Company:Tantalus Media

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Tantalus Media Pty Ltd
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryVideo games
Founded1994; 32 years ago (1994)
Founders
  • Andrew Bailey
  • Trevor Nuridin
Headquarters
Fitzroy, Melbourne
,
Australia
Number of locations
3 (2022)
Key people
Tom Crago (CEO)
ParentPerfect Entertainment (1995–1998)
Keywords Studios (85%; 2021–present)
Divisions
  • Tantalus North
  • Tantalus South
Websitewww.tantalus.com.au

Tantalus Media (formerly Tantalus Entertainment and Tantalus Interactive) is an Australian video game developer based in Melbourne. Since its inception, Tantalus has developed almost 100 games and has won multiple game awards.[1] Keywords Studios acquired 85% of Tantalus Media in March 2021.

History

Tantalus Entertainment was founded in 1994 by programmers Andrew Bailey and Trevor Nuridin from Beam Software.[2][3] It was briefly acquired by Perfect Entertainment in 1995, where the company was tasked with porting Stargate to SNES and Wipeout to Sega Saturn.[4][5] It was sold back to the directors in 1999 and renamed Tantalus Interactive. Its first original game was South Park Rally, released for the PlayStation, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 64, and Sega Dreamcast by Acclaim Entertainment in 2000.[6][7]

By 2001, the company was on the verge of bankruptcy when Tom Crago joined as CEO.[3] Tantalus developed a game engine that allowed 3D graphics on the Game Boy Advance. It released conversions of ATV Quad Power Racing in 2002[8] and Monster Truck Madness in 2003.[9] Top Gear Rally was released 2003, which proved to be a success.[10] It won 'Best Game' at the 2003 Australian Game Developer Conference Awards in Melbourne.[11] Between 2003 and 2009, the company released several games under its Black Market Games banner.[12][13] Tantalus further made a name for itself by porting Unreal II to Xbox in 2004.[4] Bailey also won a 2004 AGDC award for his contributions to the CRIS GBA game engine.[14] That year, the company also announced it had established Tantalus Asia, a joint venture based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia that would focus on developing games for mobile devices.[15][16]

Tantalus began developing Anaka as a jump n' run title for the Game Boy Advance in 2003.[17] However, unable to find interest from a publisher, Tantalus and Act3animation made a 300,000 AU$ animated help entice investors.[18] It ultimately aired on Nickelodeon in 2005.[19] In 2006, a touch-only Nintendo DS demo was created. Players could control the character indirectly by touching the screen where they wanted them to go. It was a mix between a jump n' run and a traditional adventure game.

Tantalus then began developing for the Nintendo DS, releasing the successful Pony Friends game in 2007. It sold one million units in a year, making it the largest-selling single-format game developed in Australia.[20] The studio was the only independent developer that year to have three games among the 100 top-selling titles worldwide.[21] Crago bought out the company's shareholders and renamed it Tantalus Media. He then immediately sold a share to private equity company Netus.[3][4][20] A second studio in Brisbane was opened in 2008.[22][23]

However, the 2007-2009 financial crisis proved to be disastrous for Tantalus and the Australian video games industry. In 2009, Tantalus closed its Brisbane office,[24][25] while also making much of the staff in the Melbourne office redundant.[26] In 2010, CEO Tom Crago re-acquired the studio from Netus.[4]

In 2010, the company launched Straight Right, a new label that would target the core gaming market. It released Need For Speed: Shift 2 - Unleashed for iOS in 2011.[27][28][29] The label also released Wii U ports of Mass Effect 3 in 2012 and Deus Ex: Human Revolution in 2013.[27] That year, Tantalus was approached by Nintendo to develop the HD remaster of Software:The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. The game released in 2016.[4][30] The studio ported Cities: Skylines to Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in 2017[31][32] and Nintendo Switch in 2018.[33] In 2018, it was announced that Tantalus would bring Stellaris, a grand strategy game, to Xbox and PlayStation.[34]

In March 2021, Keywords Studios acquired 85% of Tantalus Media for US$46.8 million.[35] The two companies then formed Keywords Australia as a joint venture overseen by Crago.[36] In 2022, the company established Tantalus South in Adelaide and Tantalus North in Brisbane, joining Tantalus Melbourne.[37][38] In 2024, Tantalus was among the studios that partnered with Google to develop games for the Fitbit Ace LTE activity tracker.[39] The company also developed new DLC for Software:Cities: Skylines.[40] At the end of the year, Crago stepped down as CEO of Tantalus and Keywords Australia.[41]

