Kuju Entertainment Ltd.is a Britishvideo game developer.The original company wasSimis,formed in 1989 and purchased byEidos Interactivein 1995. Kuju was formed in 1998 inShalford, Surrey,England, after a management buyout of Simis from Eidos.
 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Predecessor | Simis |
| Founded | 1998 |
| Owner | Eidos Interactive(1989–1998) Catalis (2007–present) |
| Parent | Curve Games |
| Subsidiaries | Headstrong Games (2000–2017) Vatra Games (2009–2012) Zoë Mode (2004–2016) |
| Website | www |
Kuju has released titles across different devices, ranging fromArt Academyon theNintendo DS,The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's QuestandBattalion Wars 2for theWii,and anXbox Onetitle,Powerstar Golf.
History
editIan Baverstock and Jonathan Newth opened Simis in 1989 and produced a number offlight simulatorprograms likeMiG-29 Fulcrum (1990 video game).In 1995, the company was purchased by Eidos and operated as an in-house development studio. In 1998, Baverstock and Newth led a management buyout of the studio from Eidos Interactive, forming Kuju Ltd.
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 Alpha bet. The combined result was Kuju. Their first game wasTank Racer,[1]a 3D action racer forPC,PlayStationandmobile.[citation needed]
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 wasMicrosoft Train Simulator.[2]In 2002, Kuju floated on theAlternative Investments Market(AIM) of theLondon Stock Exchange.Shortly thereafter the company signed its first game withTHQbased on theGames Workshopfranchise,Warhammer 40,000: Fire Warrior.In the following years between 2002 and 2007, Kuju developed titles includingSingStargames and theBattalion Warsfranchise.[citation needed]Kuju was one of the companies considered to develop thegame engineforBBC's game showFightBox.[3]
In 2007, Kuju Ltd. was acquired by a German media investment firm, Catalis SE. Soon after, Kuju Brighton was rebranded toZoë Mode,and in 2008, Kuju London rebranded toHeadstrong Games.In 2010, Headstrong Games completed development ofArt Academyfor theNintendo DSconsole.[4]In June 2012, Dominic Wheatley, co-founder ofDomark,was appointed as CEO; while Gary Bracey, former vice-president of development atOcean Software,was appointed as commercial director.[5]
Studios
editThis sectionpossibly containsoriginal research.(June 2021) |
Kuju at one point had two UK studios:Headstrong Games[6]in London andZoë Modein Brighton. Both have since been amalgamated back into Kuju.[7]
Headstrong Games has developed versions ofThe House of the Dead: Overkill,The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's QuestandTop Gun: Hard Lock.Original intellectual property includeArt AcademyandBattalion Wars,both now owned byNintendo.
Zoë Mode have worked on theEyeToyseries,Zumbadance franchise andPowerstar Golf.They also developed games for Xbox'sKinect.
Previous Kuju Studios
edit- Doublesix
- Simis
- Kuju Surrey
- Kuju Sheffield (latterly rebranded as Chemistry)
- Nik Nak Games
- Kuju America
- Kuju Manila
- Vatra Games
Games
edit- Microsoft Train Simulator(2001)
- Lotus Challenge(2001)
- Reign of Fire(2002)
- Fire Blade(2002)
- SingStar(withLondon Studio) (2002)
- Warhammer 40,000: Fire Warrior(2003)
- EyeToy: Play(2003)
- GT-R 400(2004)
- Crash Twinsanity 3D(2004)
- Call of Duty: Finest Hour(withSpark Unlimited) (PS2andXboxversions only) (2004)
- Battalion Wars(2005)
- Conspiracy: Weapons of Mass Destruction(2005)
- The Regiment(2006)
- Sensible Soccer 2006(2006)
- Pilot Academy(2006)
- Crush(2007)
- Geometry Wars: Galaxies(withBizarre Creations) (2007)
- Battalion Wars 2(2007)
- Nucleus(2007)
- Rail Simulator(2007)
- Dungeons & Dragons Tactics(2007)
- Dancing with the Stars(2007)
- M.A.C.H. Modified Air Combat Heroes(2007)
- Sensible World of Soccer(Xbox Live Arcade version) (2007)
- Rock Revolution(2008–2009)
- You're in the Movies(2008–2009)
- The House of the Dead: Overkill(2009)
- Disney Sing It(2008)
- Art Academy(2009–2010)
- The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest(2010)
- Chime(2010)
- Disney Sing It: Family Hits(2010)
- Grease: The Game(2010)
- Chime: Super Deluxe(2011)
- Zumba Fitness 2(2011)
- Rush 'N Attack: Ex-Patriot(2011)
- Silent Hill: Downpour(2012)
- Top Gun: Hard Lock(2012)
- Haunt(2012)
- Crush 3D(2012)
- New Art Academy(2012)
- Zumba Fitness Rush(2012)
- Zumba Fitness Core(2012)
- Rabbids Rumble(2012)
- Zumba Fitness: World Party(2013)
- Zumba Kids(2013)
- Powerstar Golf(2013)
- Pokémon Art Academy(2014)
- Guitar Hero Live(2015)
- Disney Art Academy(2016)
- Marvel: Ultimate Alliance(2016)
- Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2(2016)
- Narcos: Rise of the Cartels(2019)
References
edit- ^"The 50 Best Video games: A Legend In Your Own Living-Room".The Independent.23 October 2011.Retrieved28 April2021.
- ^Alfred Barten."MSTS: First of the Big Ones".Retrieved1 October2015.
- ^Yarwood, Jack (22 March 2023)."Remembering FightBox, BBC's Big-Budget Video Game Failure".Time Extension.Hookshot Media.Retrieved23 March2023.
- ^"Kuju Entertainment - Art Academy".Retrieved1 October2015.
- ^"New CEO and commercial director for Kuju".GamesIndustry.biz.Retrieved3 December2019.
- ^"Published Games".Headstrong Games.Retrieved15 May2016.
- ^"Kuju acquires Wide, opens new Brighton studio".GamesIndustry.biz.Retrieved6 January2021.