Saber Porto

Last updated

Saber Porto
FormerlyBigmoon Entertainment (2008–2019)
Company type Subsidiary
IndustryVideo games
Founded2008; 13 years ago
FounderPaulo J. Gomes
Headquarters
Porto
,
Portugal
Area served
Worldwide
Parent Saber Interactive (2019–present)
Website saberporto.com

Saber Porto (formerly Bigmoon Entertainment) [1] [2] is a Portuguese video game developer based in Porto, with additional offices in Sheffield, UK. It was founded in 2008 by Paulo J. Gomes to create video games for PC and consoles, along with animated films and television series like TIC TAC TALES [3] [4] [5] and PIKABOO. [3]

Contents

Over the years, Bigmoon transitioned to work exclusively on video games, participating in game projects related to different genres. The company was recognized for being involved in racing games, such as the WRC series, MotoGP13, FlatOut4: Total Insanity, and Dakar 18 . [6]

In October 2019, it was announced that Bigmoon Entertainment was acquired by Saber Interactive and renamed Saber Porto. [7] [8] [9] As Saber Porto, in October 2021, the studio participated in the remaster of the Crysis Remastered Trilogy , [10] and in October 2022 launched its first original game as part of Saber Interactive, Dakar Desert Rally. [11]

History

2008–2014

The company started in 2008 as Bigmoon Animation Studios, and developed TV animation series for kids. Its first production was TIC TAC TALES, [3] [4] [5] a TV animation series with 39 episodes, created by Paulo J. Gomes and broadcast by RTP, [12] RTP África, RTP Internacional, and distributed in Europe by Panini Media in 2010, 2011, and 2012. In 2009, Bigmoon Animation Studios produced TV animation musicals for Canal Panda and distributed them on DVD by Info Capital with the title PIKABOO. [3] [13]

After the release of TIC TAC TALES, a second company was formed: Bigmoon Interactive Studios, which was developing the game version of TIC TAC TALES called D-TEAM: The Kidnapping of Professor Zig. [14]

In 2012, Bigmoon Interactive Studios started working for Milestone ( WRC 3 and WRC – THE GAME) and bitComposer, working in the game North & South. After the success of both partnerships, Milestone contracted Bigmoon to create motorcycles for MotoGP 13, bitComposer asked it to work on Jagged Alliance: Back in Action , [15] and OG Games contacted the company to develop My Health Club for mobile devices. In January 2013, when Bigmoon was finishing Jagged Alliance: Back in Action for Linux and Macintosh, a contract was signed with Headup games to develop a new PC action RPG game: Trapped Dead: Lockdown. [16] [17]

During Gamescom 2013, bitComposer also hired Bigmoon to fix the multiple issues from Games Distillery's Citadels, that was released in July 2013. [18]

In December 2014, Bigmoon Interactive Studios received the information that its main publisher partner, bitComposer, entered insolvency, [19] [20] canceling ongoing projects. Both companies, Bigmoon Interactive and Bigmoon Animation were extinct, becoming developer and publisher Bigmoon Entertainment.

In the same year, Maximum Games contracted Bigmoon to develop the PS4 and Xbox One port from the PC game Lichdom: Battlemage using CryEngine 3. [21] In June 2015, while Bigmoon was developing the console version for Lichdom, Maximum Games hired the company to complete and port Alekhine's Gun to PS4 and Xbox One. [21]

2016–present

In 2016, Bigmoon Entertainment released Alekhine's Gun and Lichdom: Battlemage, and started a new contract with Astragon Entertainment to develop Police Simulator 18, later renamed Police Simulator: Patrol Duty. [9]

Bigmoon then started working with Camel 101 on the survival-horror game Syndrome [22] [23] and individually in the classic RPG Demons Age. [24] [25]

Bigmoon released its first self-publishing title Syndrome in September 2017. [26]

By the end of 2016, Paulo Gomes wanted to bring a new game genre to the industry, and he created the Rally Raid racing subgenre, securing exclusive rights to develop and publish his own version of the Dakar Rally. In 2017, he entered into an agreement with Koch Media to proceed with Dakar 18 . [6] The game involved all the resources of the studio and was the biggest Portuguese investment in videogame development, [27] being released for PS4, Xbox One, and PC in September 2018. [28]

In 2019, Bigmoon worked with Saber Interactive to port Call of Cthulhu for the Nintendo Switch. [29] After the success of Call of Cthulhu's development, Saber Interactive, and Bigmoon Entertainment entered into an acquisition agreement that was finalized in October 2019, Bigmoon's studio was then rebranded to Saber Interactive Porto (Saber Porto). [7] [8] [21]

In October 2021, Saber Porto revealed that they worked together with other Saber studios and Crytek to participate in the remaster of the Crysis Remastered Trilogy. [10] [30] Saber Porto's first original IP, as part of Saber Interactive | Embracer Group, was announced on 10 December 2021 during the Saber Interactive showcase at The Game Awards, [31] the game title was presented as Dakar Desert Rally. [32] [33] [34]

Dakar Desert Rally, the next installment for the Dakar Rally videogame franchise, received a date in the pre-order trailer, [35] and a gameplay video during a showcase at Gamescom 2022. [36] [37] [38] The game was released on the defined date, 4 October 2022. [11]

