Company:Kuju Entertainment
 | |
| Type | Subsidiary of Catalis S.E.[1] |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video game industry |
| Founded | 1998 |
| Products | Video games |
| Owner | Catalis S.E. |
| Parent | Catalis S.E. |
| Website | kuju.com |
Kuju Ltd is an international video game developer. Kuju was formed in 1998 in Shalford, Surrey, England, after a management buyout of Simis from Eidos Interactive.
Kuju has released titles across different devices, ranging from Art Academy on the Nintendo DS, The Lord of the Rings for the Wii, and an Xbox One title, Powerstar Golf.
The name "Kuju" originates from the initials of the founders’ first names: Ian Baverstock and Jonathan Newth. Jonathan was leafing through a Japanese dictionary when he found the numbers nine and ten – "ku" and "ju" – corresponding to the positions of "I" and "J" in the English alphabet. The combined result was Kuju.
History
In 1998, Ian Baverstock and Jonathan Newth were running Simis, an in-house development studio owned by Eidos. In the same year, Ian and Jonathan led a management buyout of the studio from Eidos Interactive, forming Kuju Ltd. Their first game was Tank Racer – a 3D action racer for PC, PlayStation and Mobile.
By 2001, Kuju was employing a team of 80 developers, in three separate offices around the UK in London, Surrey and Brighton. Their most notable project at the time was Microsoft Train Simulator.[2]
In 2002, Kuju floated on the Alternative Investments Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange. Shortly thereafter the company signed its first game with THQ based on the Games Workshop franchise – Warhammer 40,000. In the following years between 2002 and 2007, Kuju developed titles including SingStar games and the Battalion Wars franchise.
In 2007, Kuju Ltd. was acquired by a German media investment firm, Catalis SE. Soon after, Kuju Brighton was rebranded to Zoë Mode, and in 2008, Kuju London rebranded to Headstrong Games.
In 2010, Headstrong Games completed development of Art Academy for the Nintendo DS console.[3]
In 2012, Dominic Wheatley of Domark was appointed as CEO.
Studios
Kuju currently has two UK studios: Headstrong Games in London and Zoë Mode in Brighton.
Headstrong Games
Headstrong Games has developed versions of The House of the Dead , The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest and Top Gun. Original IP include Art Academy and Battalion Wars.
Zoë Mode
Zoë Mode have worked on the EyeToy series, Zumba dance franchise and most recently, an official Xbox One exclusive title, Powerstar Golf. They also developed games for PlayStation's EyeToy and Xbox's Kinect.
Previous Kuju Studios
- Simis
- Kuju Surrey
- Kuju Sheffield (latterly rebranded as Chemistry)
- Nik Nak Games
- Kuju America
- Kuju Manila
- Vatra
Games
- Microsoft Train Simulator (2001)
- Lotus Challenge (2001)
- Reign of Fire (2002)
- Fire Blade (2002)
- SingStar (with SCE London Studio) (2002)
- Warhammer 40,000 (2003)
- Eyetoy Play: Play (2003)
- Crescent Suzuki Racing: Superbikes and Super Sidecars (2004)
- GT-R 400 (2004)
- Crash Twinsanity 3D (2004)
- Battalion Wars (2005)
- EyeToy: Play 3 (2005)
- The Regiment (2006)
- Sensible Soccer 2006 (2006)
- EyeToy Play Sports (2006)
- SingStar Rocks! (2006)
- Crush (2007)
- Geometry Wars (with Bizarre Creations) (2007)
- Battalion Wars 2 (2007)
- Nucleus (2007)
- Dancing with the Stars (2007)
- Sensible World of Soccer (Xbox Live Arcade version) (2007)
- EyeCreate (2007)
- EyeToy: Play Astro Zoo (2007)
- SingStar Pop Hits (2007)
- EyeToy Play: Hero (2008)
- Rock Revolution (2008-2009)
- You’re in the Movies (2008-2009)
- The House of the Dead (2009)
- Disney Sing It! (2008)
- Rail Simulator (2007) (later renamed Railworks in 2009)
- Art Academy (2009–2010)
- The Lord of the Rings (2010)
- Chime (2010)
- Disney Sing It (2010)
- Grease: The Game (2010)
- Chime: Super Deluxe (2011)
- Grease Dance (2011)
- Zumba Fitness 2 (2011)
- Rush 'N Attack: Ex-Patriot (2011)
- Silent Hill (2012)
- Top Gun: Hard Lock (2012)
- Haunt (2012)
- Crush3D (2012)
- New Art Academy (2012)
- Zumba Fitness Rush (2012)
- Zumba Fitness Core (2012)
- Rabbids Rumble (2012)
- Zumba Fitness (2013)
- Art Academy: SketchPad (2013)
- Zumba Kids (2013)
- Powerstar Golf (2013)
- Pokémon Art Academy (2014)
- The Voice: I Want You (2014)
- Risk (2014)
- Crack attack (2015)
- Guitar Hero Live (2015)
- Art Academy; Atelier (2015)
- Disney Art Academy (2016)
- Marvel (2016)
- Marvel (2016)
- Risk: Urban Assault (2016)
- Chainsmokers Paris VR (2017)
- Narcos (2019)
See also
References
- ↑ "Corporate Info". Kuju Entertainment. http://www.kuju.com/Corporate. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
- ↑ Alfred Barten. "MSTS: First of the Big Ones". http://www.vscaler.com/MSTS.html. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
- ↑ "Kuju Entertainment - Art Academy". http://www.kuju.com/game-profile/?game=123&studio=headstrong_games. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
External links
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