Formerly |
|
---|---|
Company type | Public |
Industry | Video games |
Founded | 1995 |
Founders |
|
Defunct | June 2011 |
Fate | Bankruptcy |
Headquarters | , Austria |
Products |
|
Subsidiaries | DreamCatcher Interactive |
JoWooD Entertainment AG (formerly JoWooD Productions Software AG, commonly referred to as JoWooD) was an Austrian video game publisher that was founded in 1995. JoWooD went into administration in 2011 and all assets were purchased by Nordic Games.
Its games include the futuristic racing car game Beam Breakers which was released in 2002, action role-playing games in the Gothic series, the SpellForce series, and the Industry Giant series of games. Other titles include Transport Giant, World War III: Black Gold , The Sting! , Hotel Giant , and other games of the Giants series.
JoWooD Productions Software AG was founded in 1995 in Ebensee by Dieter Bernauer, Johann Reitinger, Johann Schilcher, and Andreas Tobler with its headquarters later moved to Liezen, Austria. It owned five subsidiaries in the last years: DreamCatcher Interactive, JoWooD Distribution Services, JoWooD Deutschland, JoWooD Iberica and Quantic Lab. In May 2002, JoWooD acquired Ravensburger Interactive and its sister company Fishtank Interactive.
In August 2005, JoWooD attempted to end their development agreement with developer Perception Pty because of a lack of quality on their "Stargate SG-1" product. [1] JoWooD carried out this action believing they owned the licence for the game Stargate SG-1: The Alliance, which was disputed by Perception. [2]
On 4 November 2006, JoWooD announced the acquisition of DreamCatcher Games, in efforts to move to the North American game markets. [3]
In January 2007, JoWooD announced a UK distribution agreement with Pinnacle Software to allow the latter to distribute JoWooD's titles. [4]
In October 2009, JoWooD changed its name from JoWooD Productions Software AG to JoWooD Entertainment AG. [5] At the same time, JoWood also announced an agreement with Valve to make available future JoWooD titles on Steam. [5]
On 7 January 2011, JoWooD officially filed for bankruptcy and announced that the company would prepare for "a procedure of capital reorganization". [6] However, on 21 April 2011, JoWooD announced that, unable to negotiate with potential investors, they were officially facing bankruptcy proceedings and had withdrawn their application for a recapitalization plan. [7] In June 2011, JoWooD Entertainment, all their assets and its subsidiary, Quantic Lab, was acquired by Nordic Games. From this point on, JoWooD was no longer operating. All activities of the two companies were taken over by Nordic Games. [8] On 16 August 2011, Nordic Games announced that it had acquired JoWooD's products and brands and some of the companies labels, including The Adventure Company. [9] Following the acquisition, it was announced that JoWood and the Adventure Company would become publishing labels for Nordic Games, a wholly owned subsidiary of Nordic Games Holding. [10]
Capcom Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game company. It has created a number of critically acclaimed and multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being Resident Evil, Monster Hunter, Street Fighter, Mega Man, Devil May Cry, Sengoku Basara, Dead Rising, Dragon's Dogma, Ace Attorney, and Marvel vs. Capcom. Established in 1979, it has become an international enterprise with subsidiaries in East Asia, Europe, and North America.
Resident Evil 2 is a 1998 survival horror video game developed and published by Capcom for the PlayStation. The player controls rookie cop Leon S. Kennedy and college student Claire Redfield, who must escape Raccoon City after its citizens are transformed into zombies by a biological weapon two months after the events of the original Resident Evil. The gameplay focuses on exploration, puzzles, and combat; the main difference from its predecessor are the branching paths, with each player character having unique storylines, partners and obstacles.
