NetDevil
Private | |
Industry | Video games |
---|---|
Founded | 1997 |
Defunct | February 25, 2011 |
Fate | Bankruptcy |
Headquarters | Louisville, Colorado, United States |
Products | Jumpgate, Auto Assault, Warmonger, Lego Universe, Jumpgate Evolution |
Number of employees | 75 |
Website | netdevil |
NetDevil Ltd. was an American
History
Beginnings
NetDevil was founded in 1997 by Scott Brown, Peter Grundy and Steven Williams in Louisville, a suburb north of
According to the company's website,[2] the name NetDevil was chosen because of the "owners' obsession with cool scary things that live in the deep dark waters of the world". All of the company's principals are certified SCUBA divers, including one certified dive master.
New location
In June 2007, NetDevil announced that they had completed moving into their new location in
Acquisition by Gazillion Entertainment
In July 2008, NetDevil was purchased by game publisher Gazillion Entertainment,[4] though this was not made public until March 2009.[5]
Departures of founders
In the last months of 2010, all remaining founders of NetDevil, notably Scott Brown, Peter Grundy, and Ryan Seabury, who headed the LEGO Universe team, chose to leave the company. Brown and Seabury started End Games Entertainment, whose first product is a Facebook game titled Vorp!
Layoffs
In February 2011, two rounds of layoffs took place at the NetDevil studio. The first round eliminated the Jumpgate Evolution development team. The second downsized the LEGO Universe team and appears to be part of a deal in which Gazillion passed control of development of LEGO Universe to the LEGO Group. This was an effect of the slow failure of LEGO Universe.[6]
Products
Released
Jumpgate (2001) – A massively multiplayer online flight simulator set in space. Though it was initially published by 3DO, NetDevil regained control of the game in 2002, due to 3DO's bankruptcy. Jumpgate was shut down on April 30, 2012.[7] Although the player community has expressed interest in acquiring the source code for Jumpgate, Gazillion has, at this time,[when?] not made it available.
In development
Jumpgate Evolution – In June 2007, NetDevil announced plans for Jumpgate Evolution, a remake of NetDevil's first project, the classic MMO Jumpgate. The space-based title was planned to receive a massive graphical revamp, along with many new features.[10] In December 2007, NetDevil announced the launch of a website for Jumpgate Evolution containing backstory written by Keith Baker, in-game footage, screenshots and video, community forums, and a fan site kit available for download. This project was cancelled with the layoff of the development team in February 2011.
References
- ^ "Gaming articles on Engadget". Engadget. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
- ^ "Gazillion, Inc". Gazillion, Inc. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
- ^ "An Overview of NetDevil's Open House and Anniversary Celebration - Page Two". TenTonHammer.com. 29 June 2007. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
- ^ "NetDevil part of Gazzilion « Jumpgate Evolution". us.JumpgateEvolution.com. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
- ^ "Gaming articles on Engadget". Engadget. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
- ^ "Gazillion press release clarifies Netdevil layoff rumors". Engadget. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
- ^ "Jossh Technology".
- ^ "NetDevil Branches Out". Warcry.com. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
- ^ "Warmonger: Downtown Destruction's website". WarmongerGame.com. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
- ^ "Jumpgate Evolution Officially Announced". FiringSquad.com. Retrieved May 8, 2017.