Hi-Rez Studios

Last updated
Hi-Rez Studios
Company type Private
Industry Video games
Founded2005;19 years ago (2005)
Headquarters
Alpharetta, Georgia
,
US
Key people
  • Erez Goren
  • Stew Chisam (CEO)
  • Veronique Lallier (COO)
Products
Subsidiaries
  • Alacrity Arthouse
  • Evil Mojo Games
  • First Watch Games
  • Red Beard Games
  • Titan Forge Games
Website hirezstudios.com

Hi-Rez Studios is an American video game developer and publisher. The company was established in 2005 by Erez Goren and Todd Harris. Hi-Rez Studios' games include the squad-based shooter Global Agenda , the critically acclaimed Tribes: Ascend , the third-person MOBA Smite , the hero shooter Paladins , and the third-person shooter Rogue Company . [1] In 2012, Hi-Rez Studios was recognized as a Top 30 Video-Game Developer by Game Developer Magazine and Gamasutra. [2] Hi-Rez are the current owners of the Metaltech license, including Battledrome , Earthsiege , Starsiege , the CyberStorm series, and the Tribes series. With the exception of Battledrome and CyberStorm, the games were released as freeware by Hi-Rez on October 30, 2015. [3]

Contents

History

Erez Goren founded Hi-Rez Studios with Todd Harris in 2005. They hired experienced game developers from other successful titles, including City of Heroes , The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion , and Call of Duty . [4] Hi-Rez Studios employs more than 450 people at its development facility in the northern Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta, Seattle, and Brighton in the UK. [4] In August 2018, the company split into four separate studios: Titan Forge (responsible for SMITE development), Evil Mojo (responsible for Paladins development), Heroic Leap (responsible for Realm Royale development. This studio later merged with Evil Mojo), and Alacrity Arthouse (responsible for Centralized Art Services).

In 2019, Hi-Rez Studios announced the creation of a new studio, Red Beard Games, based in the Brighton office. The team is currently working on Divine Knockout.

Games developed

Year [a] TitlePlatform(s)Notes
2010 Global Agenda Microsoft WindowsServers shut down in 2018; Servers Reopened in 2022
2012 Tribes: Ascend Microsoft WindowsDevelopment stopped in July 2013, resumed Dec 2015 with a final update on Sep 29, 2016
2014 Smite Microsoft Windows, macOS, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch Closed beta started in 2012
2016Jetpack Fighter iOS, Android Removed from stores sometime in 2019
2017Smite RivalsMicrosoft Windows, iOS, AndroidEntered beta in January 2017, cancelled in March 2017.
2018Hand of the Gods: Smite TacticsMicrosoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4Servers shut down on Jan.1st, 2020
Paladins StrikeiOS, AndroidServers shut down in late 2020
Paladins Microsoft Windows, macOS, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
Realm Royale Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
2019Smite BlitziOS, AndroidCo-developed with Stoneskin Games.
Soft launched in September 2019, servers shut down in October 2020.
2020 Rogue Company Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5
ProphecyWindowsReleased in Early Access in May 2020, shut down on June 29, 2020.
Was developed under Hi-Rez Games license by Prophecy Games (team made of ex Hi-Rez developers).
2022Divine KnockoutMicrosoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5 Abandoned, No word from developers
2024Smite 2Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Steam Deck [5]
  1. ↑ Year of first release, game might have released on other platforms at a later date.

Global Agenda

Global Agenda is an online team-based game. The game went live on February 1, 2010. In April 2011, Global Agenda became the first free-to-play game released on the Steam platform, introducing Elite and Free Agents and an in-game cash shop featuring Agenda Points. [6]

Tribes Universe

Tribes Universe was a multiplayer arena shooter developed by Hi-Rez Studios based on the Tribes series. The game, along with Hi-Rez Studios' Tribes intellectual property acquisition from InstantAction, was first announced on October 23, 2010. While alpha testing was said to begin at the start of 2011, development on Tribes Universe was canceled when Hi-Rez Studios decided to start working on Tribes: Ascend. [7] [8]

Tribes: Ascend

Tribes: Ascend is a free-to-play multiplayer-only first-person shooter and part of the Tribes franchise. It was announced by Hi-Rez Studios on March 11, 2011, at the PAX East, and released on April 12, 2012. Tribes: Ascend earned a metascore of 86, and PC Gamer ranked it at #8 in an article on the Best Shooters of All Time. [9] Aspects from previous Tribes games such as jetpacks and skiing are featured in the game. [10]

Hi-Rez Studios representative Todd Harris announced the company's abandonment of the game on July 12, 2013. [11]

