THE WORLD’S MOST SUCCESSFUL GAME STUDIOS
In association with
35
VOLITION
STATISTICS Founded: 1996
£9.76m
#
TITLE
PUBLISHER HIGHEST UK CHART
FORMATS
UK RELEASE DATE
REVENUE
1
RED FACTION: GUERRILLA
THQ
2
XB360, PS3
JUN 09
£5.60m
2
SAINTS ROW 2
THQ
3
XB360, PS3, PC
OCT 08
£3.99m
3
SAINTS ROW
THQ
1
XB360
AUG 06
£0.17m
Owned by: THQ
www.volition-inc.com
36
ILLINOIS’ VOLITION HAS performed well since being acquired by THQ in 2000, but with Red Faction: Guerrilla it delivered above expectations. THQ’s CEO Brian Farrell revealed in a conference call last July that it had shipped a million copies in less than two months, but awarded his publishing arm just a ‘B’ grade, saying THQ might have done more to build initial demand.
Farrell added that he hoped what turned out to be a trio of DLC releases would extend the game’s life. The ongoing success of 2008’s Saint’s Row 2 is testament to such a strategy, which sees DLC as a marketing and engagement tool as much as an additional source of income. Word of a new Red Faction trickled out in February, with Volition’s 200-plus staff now working towards an E3 reveal.
CONTACTS Address: One Main Plaza, Suite 300,, Champaign IL, 61820, USA
MAXIS
STATISTICS
£9.54m #
TITLE
PUBLISHER HIGHEST UK CHART
FORMATS
UK RELEASE DATE
REVENUE
1
SIMANIMALS
ELECTRONIC ARTS
22
Wii, DS
JAN 09
£1.67m
Founded: 1987
2
THE SIMS 2: DOUBLE DELUXE
ELECTRONIC ARTS
78
PC
APR 08
£1.20m
3
SPORE
ELECTRONIC ARTS
3
PC
SEP 08
£1.18m
Owned by: Electronic Arts
4
THE SIMS 2: PETS
ELECTRONIC ARTS
3 PC,PSP,DS,PS2,GBA,GC
OCT 06
£0.66m
5
THE SIMS 2: CASTAWAY
ELECTRONIC ARTS
7
OCT 07
£0.57m
www.maxis.com
68
WITH SIMS AND SimCity creator and all-round genius Will Wright having finally done a runner in April 2009 from the studio he founded two decades previously, the future of Maxis has to be uncertain. Let’s be honest – having survived for over a decade as a recognisable label after EA’s acquisition in 1997 (even if not an entirely independent studio since the mid-Noughties), Maxis was already on borrowed time.
DS, Wii, PSP, PS2
The first fruits of the post-Wright era aren’t promising; SimAnimals for Wii and DS betrays many of the recessive characteristics of the ‘bad strand’ of Sim games. The next Sims it was not, and with that brand now operating under The Sims Studio label, this is could be Maxis’ last top 50 appearance – unless a surprise future Spore, hinted at and apparently worked on by Wright, can revive Maxis’ fortunes.
CONTACTS Address: 2 Theatre Square, Orinda, California, 94563-3346, USA