Games

Title Year Platform Ref.
Stargate 1995 SNES [4]
Area 51 PC, PlayStation, Saturn [42]
Wipeout 1996 Saturn [43]
Krazy Ivan PC [44]
Manx TT Super Bike 1997 PC, Saturn [43][45]
Maximum Force PC, PlayStation, Saturn [43]
Wipeout 2097 Saturn [46]
The House of the Dead 1998 [43]
Mary King's Riding Star 1999 PlayStation
South Park Rally 1999 Dreamcast, N64, PC, PlayStation [43][47]
Equestriad 2001 2001 PC, PlayStation [48]
Software:Mary-Kate and Ashley: Winners Circle PlayStation [43]
Software:ATV: Quad Power Racing 2002 Game Boy Advance, PlayStation [8]
Software:Men in Black II: Alien Escape GameCube [49]
Woody Woodpecker in Crazy Castle 5 Game Boy Advance [50]
Monster Truck Madness 2003
Software:Unreal II: The Awakening Xbox [27]
Top Gear Rally Game Boy Advance [10]
AMF Bowling 2004 (as Black Market Games) Xbox [13]
The Polar Express 2004 Game Boy Advance [51]
The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius: Attack of the Twonkies [4]
Black Market Bowling (as Black Market Games) 2005 PlayStation 2 [12]
Payload N-Gage [52][53]
Software:SpongeBob SquarePants: The Yellow Avenger 2005, 2006 DS, PSP [4]
Trick Star 2006 Game Boy Advance [54]
Software:MX vs. ATV: On the Edge PSP [55]
Cars Mater-National Championship 2007 DS [3]
MX vs. ATV: Untamed DS, PSP [56][57]
Pony Friends DS [21]
The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon 2008 [3]
Heat Shield (as Black Market Games) 2009 iOS [12]
Pony Friends 2 DS, PC, Wii [58]
MX vs. ATV Reflex DS, PSP [59]
Cars Race-O-Rama [27]
Drift Street International 2010 DS [60]
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole [61]
Megamind DS, PSP [62]
Super Speed Machines DS [63]
Software:Ben 10: Galactic Racing 2011 [64]
Software:Shift 2: Unleashed iOS [65]
Funky Barn 2012 3DS, Wii U [27][28]
Pony Trails iOS [66]
Mass Effect 3: Special Edition Wii U [67]
Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut 2013
Zombi 2015 PC, PS4, Xbox One [68]
Pony Trails Android [69]
Software:The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD 2016 Wii U [70]
Sonic Mania 2017 Switch [67]
Rime
Software:Cities: Skylines 2017, 2018, 2022 PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, Stadia
Software:Age of Empires: Definitive Edition 2018 PC [71]
Stellaris: Console Edition 2019 PS4, Xbox One [72]
Jupiter & Mars PS4 [73]
Software:Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition PC [74]
Software:Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition 2020 [75]
Software:The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD 2021 Switch [76]
Cities: Skylines - Remastered 2023 PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S [77]
Lego 2K Drive PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One [78]
Software:Age of Mythology: Retold 2024 PC, Xbox Series, Xbox One [79]
Luigi's Mansion 2 HD Switch [80]
Guilty Gear Strive 2025 [81]

