Splash Damage Ltd.is a Britishvideo game developerspecialising inmultiplayerfirst-person shootervideo games.The studio is best known as the creators ofWolfenstein: Enemy TerritoryandEnemy Territory: Quake Wars.
 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 2001[1] |
| Founders | Paul Wedgwood,Richard Jolly, Arnout van Meer |
| Headquarters | London,England |
| Products | Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory Enemy Territory: Quake Wars |
| Owner | Tencent |
Number of employees | 400+[2] |
| Parent | Splash Damage Group (2016–present) |
| Website | SplashDamage.com |
History
editFormation (2001)
editSplash Damage was formed in May[3]or June 2001[1]by the creators ofmodssuch asQuake 3 Fortress,who was then joined by a number of modders from the Team Fortress and Quake 3 modding scene.The studio began life working withNow TVandGamer.tv,providing both custom maps and an in-game television production solution. Splash Damage staff also worked to produce and present over 150 TV shows based on Quake III Arena Capture the Flag, creating editing tools and virtual cameras, and editing in-game footage.
Enemy Territory Era (2002–2007)
editIn March 2002, Splash Damage partnered withGames Domainto produce a number of multiplayer maps for their online gaming service. One of these was the map Operation Market Garden for id Software'sReturn to Castle Wolfensteinwhich immediately became the most played third-party map for the game.
Following Market Garden's success, Activision and id Software asked Splash Damage to produce three additional multiplayer maps for theReturn to Castle WolfensteinGame of the Year Edition.
The same year, Splash Damage partnered with the two companies to developWolfenstein: Enemy Territory,a stand-alone expansion based onReturn to Castle Wolfenstein.This was originally envisioned to include both a single-player campaign developed by Mad Doc Software and a multiplayer mode developed by Splash Damage, however the single player campaign was dropped.
The Windows version ofWolfenstein: Enemy Territorywas released online for free on 29 May 2003, with Linux and Mac versions following later.Wolfenstein: Enemy Territorywon several Game of the Year and Editor's Choice awards,[4]was nominated for a BAFTA, and is still an incredibly popular online FPS in 2021, with a number of fan projects and tournaments.
In June 2003 and once again working with id Software, Splash Damage created all the maps forDoom 3's multiplayer mode.
At the same as Doom 3, Splash Damage began pre-production onEnemy Territory: Quake Wars,a follow-up toWolfenstein: Enemy Territoryusing a heavily modified version of theid Tech 4engine and set in theQuakeuniverse, adding a first for the series in the form of vehicles.
Splash Damage grew from seven people on the team at the start team to thirty by the end of the project, in part due to the challenge of creating brand new assets rather than using existing ones on previous titles.
Enemy Territory: Quake Warsshipped on 28 September 2007, and has won dozens of awards to date, including several Game of the Year awards and over 25 Editor's Choice awards.[5]The game was later ported to Xbox 360 by Nerve Software who had also contributed a number of maps to the PC version.
Later games & Warchest/Fireteam (2008–2015)
editIn 2008, Splash Damage announced they would be partnering withBethesda Softworkson an unannounced title.[6]In 2009, Splash Damage and Bethesda announcedBrink,[7]which would eventually be released in May 2011[8]and was Splash Damage’s first multiplatform title. In August 2011 Splash Damage and Bethesda released the Agents of Change DLC for Brink.[9]
In 2012, Splash Damage launched a publishing division called Warchest and a back-end technology business called Fireteam.[10]It was described as “Splash Damage’s call-to-arms for free-to-play games that are both high-quality and non-exploitative.”[11]These smaller companies went on to publish and support a number of future Splash Damage.
Warchest’s first published game was RAD Soldiers, released in December 2012 oniOSdevices, another first for Splash Damage. The tactics-styled game was released after five months of open public testing and over 100,000 pre-registrations,[12]and was made available PC as a free download in theChrome Web Storein 2013.
