 Logo since 2017 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | October 25, 1993 [1] |
| Founders |
|
| Headquarters | Kirkland, Washington, United States |
Number of employees | 100+ (2004) [2] |
| Parent | Warner Bros. Games (2004–present) |
| Website | lith |
Monolith Productions, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Kirkland, Washington. The company has been a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Games since August 2004. [3] It formerly published third-party games in the 1990s.
Monolith Productions was founded on October 25, 1994 by Bryan Bouwman, Toby Gladwell, Brian Goble, Jace Hall, Garrett Price, Paul Renault, and Brian Waite. [4]
Co-founder Brian Goble had this to say regarding the company name.
At the time we formed the company, DOS was still the OS of choice for games. Because of this, we knew we had to come up with a name that was 8 characters or less (for 8.3 filenames). We had been researching story and technology ideas for our demo CD and we were watching a lot of movies. "Monolith" came up, was semi mysterious, wasn't taken, and was 8 characters. Perfect. [4]
The company is best known for the Blood , No One Lives Forever and F.E.A.R series. Monolith developed the LithTech game engine which was used for most of their games starting with Shogo: Mobile Armor Division in September 1998. Between 1997 and 1999, Monolith also published games–some developed by the studio, some by third parties.
In 2004, Monolith Productions was acquired by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (now Warner Bros. Games). [3]
In 2014, the company released the title Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor with a sequel entitled Middle-earth: Shadow of War being released in 2017.
In 2021, the company announced that they are developing a video game starring Wonder Woman. [5]
| Year | Title | Platform(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PC | Console | Handheld | ||
| 1997 | Blood | MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows | — | — |
| Claw | Microsoft Windows | — | — | |
| 1998 | Get Medieval | Microsoft Windows | — | — |
| Shogo: Mobile Armor Division | Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, Linux, AmigaOS | — | — | |
| Blood II: The Chosen | Microsoft Windows | — | — | |
| 1999 | Gruntz | Microsoft Windows | — | — |
| TNN Outdoors Pro Hunter 2 | Microsoft Windows | — | — | |
| 2000 | Sanity: Aiken's Artifact | Microsoft Windows | — | — |
| The Operative: No One Lives Forever | Microsoft Windows, Mac OS | PlayStation 2 | — | |
| 2001 | Tex Atomic's Big Bot Battles | Microsoft Windows | — | — |
| Aliens Versus Predator 2 | Microsoft Windows, Mac OS | — | — | |
| 2002 | No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.'s Way | Microsoft Windows, Mac OS | — | — |
| 2003 | Tron 2.0 | Microsoft Windows, Mac OS | Xbox | Game Boy Advance |
| Contract J.A.C.K. | Microsoft Windows | — | — | |
| 2005 | The Matrix Online | Microsoft Windows | — | — |
| F.E.A.R. | Microsoft Windows | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | — | |
| Condemned: Criminal Origins | Microsoft Windows | Xbox 360 | — | |
| 2008 | Condemned 2: Bloodshot | — | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | — |
| 2009 | F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin | Microsoft Windows | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | — |
| 2012 | Gotham City Impostors | Microsoft Windows | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | — |
| Guardians of Middle-earth | Microsoft Windows | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | — | |
| 2014 | Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor | Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux | PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | — |
| 2017 | Middle-earth: Shadow of War | Microsoft Windows | PlayStation 4, Xbox One | — |
| TBA | Untitled Wonder Woman video game | TBA | ||
| Year | Title | Platform(s) |
|---|---|---|
| PC | ||
| 1994 | Maabus | MS-DOS |
| 1998 | Rage of Mages | Microsoft Windows |
| 1999 | Rage of Mages II: Necromancer | Microsoft Windows |
| Septerra Core: Legacy of the Creator | Microsoft Windows | |
| Gorky 17 | Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, Linux, AmigaOS | |
The Operative: No One Lives Forever is a first-person shooter video game developed by Monolith Productions and published by Fox Interactive, released for Windows in 2000. The game was ported later to the PlayStation 2 and Mac OS X in 2002.
