Digital Extremes is a Canadian computer and video game developer founded in 1993 by James Schmalz, best known for its co-creation of Epic Games' highly successful Unreal series of games. Digital Extremes is headquartered in London, Ontario.
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video game industry |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Headquarters | London, Ontario, Canada |
Number of employees | 150 |
| Website | www.digitalextremes.com |
History
This section needs additional citations for verification. (February 2012) |
Founded in 1993 by James Schmalz, Digital Extremes is a Canadian game development studio. Founder James Schmalz began developing games at the age of 12, creating an Ultima clone called Sorcery on an Apple IIe computer. From there, he continued dabbling with game development through his University years at University of Waterloo. Upon graduation, left with a choice between a full-time paid engineering position and the option of self-employed game developer, Schmalz chose the latter and created Epic Pinball, published by then shareware publisher, Epic Megagames. Bolstered from the success of Epic Pinball and the rising technology movement in the mid-90's toward realistic 3D graphics, Schmalz officially founded Digital Extremes and the company began co-development with Epic Games on what would become Epic Games' Unreal franchise [1].
Unreal was a first-person shooter created in 1998, and was followed up with Unreal Tournament in 1999. Both received many editorial and industry awards including Game of the Year [2]. Subsequent sequels in the Unreal franchise, included Unreal Championship, Unreal Tournament 2003, and Unreal Tournament 2004. To date, the Unreal series has sold more than 15 million units worldwide across a multitude of gaming platforms including PlayStation 2, Dreamcast, Xbox, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Mac and PC. Several of the game's iterations are currently available for download on Steam (software).
After years of working in the same universe with Unreal, Digital Extremes broadened its library and technology with development of its original IP, Dark Sector. A third-person shooter, released in 2008 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC, Dark Sector used Digital Extremes' proprietary game engine, the Evolution Engine.
Following Dark Sector, Digital Extremes continued expansion in response to the growth in the industry and the need to stay competitive through the next-generation console transition. In recent years, Digital Extremes has assisted 2K with the PS3 version of blockbuster hit, Bioshock,[3] as well as developed the multiplayer component of the sequel, Bioshock 2 while simultaneously developing the multiplayer portion of THQ's first-person shooter, Homefront [4].
In a December 2011 a Quality Assurance employee of Digital Extremes filed a labour dispute regarding overtime pay [citation needed].
Currently, Digital Extremes is in development for Paramount Digital Entertainment on the game for the next Star Trek movie. The studio recently finished development on 2K's The Darkness II, based on the popular comic book of the same name. The Darkness II launches in North America on February 7, 2012 for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC, and February 10th Worldwide.
Evolution Engine
The Evolution Engine is Digital Extremes' proprietary engine [5]. The engine was first used on Dark Sector, and the recently released The Darkness II[6]. It is currently being used to develop the action/co-op Star Trek game.
Games developed/co-developed
- Solar Winds – PC (1992)
- Epic Pinball – PC (1993)
- Silverball – PC (1993)
- Extreme Pinball – PC (1995)
- Unreal – PC (1998)
- Unreal Tournament – PC (1999), PS2 (2000)
- Adventure Pinball: Forgotten Island – PC (2001)
- Unreal Championship – Xbox (2002)
- Unreal Tournament 2003 – PC (2002)
- Unreal Tournament 2004 – PC (2004)
- Pariah – PC/Xbox (2005)
- Warpath – PC/Xbox (2006)
- Dark Sector – PS3/Xbox 360 (2008), PC (2009)
- BioShock – PS3 (2008)
- BioShock 2 - PC/PS3/Xbox 360 (Multiplayer component, 2010)
- Homefront – PC (2011)
- The Darkness II – PC/PS3/Xbox 360 (2012)[7]
- Star Trek – PC/PS3/Xbox 360 In development
See also
References
- ^ David Jenkins (2007-08-20). "Digital Extremes Weighs In On Unreal Engine 3 for PS3". Gamasutra.com. Retrieved 2012-02-08.
- ^ "GT Interactive and Epic Games Earn Coveted 'Game of the Year' Honors for 'Unreal Tournament'". Business Wire. February 17, 2000. p. 1261.
- ^ Mike Bendel (2008-06-08). "Digital Extremes To Assist In BioShock PS3 Development". exophase.com. Retrieved 2012-02-08.
- ^ Jaz McDougall (2010-08-18). "Homefront PC port has dedicated servers". pcgamer.com. Retrieved 2012-02-08.
- ^ Mark DeLoura (2010-03-09). "In-Depth: The State Of Game Engines At GDC 2010". gamasutra.com. Retrieved 2012-02-08.
- ^ Kranzl, Justin. "Preview: The Darkness II". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 09-06-2011.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ Webb, Dan. "Resume Hints That Digital Extremes Are Developing The Darkness 2". X360A.org. Retrieved 07-26-2010.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help)
External links
- Digital Extremes, official website