Wikipedia

Rockstar New England

Rockstar New England, Inc.(formerlyMad Doc Software, LLC) is an Americanvideo game developerand a studio ofRockstar Gamesbased inAndover, Massachusetts.Ian Lane Davis founded the company as Mad Doc Software in November 1999 after working as atechnical directorforActivision.The studio worked with Activision onStar Trek: Armadabefore leading the development of its sequel,Star Trek: Armada II.Starting in 2002, Mad Doc was the principal developer of theEmpire Earthseries, developing two games and two expansions. While the successfulEmpire Earth IIlanded the company publishing contracts with Rockstar Games andBethesda Softworks,Empire Earth IIIwas a critical and commercial failure and led to the end of the series. Mad Doc developedStar Trek: Legacyfor Bethesda Softworks andBully: Scholarship Editionfor Rockstar Games. After the latter was released in March 2008, Rockstar Games'sparent company,Take-Two Interactive,bought Mad Doc and integrated it with Rockstar Games as Rockstar New England. Under Rockstar Games, the studio worked on a sequel toBullyuntil its developers were reallocated to projects likeMax Payne 3.

Rockstar New England, Inc.
FormerlyMad Doc Software, LLC(1999–2008)
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryVideo games
FoundedNovember 1999;24 years ago(1999-11)
FounderIan Lane Davis
Headquarters
Andover, Massachusetts
,
US
Key people
Number of employees
≈100 (2007)
ParentRockstar Games(2008–present)

History

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Early years andEmpire Earth(1999–2007)

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A former Mad Doc Software logo

Rockstar New England was founded as Mad Doc Software by Ian Lane Davis. A native ofAndover, Massachusetts,he first came into contact with video games while enrolled at Andover public schools in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He frequently visitedarcadesand, while at Doherty Junior High around 1982, Davis received his first computer, anApple II Plus.Among his favorite games wereUltima,Wizardry,andOne on One: Dr. J vs. Larry Bird.[1]He later attendedPhillips Academyuntil 1987, graduated fromDartmouth Collegewith majors in mathematics, English, andcomputer sciencein 1991, and obtained adoctorateinartificial intelligenceandroboticsfromCarnegie Mellon Universityin 1996.[1][2][3]Davis landed his first job with the video game companyActivisioninSanta Monica, California,acting as atechnical directorfrom 1996 to 1999.[1][4]During this time, he worked onDark Reign: The Future of War,Battlezone,Dark Reign: Rise of the Shadowhand,andCivilization: Call to Power.[5]

Davis left Activision to move back to Andover, where he founded Mad Doc in November 1999.[1][6]With him as the only employee, the company took oncontract workand consulting jobs to hire further staff. Davis did not seekventure capital,despite several people urging him to do so.[7]Mad Doc's first projects were development support onStar Trek: Armadaand additional programming and art forCall to Power II,both released by Activision.[8][9]In 2000, the studio relocated to neighboringLawrence,first occupying "cramped, temporary quarters" before it moved into 6,600 square feet (610 m2) of renovated office space on the fifth floor ofthe Everett Mills.[1][10]Mad Doc was the first video game company in Lawrence, and Davis hoped its presence would attract more in the future, which ultimately did not happen.[10][11]Nine months after its founding, Mad Doc had grown to employ ten people and began contacting publishers for development projects.[7]It led the development ofStar Trek: Armada IIfor Activision, initially with eight developers.[1]When the game was announced in March 2001, Mad Doc mostly comprised former developers fromLooking Glass Studios,a defunct studio previously based in nearbyCambridge.[12][13]By July 2001, it had grown to 20 employees, and Davis believed the staff count would never exceed 30.[10]Star Trek: Armada IIwas released in November 2001.[14]Mad Doc further inherited the development ofJane's Attack Squadronfrom Looking Glass Studios, which had been canceled with that studio's closure.[13][15]The finished game was released in March 2002.[16]

In May 2002,Sierra Entertainmentannounced Mad Doc as the developer ofEmpire Earth: The Art of Conquest,anexpansion packfor the 2001 gameEmpire Earth.[17]While the expansion received mixed reviews when it was released in September 2002, Mad Doc remained the principal developer of theEmpire Earthseries.[18][19]Around this time, Mad Doc collaborated withSplash DamageonWolfenstein: Enemy Territory,developing its single-player component. Activision, as the game's publisher, scrapped this portion in February 2003 because its development "did not progress as anticipated".[20][21]WithGas Powered Games,Mad Doc worked onDungeon Siege: Legends of Aranna,an expansion pack for 2002'sDungeon Siege.[22]Legends of Arannawas released in November 2003, and Mad Doc published a free bonus pack in September 2004.[23][24]By January 2004, Mad Doc had 48 employees andUS$3.5 millionin annual revenue.[7]The studio'sEmpire Earth IIwas released in April 2005, followed by the expansionEmpire Earth II: The Art of Supremacyin February 2006.[25][26]The success of the game and its expansion led Mad Doc to publishing contracts withBethesda SoftworksandRockstar Games.[18]With the former, the studio developedStar Trek: Legacyafter Bethesda Softworks had acquired a license for theStar Trekfranchise.[27]The game was released in November 2006.[28]Mad Doc then developed anotherEmpire Earthentry,Empire Earth III.[29]The production cost roughly$10 millionand the game came out in November 2007.[30][31]Due to a multitude of issues,Empire Earth IIIbecame a critical and commercial failure and is considered to have ended theEmpire Earthfranchise.[32]

Acquisition and projects under Rockstar Games (2007–present)