LithTech is a game engine developed by Monolith Productions and comparable with the Quake and Unreal engines. Monolith and a number of other video game developers have used LithTech as the basis for their first-person shooter games.
Middle-earth Enterprises, formerly known as Tolkien Enterprises, is a subdivision of the Embracer Freemode division of Embracer Group and formerly a trade name for a division of The Saul Zaentz Company. The subdivision owns the worldwide exclusive rights to certain elements of J. R. R. Tolkien's two most famous literary works: The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. These elements include the names of characters contained within as well as the names of places, objects and events within them, and certain short phrases and sayings from the works.
Rampage is a 1986 arcade video game by Bally Midway. Inspired by monster films, players control a trio of monsters: George, Lizzie, and Ralph, humans transformed into creatures due to various experimental mishaps. The objective is to destroy cities and combat military forces while maintaining their health. The game is set across 128 days in cities throughout North America, with each cycle repeating five times. Gameplay includes destroying buildings, eating humans, and avoiding damage.
F.E.A.R. First Encounter Assault Recon is a 2005 first-person shooter psychological horror video game for Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. Developed by Monolith Productions and published by Vivendi Universal Games, the Windows version was released worldwide in October 2005. The Xbox and PlayStation versions were ported by Day 1 Studios and released in October 2006 and April 2007, respectively. Two standalone expansion packs were released for the Windows and Xbox 360 versions of the game, both developed by TimeGate Studios; F.E.A.R. Extraction Point (2006) and F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate (2007). Released on Windows in March 2007, F.E.A.R. Gold Edition includes all the content from the Director's Edition plus Extraction Point, while F.E.A.R. Platinum Collection, released for Windows in November 2007, includes the Director's Edition, Extraction Point, and Perseus Mandate. Neither expansion is now considered canon, as the Monolith-developed F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin ignores the events of both.
Surreal Software was an American video game developer based in Kirkland, Washington, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, known for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Suffering and Drakan series. Surreal Software employed over 130 designers, artists, and programmers. Surreal was acquired by Warner Bros. Games during the bankruptcy of Midway Games in July 2009. After a significant layoff in January 2011, the remaining employees were integrated into WBG's Kirkland offices, along with developers Monolith and Snowblind.
Warner Bros. Games is an American video game publisher based in Burbank, California, and part of the Global Streaming and Games unit of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). The publisher was founded as Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment on January 14, 2004, under Warner Bros. Entertainment and transferred to its Home Entertainment division when that company was formed in October 2005. Warner Bros. Games manages the wholly owned game development studios TT Games, Rocksteady Studios, NetherRealm Studios, Monolith Productions, WB Games Boston, Avalanche Software, WB Games Montréal and Player First Games, among others.
A side-scrolling video game is a video game viewed from a side-view camera angle where the screen follows the player as they move left or right. The jump from single-screen or flip-screen graphics to scrolling graphics during the golden age of arcade games was a pivotal leap in game design, comparable to the move to 3D graphics during the fifth generation.
There are many video games that have been inspired by J. R. R. Tolkien's works set in Middle-earth. Titles have been produced by studios such as Electronic Arts, Vivendi Games, Melbourne House, and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.
Snowblind Studios was an American video game developer located in Kirkland, Washington. They were founded in 1997, specializing in role-playing video games.
F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin is a 2009 first-person shooter psychological horror video game for PlayStation 3, Windows, and Xbox 360. Developed by Monolith Productions and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, it was released for all platforms in February 2009. It is the second game in the F.E.A.R. series and is followed by F.E.A.R. 3. In September 2009, Monolith released a single-player DLC pack, F.E.A.R. 2: Reborn. In March 2015, both the base game and Reborn were made available on GOG.com. In November 2021, the F.E.A.R. franchise, including Reborn, was added to Microsoft's backward compatibility program, making the games playable on the Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. Project Origin ignores the events of both TimeGate Studios-developed expansion packs for the original game, which are now no longer considered canon to the F.E.A.R. universe.