References

  1. ↑ "Keywords Studios acquires 85% interest in Tantalus Media for up to $46.8 million - NewsnReleases" (in en-US). 2021-03-18. https://newsnreleases.com/2021/03/18/keywords-studios-acquires-85-interest-in-tantalus-media-for-up-to-46-8-million/. 
  2. ↑ "Business cards and contacts". https://archive.gamehistory.org/item/be7cba13-274f-4a02-b5fd-52c33703f9e4. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Parker, Laura (August 21, 2008). "Oz Developer Watch: Tantalus" (in en-US). https://www.gamespot.com/articles/oz-developer-watch-tantalus/1100-6234476/. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 O'Brien, Lucy (29 August 2016). "The Amazing Survival Story of Tantalus, The Studio That Ports Your Favourite Games". https://www.ign.com/articles/2016/08/29/the-amazing-survival-story-of-tantalus-the-studio-that-ports-your-favourite-games. 
  5. ↑ Leadbetter, Rich (March 1997). "Manx TT Super Bike". Sega Saturn Magazine (Emap International Limited) (17): 14. 
  6. ↑ Cochrane, Nathan (2000-07-25). "Tantalus and a driving ambition". The Age: pp. 45. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-age/98885842/. 
  7. ↑ Staff, I. G. N. (1999-06-30). "South Park to Rally Again" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/06/30/south-park-to-rally-again. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Harris, Craig (2002-07-31). "ATV Quad Power Racing" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/07/31/atv-quad-power-racing-2. 
  9. ↑ Harris, Craig (August 19, 2003). "Monster Truck Madness - IGN" (in en). IGN. https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/08/19/monster-truck-madness. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Provo, Frank (November 5, 2003). "Top Gear Rally". http://au.gamespot.com/gba/driving/topgearrally/review.html. 
  11. ↑ "Top Gear Rally Award". https://www.tantalus.com.au/news_2003.html. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 "Black Market Games" (in en). https://www.mobygames.com/company/5734/black-market-games/. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 XBOX Manual: AMF Bowling 2004. pp. 12. http://archive.org/details/AMF_Bowling_2004. 
  14. ↑ Jenkins, David (December 6, 2004). "Australian Game Developer Award Winners Announced" (in en). https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/australian-game-developer-award-winners-announced. 
  15. ↑ Calvert, Justin (May 4, 2004). "Tantalus opens Malaysian Studio" (in en-US). https://www.gamespot.com/articles/tantalus-opens-malaysian-studio/1100-6095324/. 
  16. ↑ "Nokia unveils first view of Payload for the N-Gage platform at www.payload-game.com" (in en). 2006-02-28. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/nokia-unveils-first-view-of-payload-for-the-n-gage-platform-at-wwwpayload-gamecom. 
  17. ↑ "Anaka (Cancelled GBA Game)". https://archive.org/details/coveranaka1. 
  18. ↑ Hill, Jason (May 10, 2005). "Paradise lost" (in en). http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2005/05/09/1115584883789.html. 
  19. ↑ "Anaka on NickToons". https://www.tantalus.com.au/news_2005.html. 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Hill, Jason (April 30, 2008). "Screenplay: Developer Dreams". http://blogs.smh.com.au/screenplay/archives//018047.html. 
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Hill, Jason (May 22, 2008). "Local Hero". https://www.smh.com.au/technology/local-hero-20080522-gdseie.html. 
  22. ↑ "Tantalus Brisbane Studio". November 14, 2008. https://www.tantalus.com.au/news_old.html. 
  23. ↑ Parker, Laura (April 27, 2009). "Aussie developer Tantalus opens new studio" (in en-US). https://www.gamespot.com/articles/aussie-developer-tantalus-opens-new-studio/1100-6233894/. 
  24. ↑ Curtin, Michael; Sanson, Kevin (2016). Precarious Creativity: Global Media, Local Labor. University of California Press. pp. 187. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/j.ctt1ffjn40.18?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=au%3A&searchText=%22JOHN+BANKS%22&searchUri=%2Fopen%2Fsearch. 
  25. ↑ "Chapter 2: Overview of the Australian video game industry". p. 11. https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Environment_and_Communications/Video_game_industry/~/media/Committees/ec_ctte/Video_game_industry/c02.pdf. 
  26. ↑ Graft, Kris (October 22, 2012). "Mass Effect 3 Wii U developer faced a tough reality" (in en). http://gamasutra.com/view/news/179589/Mass_Effect_3_Wii_U_developer_faced_a_tough_reality.php#.UIcbnXbgo0G. 
