 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Headquarters | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
Key people | Rob Cunningham, CEO Yossarian King, CTO Jon Aaron Kambeitz, CCO Eric Torin, COO |
| Products | Homeworld series |
Number of employees | 330 [1] |
| Website | blackbirdinteractive |
Blackbird Interactive is a Canadian video game development studio based in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Blackbird was founded in 2007 by former members of Relic Entertainment and EA Canada. CEO Rob Cunningham and chief creative officer Jon Aaron Kambeitz had also been founding members of Relic, and had been on the development team for the 1999 RTS Homeworld and its 2003 sequel, Homeworld 2 . [2] In 2010, after beginning operations, Blackbird began working on a game they considered a "spiritual successor" to Homeworld, entitled Hardware: Shipbreakers. The studio entered into negotiations with THQ, which controlled Relic, for adapting their original game into a Homeworld game, but were unable to secure access to the intellectual property. [3]
THQ went bankrupt in April 2013, and sold off its assets at auction. Blackbird and Gearbox Software were among the bidders for the IP rights to Homeworld ; Gearbox won the auction at $1.35 million. [4] Gearbox allowed Blackbird to use the Homeworld IP and invested in the Hardware: Shipbreakers project, which was renamed Homeworld: Shipbreakers in September 2013. [3] [5] In December 2015, it was officially announced for release as Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak ; it was released on January 20, 2016. [6]
In February 2017, Blackbird announced a collaboration with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory [7] to create Project Eagle, an interactive art model of a base on Mars to be demonstrated live on stage at the 2017 D.I.C.E. Summit. [8]
In August 2019, Blackbird announced that it had begun development of a new Homeworld title, Homeworld 3 , as a direct sequel to Homeworld 2 released in 2003. [9] As of the announcement date, the game was still in pre-production stages, and a tentative release date of late 2022 was given. Many key developers of the first two Homeworld games will return to lead the development of Homeworld 3, including Blackbird CEO Rob Cunningham and Homeworld soundtrack composer Paul Ruskay. [10]
In November 2019, Blackbird announced that it had been involved in the development of Minecraft Earth . [11]
Blackbird revived the Shipbreaker name and concept with the space salvage simulator Hardspace: Shipbreaker , which was released in early access on June 16, 2020. [12]
From September to December 2021, Blackbird trialed the four-day work week with two of its teams, one of which was the team behind Shipbreaker. The trial was a success, with the majority of developers surveyed stating that it improved their work-life balance, wellness, and ability to complete work. [13] The studio intends to implement the four-day work week across all of its teams, beginning in April 2022. [14]
Citing the cancellation of several unannounced projects, Blackbird Interactive laid off 41 employees in August 2023. [15] In February 2024, Homeworld 3 was delayed from March 8 to May 13 in order to incorporate player feedback from the game's demo release. That same month, another round of layoffs took place. [16] [17]
| Year | Title | Publisher | Platform(s) | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak | Gearbox Software | Microsoft Windows, OS X | Spin-off to the Homeworld series |
| 2018 | Project Eagle | Blackbird Interactive | Microsoft Windows | |
| 2019 | Minecraft Earth | Xbox Game Studios | Android, iOS, iPadOS | Assisted Mojang Studios |
| 2022 | ||||
| Hardspace: Shipbreaker | Focus Entertainment | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | Released via early access in 2020 | |
| Crossfire: Legion | Prime Matter | Microsoft Windows | ||
| 2023 | Minecraft Legends | Xbox Game Studios | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch | Developed along with Mojang Studios. |
| 2024 | Homeworld 3 | Gearbox Software | Microsoft Windows | |
| TBA | Earthless | Blackbird Interactive | Microsoft Windows | Released via early access in 2024 |
3D Realms Entertainment ApS is a video game publisher based in Aalborg, Denmark. Scott Miller founded the company in his parents' home in Garland, Texas, in 1987 as Apogee Software Productions to release his game Kingdom of Kroz. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the company popularized a distribution model where each game consists of three episodes, with the first given away free as shareware and the other two available for purchase. Duke Nukem was a major franchise created by Apogee to use this model, and Apogee published Commander Keen and Wolfenstein 3D the same way.
THQ Inc. was an American video game company based in Agoura Hills, California. It was founded in April 1990 by Jack Friedman, originally in Calabasas, and became a public company the following year through a reverse merger takeover. Initially working in the toy business, it expanded into the video game business through several acquisitions before shifting its focus away from toys entirely. THQ continued its trend of acquiring companies throughout the 2000s.
Relic Entertainment Inc. is a Canadian video game developer based in Vancouver, founded in 1997. The studio specializes in real-time strategy games and is known for series such as Homeworld, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War and Company of Heroes. Acquired by THQ in 2004, the company was sold to Sega on January 22, 2013 as part of THQ's bankruptcy and operated under its European division. By May 2024, Relic had secured a partnership with an external investment group, allowing it to split from Sega and operate independently.
Homeworld 2 is a real-time strategy video game sequel to Homeworld, developed by Relic Entertainment and released in 2003 by now defunct publisher Sierra Entertainment. Its story concerns Hiigara's response to a new enemy called the Vaygr. Its gameplay takes a new direction with the enhancement of its graphics and audio. In contrast to the closely equivalent Kushan and Taiidan forces of the original game, Vaygr and Hiigaran spaceships differ significantly in design and application.