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Under its contract with Rockstar Games, Mad Doc developed an enhanced version ofBully,which had been developed by Rockstar Games'sRockstar Vancouverstudio and released to commercial success for thePlayStation 2in 2006. Mad Docremasteredthe game and added further missions, characters, and items.[18][33]The version was announced asBully: Scholarship Editionin July 2007 for theWiiandXbox 360.[34]By December 2007, Mad Doc and its roughly 100 employees had relocated to a 20,400 square feet (1,900 m2) office inBallardvale,a village within Andover.[1][35]Davis stated that the studio would remain in Andover because it was his "favorite place", where he lived with his wife Vicky and was planning to raise his children.[1][2]Shaun McDermott, whilechief financial officerof the studio, regarded the location as an asset because of the wide range of lifestyles that employees could live in nearby communities.[36]In late 2007, Davis was named the "Entrepreneur of the Year" by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.[1]Around this time, Mad Doc createdmapsfor themultiplayermode ofTurok,whcih was developed byPropaganda Gamesand released in February 2008.[37]

Bully: Scholarship Editionwas released in March 2008.[38]Take-Two Interactive,Rockstar Games'sparent company,acquired Mad Doc in the same month for$6.068 million:$3.740 millionin cash, 53,033 shares of its unregisteredcommon stock(valued at$1.353 million), and$975,000in development advances.[39]The acquisition was announced on April 4, 2008, and Mad Doc was integrated with Rockstar Games as Rockstar New England.[40][41]Davis remained with the studio as thestudio director,alongside Ken Davis.[18][42]Its employees initially reacted positively to the acquisition due to the reputation and size of Rockstar Games. Over time, the former Mad Doc workplace culture faded whilecrunchincreased. Some employees "felt they were expected by other people within the company to prove their dedication to Rockstar through long hours, and that they would be 'harassed' when trying to leave the studio".[18]In June 2009, Rockstar New England laid off approximately 10% of its staff, including several artists and the entirequality assurance(QA) department. According to an insider speaking withKotaku,Rockstar Games sought to have one dedicated QA studio instead of having QA departments at its other studios. Other employees reported at the time that theseverance packageswere "fairly generous" and that Rockstar Games was helping some of the affected employees get new jobs.[43][44]One laid-off artist later claimed he had not received such assistance.[18]

Under Rockstar Games, Rockstar New England commenced several projects. It created theWindowsversion ofBully: Scholarship Edition,which was released in October 2008, and assisted the development ofGrand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned,Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony,andRed Dead Redemption.The studio also began developing a sequel toBullywhile Rockstar Vancouver was allocated toMax Payne 3.Some employees believed the project to be a test for the newly acquired studio to prove it was worth the investment. Roughly 50–70 people, most of the studio, were involved with the game at some point. The team envisioned a smallopen worldwith high interactivity, such as actions towardsnon-player characters(NPCs) having long-term consequences and every building being enterable, including by force. For the latter, Rockstar New England developed a detailed glass fragmentation system. Avertical sliceofBully 2was created and playable. However, in 2010, the studio began re-allocating the game's developers to other projects.[18]It joined Rockstar Vancouver,Rockstar London,andRockstar Torontoin the development ofMax Payne 3,which was released in May 2012.[18][45]The game re-used the glass fragmentation mechanic previously designed forBully 2.[18]

In early 2013, Rockstar New England completed its three-month process of moving from Ballardvale to Andover'sDundee Park.[46]The studio worked alongside all other Rockstar Games studios onRed Dead Redemption 2,which was released in October 2018.[47]The mechanic of consequences from NPC interactions that the studio had created forBully 2was incorporated into this game.[18]

Games developed

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As Mad Doc Software

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List of games developed by Rockstar New England, 2000–2008
Year Title Platform(s) Publisher(s) Notes
2000 Star Trek: Armada Windows Activision Supportive development for Activision
Call to Power II Supportive development for Activision
2001 Star Trek: Armada II
2002 Jane's Attack Squadron Xicat Interactive
Empire Earth: The Art of Conquest Sierra Entertainment
2003 Dungeon Siege: Legends of Aranna Microsoft Game Studios Co-developed withGas Powered Games
2005 Empire Earth II Vivendi Universal Games
2006 Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy
Star Trek: Legacy Windows,Xbox 360 Bethesda Softworks
2007 Empire Earth III Windows Vivendi Games
2008 Turok PlayStation 3,Windows, Xbox 360 Disney Interactive Studios Supportive development forPropaganda Games
Bully: Scholarship Edition Android,iOS,Wii,Windows, Xbox 360 Rockstar Games

As Rockstar New England

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List of games developed by Rockstar New England, 2008–present
Year Title Platform(s) Publisher(s) Notes
2009 Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned PlayStation 3, Windows, Xbox 360 Rockstar Games Supportive development forRockstar North
Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony Supportive development for Rockstar North
2010 Red Dead Redemption Nintendo Switch,PlayStation 3,PlayStation 4,Xbox 360 Supportive development forRockstar San Diego
2011 L.A. Noire Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox 360,Xbox One Supportive development forTeam Bondi
2012 Max Payne 3 macOS,PlayStation 3, Windows, Xbox 360 Developed as part ofRockstar Studios
2013 Grand Theft Auto V PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4,PlayStation 5,Windows, Xbox 360, Xbox One,Xbox Series X/S Supportive development for Rockstar North
2018 Red Dead Redemption 2 PlayStation 4,Stadia,Windows, Xbox One Developed as part of Rockstar Games

Canceled

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References

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