HipSoft is a Redmond, Washington-based developer of casual video games founded in 2002 by three of the original founders of Monolith Productions: Brian Goble, Garrett Price, and Bryan Bouwman. HipSoft has made over a dozen games, many of which have become popular in the casual gaming industry. Its games have been translated into many different languages and are distributed and sold worldwide through websites and retail outlets. All of the games are available for Windows and most for Mac OS X, and are being developed by partner companies for the Nintendo DS, mobile phones and other platforms.
Rocksteady Studios Limited is a British video game developer based in London. Founded on 13 December 2004, the studio is best known for its work in the Batman: Arkham series. The company is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Games.
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.
F.E.A.R. 3 is a 2011 first-person shooter psychological horror video game for PlayStation 3, Windows, and Xbox 360. Developed by Day 1 Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, it was released on all platforms in June 2011. It is the third game in the F.E.A.R. series. In 2015, it was released on GOG.com, and in 2021, it was added to Microsoft's backward compatibility program, making it playable on the Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. Filmmaker John Carpenter consulted on the cutscenes and script, which was written by comic writer and novelist Steve Niles. It is the only F.E.A.R. game to feature co-op gameplay.
NetherRealm Studios is an American video game developer based in Chicago and owned by Warner Bros. Games. Led by video game industry veteran and Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon, the studio is in charge of developing the Mortal Kombat and Injustice series of fighting games.
F.E.A.R. is a first-person shooter psychological horror video game series created by Craig Hubbard in 2005. Released on Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360, there are three main games in the series; F.E.A.R. (2005), F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin (2009), and F.E.A.R. 3 (2011). There are also two standalone expansion packs for the first game; F.E.A.R. Extraction Point (2006) and F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate (2007), but these games are no longer considered canon, as their plots were ignored in Project Origin and F.E.A.R. 3. In 2014, F.E.A.R. Online, a free-to-play game, was released, but the servers were shut down in 2015 with the game still in open beta. Monolith Productions developed the original game and Project Origin; Day 1 Studios developed F.E.A.R. 3; TimeGate Studios developed Extraction Point and Perseus Mandate; Inplay Interactive developed F.E.A.R. Online. Initially, the series' publishing rights were owned by Vivendi Games, who published the original game and the two expansions under the Sierra Entertainment label. In 2008, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment acquired the publishing rights and went on to publish Project Origin and F.E.A.R. 3. Aeria Games published F.E.A.R. Online under license from Warner.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is a 2014 action-adventure video game developed by Monolith Productions and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. An original story based on the legendarium created by J. R. R. Tolkien, the game takes place between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings film trilogies. The player controls Talion, a Gondorian Ranger who bonds with the wraith of the Elf Lord Celebrimbor, as the two set out to avenge the deaths of their loved ones. Players can engage in melee combat, and use wraith abilities to fight and manipulate enemies. The game introduces the Nemesis System, which allows the artificial intelligence of non-playable characters to remember their prior interactions with Talion and react accordingly in subsequent encounters.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War is a 2017 action-adventure video game developed by Monolith Productions and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Shadow of War is the sequel to 2014's Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, both of which are based on J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. The game is set in between the events of Peter Jackson's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings film trilogies, from which the game also takes inspiration. The player continues the story of Talion, the Gondorian Ranger who bonded with the wraith of the Elf Lord Celebrimbor, as they forge a new Ring of Power to amass an army to fight against Sauron. The game builds upon the "nemesis system" introduced in Shadow of Mordor, allowing Talion to gain followers from several races of Middle-earth and command them in warfare.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is a 2024 action-adventure shooter game developed by Rocksteady Studios and published by Warner Bros. Games. Based on the DC Comics team Suicide Squad, it is a spin-off of the Batman: Arkham series, and a follow-up to Batman: Arkham Knight (2015). Set five years after the events of Arkham Knight, the game's storyline follows the titular supervillain team, who are assembled by Amanda Waller and sent to Metropolis to stop the alien invader Brainiac and kill the members of the Justice League who fell under his influence.
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