Smite

Smite is a free-to-play third-person MOBA for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and OS X. Players take on the visage of mythological deities from different pantheons and take part in arena combat, using powers and team tactics against other player-controlled deities and non-player controlled minions. Hi-Rez Studios announced Smite on April 21, 2011, at PAX East, and began its closed beta period on May 31, 2012, for PC. An open beta followed on January 24, 2013. The beta process produced more than 74 million hours of playtime and a large competitive community. [12] Throughout the beta, Hi-Rez Studios also hosted a series of LAN and online events with cash prize pools. [13] Smite was officially released in North America and Western Europe on March 25, 2014, for the PC. On August 19, 2015, Hi-Rez Studios released the Xbox One version, [14] and on May 31, 2016, the PlayStation 4 version was released. [15] On February 19, 2019, the Nintendo Switch version was released. [16]

Paladins

Paladins is a free-to-play online team-based game. The player has to pick a champion each with unique abilities to fight. There are four types of groups: Damage, Support, Flank and Front Line. [17] The current version of the card system permits pre-designed loadouts that provide augments to various abilities and stats, as well as “items" that can be purchased by credits. To get credits the player has to play and fight others. Items can be upgraded mid-match to provide additional performance bonuses.The game was announced on August 5, 2015. Paladins went into open beta on September 16, 2016, and released on Steam as an early access title the same day. [18]

Rogue Company

Rogue Company is a free-to-play multiplayer third-person shooter video game developed by First Watch Games. Rogue Company entered closed beta in June 2020 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and on Microsoft Windows via the Epic Games Store, [19] and included full support for cross-platform play and cross-progression. [20]

Jetpack Fighter

Jetpack Fighter is a free-to-play high speed platformer for mobile. The game was released first for iOS on January 7, 2016, and Apple editors featured it as a Best New Game. As of July 27, 2016, the game has been released on Android. The game has earned a metascore of 83. [21]

Divine Knockout

Divine Knockout (DKO, for short) was a third-person platform fighter developed by Red Beard Games, in Brighton. DKO started its closed Alpha in early 2022 and on November 22, 2022, announced that the game release date is going to be December 6 where the game is going to be available for PC (through Steam and Epic), Xbox One and Series X|S, PlayStation 4 and 5. [22] On November 30, 2022, Hi-Rez announced a partnership with PlayStation, where Divine Knockout's Founders Edition is included with PlayStation Plus during the month of December, 2022. [23] The game was released on Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation, and Xbox on December 6, 2022. Currently there is no dev working on the game.

Related Research Articles

Tribes is a series of five science fiction first-person shooter video games released between 1998 and 2024. The game plot is set in the far future. The series includes Starsiege: Tribes, Tribes 2, Tribes: Aerial Assault, Tribes: Vengeance, Tribes: Ascend, and Tribes 3: Rivals. Tribes is a spin-off series from the mecha simulation series Metaltech.

<i>Tribes: Vengeance</i> 2004 video game

Tribes: Vengeance is a science fiction first-person shooter video game developed by Irrational Games and released by Vivendi Universal Games in October 2004. It was built on an enhanced version of the Unreal Engine 2.5, which Irrational Games called the Vengeance engine. Part of the Tribes series, in addition to its multiplayer network maps, Vengeance includes a complete single-player campaign.

<i>Tribes: Aerial Assault</i> 2002 video game

Tribes: Aerial Assault is an online first-person shooter video game released for PlayStation 2 in 2002 by Sierra Entertainment. It was one of the first PlayStation 2 titles designed almost exclusively for online play and was the first online PlayStation 2 shooter that supports both modem and broadband connections. It was announced in tandem with Sony's online strategy for the PlayStation 2 at E3 2001.

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<i>Global Agenda</i> 2010 video game

Global Agenda is a class-based shooter online team-based game by Hi-Rez Studios developed using Unreal Engine 3. Global Agenda was started in 2005 as the studio's first project. The game went live on February 1, 2010. In April 2011, Global Agenda was re-released as a free-to-play game. The game's servers were shut down in 2018 and reopened in 2022.

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Tribes: Ascend is a free-to-play first-person shooter developed and published by Hi-Rez Studios for Microsoft Windows, as part of the Tribes series. Aspects from previous Tribes games such as jetpacks and skiing are featured in the game.