Resident Evil 4 is a 2005 survival horror game developed and published by Capcom for the GameCube. Players control the special agent Leon S. Kennedy on a mission to rescue the US president's daughter, Ashley Graham, who has been kidnapped by a religious cult in rural Spain. Leon fights hordes of enemies infected by a mind-controlling parasite and reunites with the spy Ada Wong. In a departure from the fixed camera angles and slower gameplay of previous Resident Evil games, Resident Evil 4 features a dynamic camera system and action-oriented gameplay.
DreamCatcher Interactive Inc. was a Canadian video game publisher founded in 1996 by Richard Wah Kan. It was best known for its adventure games. In 2006, the company became a subsidiary of JoWooD Entertainment. In 2011, the company went into administration along with its parent JoWooD and all assets were purchased by Nordic Games Holding. The DreamCatcher Interactive brand is currently being used as a publishing label for THQ Nordic.
Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening is a 2005 action-adventure game developed and published by Capcom. The game is a prequel to the original Devil May Cry, featuring a younger Dante. Set a decade before the events of the first Devil May Cry in an enchanted tower, Temen-ni-gru, the story centers on the dysfunctional relationship between Dante and his older brother Vergil. The game introduces combat mechanics with an emphasis on combos and fast-paced action. The story is told primarily in cutscenes using the game's engine, with several pre-rendered full motion videos.
The Adventure Company was a Canadian video game developer and a former publishing division of DreamCatcher Interactive. It was sold to THQ Nordic GmbH in 2011 following DreamCatcher's parent assets being sold after entering administration.
Arx Fatalis is a 2002 action role-playing game developed by Arkane Studios and released for Windows and Xbox. The game is played from a first-person perspective and is set on a world whose sun has failed, forcing the above-ground creatures to take refuge in caverns. The game's mechanics include the use of mouse gestures to cast spells. Arx Fatalis received mostly positive reviews from critics but was not commercially successful. In 2011, Arkane Studios released the game's source code under the GNU General Public License (GPL), though the game assets remain proprietary.
Söldner: Secret Wars is a video game, developed by German studio Wings Simulations and published in 2004 by JoWooD Productions and Encore, Inc. The game can be played in first- or third-person. Players can control an individual soldier who can acquire and control a ground vehicle, ship, submarine, plane, VTOL or helicopter; a ground troop can be equipped with SCUBA gear, weapons with open, telescopic, and dot sights, smoke, fragment, and flash-bang grenades, explosives and booby traps, vehicle repair equipment, thermal scopes, and other gear.
The Guild 2 is a life simulation video game developed by 4HEAD Studios and published by JoWooD Productions. It is the second installment in The Guild series, following Europa 1400: The Guild and preceding The Guild 3. The game was released worldwide in November 2006 for Windows. Taking place within fictional versions of provinces of Europe in the fifteenth century, The Guild 2's main focus revolves around the player character's aim to simulate life in the Renaissance. At the beginning of the game, the player can create a self defined character, whereby characteristic attributes points and skills can be adjusted and developed over the course of the game, by improving its properties and special abilities.
Arcania is an action role-playing video game, spin-off of the Gothic series, developed by Spellbound Entertainment. It was published by JoWooD Entertainment in 2010.
Forsaken Gods is a standalone expansion for the action role-playing video game Gothic 3. It was developed by Trine Games and published by JoWooD Productions. The game was released in Europe and North America in 2008. A version containing improvements Enhanced Edition was released in 2011 developed by Mad Vulture Games.
SpellForce 2: Faith in Destiny is the second expansion for SpellForce 2, developed by Indian studio Trine Games. It was released on June 19, 2012, after several delays.
THQ Nordic GmbH is an Austrian video game publisher based in Vienna. Formed in 2011, it is a publishing subsidiary of Embracer Group. Originally named Nordic Games, as was the parent company, both companies were renamed THQ Nordic in August 2016 after the parent company had acquired the "THQ" trademark in 2014.
SpellForce is a real-time strategy and role-playing series created by Phenomic and currently owned by THQ Nordic. The first release was published by JoWooD Productions and Encore Software in 2003 and THQ Nordic in 2017.
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