |
| 1997 | MadSpace: To Hell and Beyond | Maddox Games | Auric Vision | |
| 1997 | Tony Tough and the Night of Roasted Moths | Nayma Software |
| |
| 1996 | Terra Nova | Looking Glass Technologies | Looking Glass Technologies | |
| 1997 | Big Thinkers! Kindergarten | Humongous Entertainment | Humongous Entertainment | |
| 1997 | Big Thinkers! 1st Grade | Humongous Entertainment | Humongous Entertainment | |
| 1997 | Noctropolis | Flashpoint Studios | Electronic Arts | |
| 1996 | Timelapse | GTE Entertainment | GTE Entertainment | |
| 1994 | System Shock: Classic | Looking Glass Studios | Origin Systems | |
| 1989 | Tank | Sphere, Inc. | Spectrum HoloByte | |
| 1999 | World War II GI | TNT Team | GT Interactive Software | |
| 1993 | Starlord | Third Millennium Software | MicroProse | |
| 1997 | Turok | Iguana Entertainment | Acclaim Entertainment | |
| 2016 | 1995 | D: The Game | WARP | Acclaim Entertainment |
| 1996 | Titanic | Cyberflix | GTE Entertainment | |
| 2017 | 1998 | Turok 2 | Iguana Entertainment | Acclaim Entertainment |
| 2018 | 1999 | Machines: Wired for War | Charybdis | Acclaim Entertainment |
| 1998 | Forsaken | Probe Entertainment | Acclaim Entertainment |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Newman, Jared (November 12, 2015). "How One Company is Bringing Old Video Games Back from the Dead". Mansueto Ventures. https://www.fastcompany.com/3053050/app-economy/how-one-company-is-bringing-old-video-games-back-from-the-dead. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Staff (April 25, 2017). "Nightdive turns games of the past into a bright future…virtually". Venture Beat. https://venturebeat.com/2017/04/25/nightdive-turns-games-of-the-past-into-a-bright-futurevirtually/. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Newman, Jared (February 13, 2013). "Thirteen Years Later, System Shock 2 Lives Again". Time Inc.. http://techland.time.com/2013/02/13/13-years-later-system-shock-2-lives-again/.
- ↑ Newman, Jared (May 30, 2011). "The Lost History of System Shock". G4 Media. http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/713030/the-lost-history-of-system-shock/.
- ↑ Smith, Adam (February 13, 2013). "Many Questions: System Shock 2 Comes To GOG". GamesIndustry.biz. http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/02/13/many-questions-system-shock-2-comes-to-gog/.
- ↑ "GOG.com Wishlist: most voted (ever)". CD Projekt. http://www.gog.com/wishlist/games#order=votes_total.
- ↑ Carlson, Patrick (May 10, 2013). "System Shock 2 arrives on Steam". Future US. http://www.pcgamer.com/system-shock-2-arrives-on-steam/.
- ↑ Anson, Jonathan (September 9, 2013). "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream Released on GOG". http://gamingillustrated.com/i-have-no-mouth-and-i-must-scream/.
- ↑ Carlson, Patrick (September 5, 2013). "Classic horror game I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream finds release on GOG". Future US. http://www.pcgamer.com/classic-horror-game-i-have-no-mouth-and-i-must-scream-finds-release-on-gog/.
- ↑ WorstUsernameEver (September 10, 2013). "Wizardry VI, VII and 8 Released on Steam". http://www.gamebanshee.com/news/112256-wizardry-vi-vii-and-8-released-on-steam.html.
- ↑ Renaudin, Josiah (October 23, 2013). "Trilobyte Games Add Classics The 7th Guest and The 11th Hour to Steam". http://www.gameranx.com/updates/id/18210/article/trilobyte-games-add-classics-the-7th-guest-and-the-11th-hour-to-steam/.
- ↑ Cowan, Danny (April 22, 2014). "Putt-Putt, Spy Fox join Humongous Entertainment's Steam catalog". AOL Tech. https://www.engadget.com/2014/04/22/putt-putt-spy-fox-join-humongous-entertainments-steam-catalog/.
- ↑ Stamas, Agasicles (May 3, 2014). "No One Lives Forever Being Resurrected?". http://gamerssphere.com/2014/05/03/one-lives-forever-resurrected/.
- ↑ Sarkar, Samit (May 1, 2014). "New trademarks filed for No One Lives Forever games". Vox Media. http://www.polygon.com/2014/5/1/5672706/no-one-lives-forever-trademarks-night-dive-studios.
- ↑ Tyrrel, Brandin (May 1, 2014). "No One Lives Forever Resurfaces Through Trademark Filings". IGN Entertainment. http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/05/01/no-one-lives-forever-resurfaces-through-trademark-filings.
- ↑ Hamilton, Kirk (February 27, 2015). "The Sad Story Behind A Dead PC Game That Can't Come Back". Gawker Media. http://kotaku.com/the-sad-story-behind-a-dead-pc-game-that-cant-come-back-1688358811.
- ↑ Peeples, Jeremy (May 8, 2014). "Humble Night Dive Studios Weekly Bundle Launched". http://www.hardcoregamer.com/2014/05/08/humble-night-dive-studios-weekly-bundle-launched/.
- ↑ Devore, Jordan (July 28, 2014). "This Humble Flash Bundle has Putt-Putt and other Humongous titles". ModernMethod. http://www.destructoid.com/this-humble-flash-bundle-has-putt-putt-and-other-humongous-titles-278752.phtml.
- ↑ Villarreal, Samuel (December 12, 2014). "Strife Veteran Edition GPL Source Release". https://github.com/svkaiser/strife-ve.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Kick, Stephen (June 22, 2016). "IamA Founder of Night Dive Studios, Stephen Kick - We track down and restore classic video games! AMA!". https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/4pbc01/iama_founder_of_night_dive_studios_stephen_kick/. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
- ↑ Stacks, Shane (November 11, 2015). "Classic Games Announcements from Night Dive Studios on Fragments of Silicon". http://shaneplays.com/fragments-of-silicon-night-dive-studios-classic-games/.
- ↑ Stacks, Shane (April 24, 2016). "System Shock Remastered, Turok 2, Atari, LucasArts and More: Night Dive Studios on Fragments of Silicon". http://shaneplays.com/system-shock-remastered-turok-2-atari-lucasarts-and-more-night-dive-studios-on-fragments-of-silicon/.
External links
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