On 25 October 2013 Splash Damage partnered withWarner Bros. Interactive Entertainmentto create the multiplayer mode forBatman Arkham Origins.Named Invisible Predator Online, this was the Batman Arkham series' first multiplayer mode.[13]
16 February 2015 saw the launch of Splash Damage’s second Warchest-published title and second mobile title with Tempo, released exclusively on iOS.
Dirty Bombwas released on 1 June 2015, entering its open beta phase after two years in closed beta.[14]Thefree-to-playmultiplayer first person shooter title launched on PC with 12 playable mercenaries and two game modes, with more mercenaries, modes and events added over the game’s lifespan. Dirty Bomb was originally published byNexon,but the publishing rights were transferred to WarChest in 2017.[15]On 18 October 2018 Splash Damage announced they were ending all live developments and updates on the game,[16]but also removed allmonetizationand made the game completely free to play.
Microsoft partnership (2015–2020)
edit2015 saw the start of Splash Damage’s partnership withMicrosoftandThe Coalition,as they provided development support onGears Of War Ultimate Editionwhich released on 25 August 2015 forXboxand 1 March 2016 for PC.[17]
This partnership continued into 2016, as Splash Damage provided multiplayer support onGears of War 4.This includedlevel design,art support and matchmaking, with the game releasing worldwide on 11 October 2016.[18]
Earlier, in July 2016, Splash Damage, alongside its sister companies Warchest and Fireteam, were acquired byLeyou,a Chinese holding company, via its Radius Maxima subsidiary.[19]
In 2019, Splash Damage provided similar development help forGears 5,working on level design and art for various multiplayer modes including Versus and Escape; a mode new to the Gears franchise.
Escape mode also included a map editor which utilised a special tile system, and Splash Damage was involved in building these tiles. Gears 5 launched on 10 September 2019 for Xbox One and PC, with an upgraded version forXbox Series S/Xlaunching on 10 November 2020.
Also in 2019, Splash Damage worked on another Microsoft title:Halo: The Master Chief Collection,in partnership with343 Industries.[20]Splash Damage was involved in porting the title to PC, and this version of the title released on 3 December 2019.
Splash Damage’s next game in this partnership wasGears Tactics,[21]a turn-basedstrategygame set 12 years before the originalGears of Wargame. Gears Tactics released on 28 April 2020 for PC and 10 November 2020 for Xbox consoles,[22]and was nominated for Best Sim/Strategy game atThe Game Awards 2020.[23]
Tencent buyout (2020 – present)
editIn March 2020, Splash Damage announced a new partnership, this time withGoogle Stadia.[24]Outcasters was announced in July 2020 as an exclusive title for the Google Stadia platform, and published byStadia Games & Entertainment.Outcasters is a competitive online multiplayer top-down shooter set in a stylised "vinyl world", and launched on 3 December 2020. It is one of a small number of titles to take advantage of Stadia’s Crowd Play and Crowd Choice features,[25]allowing viewers to play the game with astreamer.However, following the shut down of Stadia Games and Entertainment in February 2021, the publishing rights for Outcasters reverted back to Warchest on 31 May 2021.[26]
On 23 December 2020Tencentofficially acquired Splash Damage’s parent companyLeyou.[27]In a blog post published at the time, the studio stressed that they would be retaining their independence and will "operate as an independent entity within the Tencent family".[28]CEO Richard Jolly further expanded on this in an interview withgamesindustry.biz[29]where he also spoke about Splash Damage’s expansion, future projects and plans. Radius Maxima was rebranded Splash Damage Group in February 2021.[30]
On 13 October 2021 Splash Damage announced that they are working on a “brand new game in an original sci-fi universe”.[31]No further details are known about the project, but it is one of “several ambitious projects”[29]in production at the studio.
On 8 December 2022, during the2022 Game Awards,it was announced Splash Damage's next game would beTransformers: Reactivate,a 1-4 player online action game based on thefranchise of the same name.