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 27.4 "Tantalus Turns Twenty". October 21, 2014. https://www.tantalus.com.au/Tantalus_Release_Oct_14.pdf. 
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Philips, Tom (2012-08-29). "Mass Effect 3 Wii U developer is Need for Speed iOS studio" (in en). Eurogamer.net. https://www.eurogamer.net/mass-effect-3-wii-u-developer-is-need-for-speed-ios-studio. 
  29. ↑ Graft, Kris (October 26, 2012). "How One Studio Saved Itself From the Downturn" (in en). Game Developer. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/how-one-studio-saved-itself-from-the-downturn. 
  30. ↑ Otero, Jose (2015-11-12). "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD Announced for Wii U" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/2015/11/12/the-legend-of-zelda-twilight-princess-hd-announced-for-wii-u. 
  31. ↑ Dayus, Oscar (February 17, 2017). "Cities: Skylines Xbox One Edition Coming This Year" (in en-US). https://www.gamespot.com/articles/cities-skylines-xbox-one-edition-coming-this-year/1100-6447924/. 
  32. ↑ Purchese, Robert (2017-06-21). "Paradox bringing Pillars of Eternity and Cities: Skylines to console this year" (in en). https://www.eurogamer.net/paradox-bringing-pillars-of-eternity-and-cities-skylines-to-console-this-year. 
  33. ↑ "Hands On Cities: Skylines For Nintendo Switch" (in en-US). September 14, 2018. https://www.thesixthaxis.com/2018/09/14/hands-on-cities-skylines-for-nintendo-switch/. 
  34. ↑ Purchese, Robert (2018-08-20). "Stellaris to be the first grand strategy game on console" (in en). Eurogamer.net. https://www.eurogamer.net/stellaris-to-be-the-first-grand-strategy-game-on-console. 
  35. ↑ Dealessandri, Marie (18 March 2021). "Keywords Studios acquires 85% interest in Tantalus Media". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-03-18-keywords-studios-acquires-85-percent-interest-in-tantalus-media. 
  36. ↑ Maxwell, Jini (2021-07-08). "Keywords Studios acquires Tantalus, will create 130 more gamedev jobs" (in en-AU). https://www.gameshub.com/news/news/keywords-studios-acquires-tantalus-will-create-130-more-gamedev-jobs-263000-2009/. 
  37. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-10-04). "Keywords Studios further expands in Australia" (in en). https://www.gamesindustry.biz/keywords-studios-further-expands-in-australia. 
  38. ↑ "Keywords Studios announces new studios and expansion in Australia alongside MIGW" (in en). https://www.keywordsstudios.com/en/about-us/news-events/news/keywords-studios-announces-new-studios-and-expansion-in-australia-alongside-migw/. 
  39. ↑ "Fitbit Ace LTE games". https://www.tantalus.com.au/game_fitbit_ace_lte.html. 
  40. ↑ Wales, Matt (2024-10-25). "Cities: Skylines 1 gets new paid DLC 18 months after its supposedly final update" (in en). https://www.eurogamer.net/cities-skylines-1-gets-new-paid-dlc-18-months-after-its-supposedly-final-update. 
  41. ↑ Blake, Vikki (2024-12-04). "Tantalus Keywords Australia CEO steps down" (in en). https://www.gamesindustry.biz/tantalus-keywords-australia-ceo-steps-down. 
  42. ↑ "Area 51". https://www.tantalus.com.au/game_area51.html. 
  43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 43.2 43.3 43.4 43.5 "Product". http://www.tantalus.com.au/tantalus.php?show=product. 
  44. ↑ "Krazy Ivan". https://www.tantalus.com.au/game_krazyivan.html. 
  45. ↑ "Q&A". Sega Saturn Magazine (20): 40. June 1997. https://archive.org/details/Sega_Saturn_Magazine_Issue_20_1997-06_EMAP_Images_GB/page/n38/mode/1up?q=Tantalus. 
  46. ↑ North, Dale (2012-07-05). "Tantalus working on unannounced AAA Wii U port" (in en-US). https://www.destructoid.com/tantalus-working-on-unannounced-aaa-wii-u-port/. 
  47. ↑ "South Park Rally Releases" (in en). https://www.mobygames.com/game/2970/south-park-rally/releases/. 
  48. ↑ "Equestriad 2001". https://www.tantalus.com.au/game_equestriad.html. 
  49. ↑ "Men In Black 2: Alien Escape". https://www.tantalus.com.au/game_minb.html. 
  50. ↑ Harris, Craig (2003-05-13). "E3 2003: Tantalus @ E3" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/05/13/e3-2003-tantalus-e3. 
  51. ↑ "The Polar Express". https://www.tantalus.com.au/game_polar.html. 
  52. ↑ "Payload". https://www.tantalus.com.au/game_payload.html. 
  53. ↑ "Payload Offers The Ride Of A Lifetime On The N-Gage Platform" (in en). 2005-03-09. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/payload-offers-the-ride-of-a-lifetime-on-the-n-gage-platform. 