Warface: Clutch is a free-to-play online first-person shooter video game developed by Crytek Kiev, co-produced by Crytek Seoul, and published by My.com. The full version of the game was released on 21 October 2013 as playable in North America and Europe. The game was developed with Crytek's in-house CryEngine 3. Warface: Clutch centers around online firefights in player versus player (PvP) matches, with microtransactions allowing players to purchase weapons, equipment, and cosmetic gear. The Xbox 360 port, which was developed by Crytek UK, was discontinued in February 2015. The console version of the game was relaunched for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2018 and on the Nintendo Switch in 2020. Members of the game's development team split from Crytek Kiev in February 2019 to form a new development studio, Blackwood Games, who will handle future development duties for Warface: Clutch. A tactical shooter spin-off game named Warface: Breakout was released on 26 May 2020 for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

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Smite is a 2014 free-to-play, third-person multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game developed and published by Hi-Rez Studios for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Amazon Luna. In Smite, players control a god, goddess or other mythological figure and take part in team-based combat, using their abilities and tactics against other player-controlled gods and non-player-controlled minions.

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<i>Paladins</i> (video game) 2018 video game

Paladins: Champions of the Realm is a 2018 free-to-play online hero shooter video game by Hi-Rez. The game was developed by Evil Mojo, an internal studio of Hi-Rez and was released on May 8, 2018, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, followed by a Nintendo Switch version released on June 12, 2018.

<i>Realm Royale</i> 2018 video game

Realm Royale is a cancelled free-to-play third-person shooter battle royale game developed by Heroic Leap Games and published by Hi-Rez Studios. The game features multiple character classes each with unique abilities. It is a spin-off of the hero shooter Paladins, where it originated as a game mode known as "Battlegrounds".

<i>Rogue Company</i> 2022 free-to-play third-person shooter video game

Rogue Company is a free-to-play multiplayer tactical third-person hero shooter video game developed by First Watch Games and published by Hi-Rez Studios. The game was released in open beta on October 1, 2020 for Microsoft Windows via the Epic Games Store, Steam, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, with an Xbox Series X/S release following on November 25, 2020, and a PlayStation 5 release on March 30, 2021. The game features full support for cross-platform play and cross-progression. The game takes inspiration from the Counter-Strike series of tactical shooters. The game came out of beta on June 9, 2022.

References

  1. ↑ "Hi-Rez Studios The Official Website of Hi-Rez Studios Alpharetta GA". Hirezstudios.com. Retrieved 2014-07-03.
  2. ↑ "Our Top 30 Developers". Game Developer and Gamasutra. 21 July 2012. Retrieved 2014-07-03.
  3. ↑ "Download all the Tribes and Starsiege games for free right now". Polygon . 30 October 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Hi-Rez Founder and CEO Steps Down After a Successful Year of Growth to Pursue Other Interests". playstationlifestyle. 19 January 2019. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  5. ↑ "SMITE 2 FAQs". Hi-Rez Studios. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Global Agenda: Free Agent on Steam". Valve. Archived from the original on 2014-03-26. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
  7. ↑ "Hi-Rez: Tribes Universe on hold, priority for now is Ascend". 5 January 2012.
  8. ↑ What ever happened to Tribes Universe, officially?
  9. ↑ "The Best Shooters of All Time". PC Gamer. 2013-07-04. Archived from the original on 2014-07-08. Retrieved 2014-07-03.
  10. ↑ "Tribes Ascend Home". Hi-Rez Studios. Archived from the original on 2014-01-07. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
  11. ↑ "Tribes Ascend Reddit". HiRezTodd. 2013-07-12. Retrieved 2016-03-08.
  12. ↑ "Hi-Rez Studios releases SMITE in North America and Europe". Hi-Rez Studios. 25 Mar 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-06-13. Retrieved 20 Jun 2014.
  13. ↑ "SMITE Tournament Series: Week 24 Recap". Hi-Rez Studios. 14 Oct 2013. Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 20 Jun 2014.
  14. ↑ Smite makes its official Xbox One debut next week
  15. ↑ Smite on PS4 Launches May 31
  16. ↑ "SMITE for Nintendo Switch - Nintendo Game Details".
  17. ↑ "Paladins Game Preview". mmos.com. 17 August 2015.
  18. ↑ "Paladins Game Review". 17 August 2015.
  19. ↑ "Hi-Rez Studios' Rogue Company will be an Epic Games Store exclusive on PC". VentureBeat. 2019-09-05. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
  20. ↑ Chalk, Andy (2019-09-05). "Hi-Rez announces a new cross-platform shooter called Rogue Company". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
  21. ↑ "Jetpack Fighter". Metacritic. Retrieved 2016-06-24.
  22. ↑ "Third-person Platform Fighter Divine Knockout Launches Cross-Platform on December 6". Hi-Rez Studios. Retrieved 2022-11-22.
  23. ↑ "Hands-on with Divine Knockout, the third-person platform fighter smashing onto PlayStation Plus December 6". PlayStation.Blog. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
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