On 9 December 2022 it was announced Splash Damage had acquired theDerby-based games studio Bulkhead, for an undisclosed sum.[32]
On 16 March 2023 Splash Damage, along with streamersShroudand Sacriel, announced a partnership on a new project called "Project Astrid", an open-world survival game.[33]
Games developed
edit| Year | Title | Platform(s) | Publisher(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Return to Castle Wolfenstein(multiplayer) | Microsoft Windows, Linux, Mac | Activision |
| 2003 | Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory | ||
| 2004 | Doom 3(multiplayer) | ||
| 2007 | Enemy Territory: Quake Wars | Microsoft Windows, Linux, Mac, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | |
| 2011 | Brink | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | Bethesda Softworks |
| 2012 | RAD Soldiers[34] | iOS, Web | Warchest |
| 2013 | Batman: Arkham Origins(multiplayer) | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment |
| 2014 | Dirty Bomb[35] | Microsoft Windows | Nexon(until 2017), Warchest (from 2017) |
| 2015 | Tempo[36] | iOS | Warchest |
| Gears of War: Ultimate Edition[37] | Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series Consoles | Xbox Game Studios | |
| 2016 | Gears of War 4(multiplayer)[38] | ||
| 2019 | Gears 5(multiplayer)[39] | ||
| Halo: The Master Chief Collection(PC version)[40] | |||
| 2020 | Gears Tactics[41] | ||
| Outcasters[42](discontinued) | Google Stadia | Stadia Games and Entertainment (until May 2021), Warchest (from May 2021) | |
| TBA | Transformers: Reactivate[43] | To be announced | To be announced. |
| TBA | Project Astrid[44] | To be announced | To be announced |
Awards
edit| Date | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Develop Industry Excellence Award for Best Independent Studio[45] | Won |
| 2008 | Ultraweb Level 4 Award[46] | Won |
| 2008 | Golden Joystick award for UK Developer of the Year[47] | Nominated |
| 2009 | Guardian Top 100 UK Tech & Media Companies[48] | Won |
| 2015 | Best Companies Ones to Watch[49] | Won |
| 2016 | Best Companies 2 Star Accreditation[50] | Won |
| 2016 | Amazon Growing Business Awards[51] | Nominated |
| 2018 | Best Companies[52] | 47th
|
| 2021 | Best Companies – Best Large Companies[53] | 58th
|
| 2021 | Best Companies – London's Best Large Companies[53] | 29th
|
| 2021 | Best Companies 3 Star Accreditation[53] | Won |
The full list of awards can be found on their web site.[54]
References
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- ^"Official Splash Damage Careers Page".Splash Damage.Retrieved14 November2021.
- ^"Studio".Archived fromthe originalon 27 March 2013.
- ^"Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory awards".Splash Damage. 4 August 2008.Retrieved4 August2008.
- ^"Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars awards".Splash Damage. 4 August 2008.Retrieved4 August2008.
- ^"Bethesda and Splash Damage announce partnership".GamesIndustry.biz. 22 May 2008.Retrieved19 May2021.
- ^"Bethesda And Splash Damage Announce Brink".Gamasutra. 29 May 2009.Retrieved19 May2021.
- ^"Bethesda Softworks details 2011 schedule".New Game Network. 27 January 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 9 October 2011.Retrieved27 January2011.
- ^"Brink: Agents of Change DLC arrives on Steam, free for a fortnight".PC Gamer. 4 August 2011.Retrieved19 May2021.
- ^"Brink developer's next moves: Free-to-play publishing, backend support".Gamasutra. 19 August 2012.Retrieved19 May2021.
- ^Rose, Mike (19 April 2012)."Brink developer's next moves: Free-to-play publishing, backend support".Game Developer.Retrieved19 October2021.
- ^"RAD Soldiers is Now Available Worldwide!".Splash Damage.Retrieved19 October2021.
- ^Donlan, Christian (31 July 2013)."How Splash Damage is bringing multiplayer to Batman: Arkham Origins".Eurogamer.Retrieved19 October2021.
- ^Savage, Phil (3 June 2015)."Dirty Bomb enters open beta".PC Gamer.Retrieved19 October2021.