  54. ↑ Harris, Craig (2006-05-08). "E3 2006: Trick Star Finds a Publisher" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/05/08/e3-2006-trick-star-finds-a-publisher. 
  55. ↑ "Tantalus Interactive". E3 2006 Directory: Official Exhibit Guide: 145. May 2006. https://archive.gamehistory.org/item/9a2bdaa3-2195-4a1e-832c-c4bf44596e63. 
  56. ↑ Miller, Greg (2007-12-07). "MX Vs. ATV Untamed Info" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/12/07/mx-vs-atv-untamed-info. 
  57. ↑ Bozon (2007-12-17). "MX vs. ATV Untamed Review" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/12/17/mx-vs-atv-untamed-review-6. 
  58. ↑ Staff, I. G. N. (2010-01-27). "Have a Perfect Pony as Your Best Friend with Pony Friends 2" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/2010/01/27/have-a-perfect-pony-as-your-best-friend-with-pony-friends-2. 
  59. ↑ "MX vs ATV: Reflex". https://www.tantalus.com.au/game_reflex.html. 
  60. ↑ Staff, I. G. N. (2010-07-27). "DSiWare Capsule Reviews: Third Week of July" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/2010/07/27/dsiware-capsule-reviews-third-week-of-july. 
  61. ↑ "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole". https://www.tantalus.com.au/game_ga-hoole.html. 
  62. ↑ "Megamind". https://www.tantalus.com.au/game_megamind.html. 
  63. ↑ "Super Speed Machines - The Cutting Room Floor". https://tcrf.net/Super_Speed_Machines. 
  64. ↑ "Ben 10: Galactic Racing". https://www.tantalus.com.au/game_ben10.html. 
  65. ↑ Staff, I. G. N. (2010-03-15). "Tantalus Announces Drift Street International for Nintendo DSi" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/2010/03/15/tantalus-announces-drift-street-international-for-nintendo-dsi. 
  66. ↑ "Pony Trails". https://www.tantalus.com.au/game_ponytrails.html. 
  67. ↑ 67.0 67.1 Taylor, Jes (2019-01-29). "An Interview with Tantalus Media: Zelda, Switch, and More" (in en-GB). https://gamingrespawn.com/amp/features/39510/an-interview-with-tantalus-media-zelda-switch-and-more/. 
  68. ↑ Sarkar, Samit (2015-07-30). "ZombiU coming to PC, PS4, Xbox One in August as Zombi (update)" (in en). https://www.polygon.com/2015/7/30/9074213/zombiu-pc-ps4-xbox-one-trailer/. 
  69. ↑ "Pony Trails". https://www.tantalus.com.au/game_ponydroid.html. 
  70. ↑ "In Real Life A HD Remake Of Twilight Princess Is Being Developed In Australia". kotaku.co.au. 2015-11-12. https://kotaku.com.au/2015/11/the-hd-remake-of-twilight-princess-is-being-developed-in-australia/. 
  71. ↑ "Age of Empires: Definitive Edition (2018)" (in en). https://www.mobygames.com/game/106506/age-of-empires-definitive-edition/. 
  72. ↑ Hall, Charlie (2019-01-22). "Stellaris: Console Edition arrives in February, the first grand strategy title on PS4, Xbox One" (in en). https://www.polygon.com/2019/1/22/18188843/stellaris-ps4-xbox-one-release-date-controller-layout/. 
  73. ↑ Donlan, Christian (2018-07-12). "Jupiter & Mars is a VR treat with a vital message" (in en). https://www.eurogamer.net/jupiter-and-mars-is-a-vr-treat-with-a-vital-message. 
  74. ↑ Wright, Steve (2019-06-19). "Aussie devs Wicked Witch, Tantalus working on Age of Empires 2" (in en-AU). https://stevivor.com/news/aussie-dev-wicked-witch-says-working-age-empires-2/. 
  75. ↑ Borger, Will (October 17, 2020). "Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition Review – To the New World" (in en-US). https://gamingbolt.com/age-of-empires-iii-definitive-edition-review-to-the-new-world. 
  76. ↑ Vuckovic, Daniel (2021-07-14). "Aussie developers Tantalus return to Hyrule with Skyward Sword HD" (in en-AU). https://www.vooks.net/aussie-developers-tantalus-return-to-hyrule-with-skyward-sword-hd/. 
  77. ↑ "Cities: Skylines - Remastered". https://www.tantalus.com.au/game_citiesskylines_remastered.html. 
  78. ↑ "Lego 2K Drive". https://www.tantalus.com.au/game_lego2kdrive.html. 
  79. ↑ Romano, Sal (2024-02-23). "Age of Mythology: Retold launches in 2024 for Xbox Series, Xbox One, and PC" (in en-US). https://www.gematsu.com/2024/02/age-of-mythology-retold-launches-in-2024-for-xbox-series-xbox-one-and-pc. 
  80. ↑ Lyles, Taylor (2024-06-25). "Luigi's Mansion 2 HD Developer Revealed to be Studio That Worked on Skyward Sword HD" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/luigis-mansion-2-hd-developer-revealed-to-be-studio-that-worked-on-skyward-sword-hd. 
  81. ↑ Hasri, Danial (2025-03-13). "Guilty Gear Strive Just Excels Being Itself On The Nintendo Switch" (in en-US). https://gamermatters.com/guilty-gear-strive-just-excels-being-itself-on-the-nintendo-switch/. 

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