Black Isle Studiosis a division of thedeveloperandpublisherInterplay Entertainmentformed in 1996 that developsrole-playing video games.It has published several games from other developers.
 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Founder | Feargus Urquhart |
| Successor | Obsidian Entertainment |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Feargus Urquhart,Chris Avellone,Josh Sawyer,Darren Monahan, Chris Parker |
| Parent | Interplay Entertainment |
| Website | www.blackisle.comat theWayback Machine(archived November 5, 2014) [a] |
Black Isle is based inIrvine,California.[1]The idea for the division's name came from theBlack IsleinScotland– founderFeargus Urquhart's ancestral country.[2]Black Isle Studios is most famous for its work on theFalloutseries as well as the critically acclaimedPlanescape: Torment.They achieved success with theIcewind DaleandBaldur's Gateseries of role-playing video games, though they only published theBaldur's Gateseries. In 1999,IGN's RPG Vault gave it the award for a Developer of the Year.[3]The company was closed in late 2003 due to Interplay's financial troubles.[4]
Interplay briefly revived the Black Isle name in August 2012 with the intention of producing new role-playing games under that label.[5][6]Black Isle Studios releasedBaldur's Gate: Dark Allianceremastered in May 2021.[7]
History
editCreated in 1996 byFeargus Urquhart,the studio was named Black Isle after Urquhart's homeland. The studio, although credited for the creation ofFalloutwas, in fact, not responsible for the game. Rather a key portion of the original studio came from the team that madeFallout.When developingFallout 2,several employees left Interplay to formTroika Gamesafter they "were unable to come to an agreement with Interplay as to how [their] next team should be structured."[8]The remaining team would go on to release such critically acclaimed games asPlanescape: Torment,andIcewind Dale.The studio also released critically acclaimedBaldur's GateandBaldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amndeveloped byBioWare.
In the years leading to the closure of Black Isle, Interplay's financial difficulties would worsen, leading for the team to cancel anticipated games asBlack Isle's TornandStonekeep 2: Godmaker,releasing onlyIcewind Dale II,publishingLionheart: Legacy of the Crusaderand developingBaldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II.On December 8, 2003, in the midst of serious financial difficulties,Interplaylaid off the entire Black Isle Studios staff, which also resulted in the cancellation ofBaldur's Gate III: The Black Hound,Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance IIIand the originalFallout 3.[4]
In 2012, Interplay had been trying for several years to get the troubledProject V13off the ground. Originally conceived as amassively multiplayer online gameset in the world ofFallout,the project suffered a significant setback when Interplay lost all rights to use the Fallout brand. As part of their efforts to restart the project anew, Interplay revived Black Isle Studios with two of its original team members and began acrowdfunding campaignto fund a prototype in 2012.[9]The campaign did not raise sufficient funds to develop a playable prototype, and communications from Interplay and Black Isle about the project had ceased completely by early 2014.[10]
Games
editDeveloped
edit- Fallout(1997)
- Fallout 2(1998)
- Planescape: Torment(1999)
- Icewind Dale(2000)
- Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter(2001)
- Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter – Trials of the Luremaster(2001)
- Icewind Dale II(2002)
- Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II(2004)
Published
edit- Baldur's Gate(1998)
- Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast(1999)
- Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn(2000)
- Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal(2001)
- Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance(2001)
- Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader(2003)
Compilations
editTwo compilations bearing their name were also released:
- Black Isle Compilation(2002)
- Black Isle Compilation Part Two(2004)
Cancelled
editCancelled projects include:
- Stonekeep 2: Godmaker(2001)
- Torn(2001)
- Van Buren(2003)
- Baldur's Gate III: The Black Hound(2003)
- Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance III(2004)
- Project V13(2012)
Notes
edit- ^Additional archives:Last live version after 2003 shutdownat theWayback Machine(archived April 5, 2004),Revival Announcementat theWayback Machine(archived September 19, 2012)
References
edit- ^"Black Isle Studios".IGN. Archived fromthe originalon May 25, 2011.RetrievedJuly 25,2006.
- ^Keefer, John (January 2001)."Black Isle Studios: We are not BioWare".GameSpy.Archived fromthe originalon 2004-12-11.Retrieved2006-06-25.
- ^1999 Vault Network Awards
- ^abThorsen, Tor (2003-12-08)."Interplay shuts down Black Isle Studios".GameSpot.Archived fromthe originalon 2006-06-13.RetrievedMay 1,2006.
- ^Sarkar, Samit (8 August 2012)."Black Isle Studios is back in name only".Polygon.Archivedfrom the original on 22 July 2022.Retrieved13 September2018.
- ^"Games – Page 83 – Black Gate".23 October 2012.Archivedfrom the original on 3 July 2023.Retrieved3 July2023.
- ^"Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 2 Re-Release is" On the Table "– Black Isle Studios".Archivedfrom the original on 2022-07-22.Retrieved2021-05-12.
- ^Blancato, Joe."The Rise and Fall of Troika".The Escapist.Archivedfrom the original on August 8, 2007.RetrievedMarch 27,2007.
- ^Rougeau, Mike (23 December 2012)."What The Hell Is Up With The New Black Isle?".Kotaku.Gizmodo Media Group.Archivedfrom the original on 13 September 2018.Retrieved13 September2018.
- ^monokoma (5 September 2017)."Project V13 (Strategy RPG Version)".Unseen64: Beta, Cancelled & Unseen Videogames.Archivedfrom the original on 13 September 2018.Retrieved13 September2018.