- ^Kerr, Chris (3 February 2017)."Splash Damage acquires Dirty Bomb publishing rights from Nexon".Game Developer.Retrieved19 October2021.
- ^"Dirty Bomb to cease development".PCGamesN.Retrieved19 October2021.
- ^"Splash Damage working on Gears of War: Ultimate Edition".MCV/DEVELOP.17 June 2015.ISSN1469-4832.Retrieved19 October2021.
- ^"Splash Damage is working on Gears of War 4's multiplayer".MCV/DEVELOP.15 March 2016.ISSN1469-4832.Retrieved19 October2021.
- ^"Splash Damage sold to Chinese poultry firm".Retrieved21 March2018.
- ^"343 Industries has two additional studios helping on MCC for PC | KitGuru".Retrieved19 October2021.
- ^Holmes, Mike."Turn-based strategy Gears Tactics announced at E3".Gamereactor UK.Retrieved19 October2021.
- ^"Gears Tactics Gets Xbox Series and Xbox One Release Date".GAMING.Retrieved19 October2021.
- ^Tassi, Paul."Here's The Game Awards 2020 Winners List With A Near-Total 'Last Of Us' Sweep".Forbes.Retrieved19 October2021.
- ^Bradshaw, Kyle (23 March 2020)."Gears of War multiplayer developer Splash Damage announces Google Stadia exclusive".9to5Google.Retrieved19 October2021.
- ^"Outcasters: Crowd Play & Crowd Choice".Splash Damage.Retrieved19 October2021.
- ^Bradshaw, Kyle (18 May 2021)."Stadia-exclusive Outcasters is changing publishers following SG&E shutdown".9to5Google.Retrieved19 October2021.
- ^McAloon, Alissa (23 December 2020)."Tencent officially acquires Splash Damage parent Leyou in $1.5 billion deal".Game Developer.Retrieved19 October2021.
- ^"Splash Damage joins the Tencent family".Splash Damage.Retrieved19 October2021.
- ^ab"How Tencent gave Splash Damage the" cheat codes for game development "".GamesIndustry.biz.Retrieved19 October2021.
- ^"Splash Damage Group Limited".Companies House.Retrieved24 October2021.
- ^"Splash Damage Is Working On A New Original Sci-Fi Game".GameSpot.Retrieved19 October2021.
- ^"Splash Damage acquires Battalion 1944 dev Bulkhead".GamesIndustry.biz.9 December 2022.Retrieved9 December2022.
- ^"Announcing Project Astrid".SplashDamage.com.16 March 2023.Retrieved16 March2023.
- ^"RAD Soldiers is Now Available Worldwide! - Splash Damage".www.splashdamage.com.Retrieved21 March2018.
- ^"Splash Damage's Newest Shooter is Dirty Bomb! - Splash Damage".www.splashdamage.com.Retrieved21 March2018.
- ^"The wait is over, Tempo has officially launched on the iOS App Store! - Splash Damage".www.splashdamage.com.Retrieved21 March2018.
- ^"Gears of War: Ultimate Edition".Retrieved14 October2019.
- ^"UK-based Splash Damage is working on Gears of War 4 multiplayer".Videogamer.com.15 March 2016.Retrieved8 April2016.
- ^"Gears 5".Retrieved14 October2019.
- ^"Halo: The Master Chief Collection Announced".Retrieved24 October2019.
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- ^"Google Stadia exclusive Outcasters is a unique multiplayer combat game coming this fall".14 July 2020.Retrieved14 July2020.
- ^Lyles, Taylor (9 December 2022)."Transformers: Reactivate is an Online Action Game Developed by Splash Damage".IGN.Retrieved9 December2022.
- ^"Announcing Project Astrid - Splash Damage with Sacriel and shroud".Splash Damage.Retrieved1 November2023.
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- ^"Golden Joystick Awards 2008 Short List Voting Page".Future Publishing Ltd. 4 August 2008.
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- ^"Ones to Watch".Best Companies.
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