Gearbox Software, L.L.C is an American video game development company based in Frisco, Texas. It was established as a limited liability company in February 1999 by five developers formerly of Rebel Boat Rocker. Randy Pitchford, one of the founders, serves as president and chief executive officer. Gearbox initially created expansions for the Valve game Half-Life, then ported that game and others to console platforms. In 2005, Gearbox launched its first independent set of games, Brothers in Arms, on console and mobile devices. It became their flagship franchise and spun off a comic book series, television documentary, books, and action figures. Their second original game series, Borderlands, commenced in 2009, and by 2015 had sold over 26 million copies. The company also owns the intellectual property of Duke Nukem and Homeworld.
Wargaming Seattle, formerly known as Gas Powered Games, was a video game developer located in Redmond, Washington. The development studio was started in May 1998 by Chris Taylor and several other ex-Cavedog Entertainment employees. In 2013 they became the Seattle studio of Wargaming. Wargaming Seattle was closed down in July 2018.
Blue Tongue Entertainment Pty, Ltd. was an Australian video game developer founded in 1995. It was acquired by THQ on 17 November 2004, and remained an internal development studio of THQ until its closure in August 2011. In addition to THQ, Blue Tongue had worked with the publishers Hasbro Interactive and Vivendi Universal Games.
Deep Silver Volition, LLC was an American video game developer based in Champaign, Illinois. Mike Kulas and Matt Toschlog founded the company as Parallax Software in June 1993, developing Descent and Descent II. By the time the sequel was completed, Toschlog had relocated to Ann Arbor, Michigan, with some employees to operate a satellite studio for Parallax. Kulas and Toschlog decided to split up the company, with Toschlog establishing Outrage Entertainment and Kulas staying with Parallax, which was renamed Volition in November 1996. With publisher Interplay Entertainment, Volition created Descent: FreeSpace – The Great War and its sequel, FreeSpace 2. The two companies parted ways during the development of Summoner.
Homeworld is a real-time strategy video game developed by Relic Entertainment and published by Sierra Studios on September 28, 1999, for Windows. Set in space, the science fiction game follows the Kushan exiles of the planet Kharak after their home planet is destroyed by the Taiidan Empire in retaliation for developing hyperspace jump technology. The survivors journey with their spacecraft-constructing mothership to reclaim their ancient homeworld of Hiigara from the Taiidan, encountering a variety of pirates, mercenaries, traders, and rebels along the way. In each of the game's levels, the player gathers resources, builds a fleet, and uses it to destroy enemy ships and accomplish mission objectives. The player's fleet carries over between levels and can travel in a fully three-dimensional space within each level rather than being limited to a two-dimensional plane.
Project Eagle is an interactive art demo of a colony on Mars, developed by Blackbird Interactive in collaboration with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. It was released on Steam on 27 November 2018, in honor of the successful InSight landing.
5th Cell is an independently owned American video game developer founded in 2003 as 5th Cell Media, LLC. led by Jeremiah Slaczka and Marius Falhbusch. The company is most well known for creating the Drawn to Life and Scribblenauts series.
4A Games Limited is a Ukrainian-Maltese video game developer based in Sliema, Malta. The company was founded in Kyiv, Ukraine, in 2006 by three developers who departed from GSC Game World. In 2014, 4A Games moved its headquarters to Sliema, wherein the Kyiv office was retained as a sub-studio. The company is best known for developing the Metro video game series.
Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak is a real-time strategy video game developed by Blackbird Interactive and published by Gearbox Software. The game was released on January 20, 2016, and is a prequel to the 1999 space-based real-time strategy video game Homeworld.
Embracer Group AB is a Swedish video game and media holding company based in Karlstad. The company comprises 11 operative groups: Amplifier Game Invest, Asmodee, CDE Entertainment, Coffee Stain, Dark Horse Media, Deca Games, Easybrain, Freemode, Gearbox Entertainment, Plaion, and THQ Nordic.
Homeworld 3 is a real-time strategy video game developed by Blackbird Interactive and published by Gearbox Software. The game was released on May 13, 2024.
Hardspace: Shipbreaker is an action-adventure simulation video game developed by Blackbird Interactive and published by Focus Entertainment. In the game, the player works as a ship breaker by exploring and dismantling abandoned spacecraft in search for useful materials, while at the same time tackling the labor relations issues within their employer. The game was released on Windows via early access in June 2020, and was released in full in May 2022. The game received generally positive reviews upon release. Versions for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S were released in September 2022.
Homeworld is a series of real-time strategy video games created by Relic Entertainment. Relic Entertainment developed the first two Homeworld games. The series then spent over a decade in dormancy until Gearbox Software acquired the franchise in 2012 and tasked Blackbird Interactive to develop Homeworld 3, the third mainline installment of the franchise, and the spin-off game Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak. Homeworld Mobile was released in 2022.
Beginning in 2023 and continuing into 2024, the video game industry has experienced mass layoffs. Over 10,000 jobs were lost in 2023, and an additional over 10,100 jobs were lost in 2024 from January to May. These layoffs had reverberating effects on both established game development studios and emerging companies, impacting employees, projects, and the overall landscape of the gaming industry. The layoffs caused several video games to be canceled, video game studios to be shut down or divested from their parent company, and thousands of employees to lose their jobs.
Blackbird was previously developing the game as a spiritual successor to Homeworld with the title Hardware: Shipbreakers, but Gearbox confirmed today that it will now be released as part of the franchise instead, and Gearbox will provide financial support to make sure the game can be completed and achieve Blackbird's vision.