Bigmoon animated films and series

YearTitleNotes
2009PikabooDVD
2010Tic Tac Tales39 episodes
2011D-TeamCancelled

Bigmoon games and collaborations

YearTitlePlatform(s)PublisherNotes
2012North & South: The GamePC, Win8, IOS, Android bitComposer Entertainment Remaster
2012 WRC3: FIA World Rally Championship PS3, Xbox 360 Milestone 3D art
2013WRC ShakedownPC, Xbox 360, PS3Milestone3D art
2013 MotoGP 13 PS3, Xbox 360Milestone3D art
2014 Jagged Alliance: Back in Action Mac, LinuxbitComposer EntertainmentPort
2015Trapped Dead: LockdownPC Headup games Full game
2015 WRC 5 PS4, Xbox One Kylotonn, Bigben Interactive 3D art
2016 Lichdom: Battlemage PS4, Xbox One Maximum Games Port
2016 Alekhine's Gun PS4, Xbox OneMaximum GamesPort
2017 Neighbors from Hell PC, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOS THQ Nordic Remaster
2017 Neighbors from Hell 2: On Vacation iOS, Android, macOSTHQ NordicRemaster
2017 FlatOut 4: Total Insanity PS4, Xbox OneKylotonn, Bigben Interactive, Strategy First 3D Art
2017 Syndrome PS4, Xbox One, PCBigmoon EntertainmentFull game
2017Demons AgePS4, Xbox One, PCBigmoon EntertainmentFull game
2018 Dakar 18 PC, PS4, Xbox OneBigmoon Entertainment, Koch Media Full game
2019 Dakar 18: Ari Vatanen returns to Dakar PC, PS4, Xbox OneBigmoon Entertainment, Koch MediaExtra content
2019 Dakar 18: Desafío Ruta 40 Rally PC, PS4, Xbox OneBigmoon Entertainment, Koch MediaDLC
2019 Dakar Series: Desafío Inca Rally PC, PS4, Xbox OneBigmoon Entertainment, Koch MediaDLC
2019Police Simulator: Patrol DutyPC Astragon Entertainment Full game
2019 Call of Cthulhu Nintendo Switch Saber Interactive, Focus Home Port

Saber Porto games and collaborations

YearTitlePlatform(s)PublisherNotes
2021 Crysis Remastered Trilogy PC, PS4, Xbox OneSaber Interactive, Crytek Remaster
2022Dakar Desert RallyPC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox SeriesSaber InteractiveFull game

Cancelled games

YearTitlePlatform(s)PublisherNotes
2011D-TEAM: The Kidnapping of Professor ZigPC, Wii, iOS, AndroidInfocapitalFull game
2012My Health ClubiOS, AndroidOG GamesFull game
2014Monday Night Combat 2PC, PS4, Xbox OnebitComposer, Uber Entertainment Full game
2014 The Dark Eye: Demonicon PS3 Kalypso Media Port
2014 Space Empires V PCStrategy FirstRemaster

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xbox Game Studios</span> American video game publisher

Xbox Game Studios is an American video game publisher based in Redmond, Washington. It was established in March 2000, spun out from an internal Games Group, for the development and publishing of video games for Microsoft Windows. It has since expanded to include games and other interactive entertainment for the namesake Xbox platforms, other desktop operating systems, Windows Mobile and other mobile platforms, web-based portals, and other game consoles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crytek</span> German video game and software company

Crytek GmbH is a German video game developer and software developer based in Frankfurt. Founded by the Yerli brothers in Coburg in 1999 and moved to Frankfurt in 2006, Crytek operates additional studios in Kyiv, Ukraine and Istanbul, Turkey. Its former studios included Crytek Black Sea in Sofia, Bulgaria, Crytek UK in Nottingham, and Crytek USA in Austin, Texas. Crytek is best known for developing the first instalment of the Far Cry series, the Crysis series, and the open world nature of their games which showcase the company's CryEngine. As of August 2024, Crytek is the largest game developer in Germany with 405 employees.

Saber Interactive Inc. is an American video game developer and publisher based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Founded by Andrey Iones, Matthew Karch, and Anton Krupkin in 2001, it is controlled by Karch's investment company Beacon Interactive, created in 2024. The company employs over 1,350 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aspyr</span> American video game developer and publisher

Aspyr Media, Inc. is an American video game developer and publisher founded by Michael Rogers and Ted Staloch in Austin, Texas. Originally founded to bring top gaming titles to macOS, the company, since 2005, has become a publisher and developer of entertainment for multiple gaming platforms.

<i>Dakar 2: The Worlds Ultimate Rally</i> 2003 video game

Dakar 2: The World's Ultimate Rally is a racing video game developed by Acclaim Studios Cheltenham and published by Acclaim Entertainment for PlayStation 2, GameCube and Xbox. It is based on the real-life Paris Dakar Rally - one of the world's most difficult and dangerous sporting events. Based on the 2002 running of the event, the game begins in rural Paris and ends on a beach in Dakar, Senegal, with 11 stages in between, including tracks in the Sahara Desert and Atlas Mountains.

<i>Crysis</i> (video game) 2007 video game

Crysis is a first-person shooter video game developed by Crytek and published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows and released in November 2007. It is the first game in the Crysis series. A standalone expansion entitled Crysis Warhead was released in 2008, following similar events as Crysis but from a different narrative perspective. At the time Crysis was released, and years thereafter, it has been praised for its milestones in graphical design.

<i>Cars</i> (video game) 2006 video game

Cars is a 2006 adventure racing game published by THQ. The game is based on the 2006 film of the same name. It was released for the PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, Microsoft Windows, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and PlayStation Portable in June 2006, with versions for the Xbox 360 and Wii released later that year. The Wii version includes functionality geared towards its Wii Remote controller and was a launch game for the system. Taking place after the events of the film, the game follows Lightning McQueen as he participates in the new racing season with his goal set on finally winning the Piston Cup. While doing so, he races and trains with the local community of Radiator Springs.

<i>Colin McRae Rally 2005</i> 2004 video game

Colin McRae Rally 2005 is a racing video game developed and published by Codemasters.

<i>Crysis 3</i> 2013 video game

Crysis 3 is a 2013 first-person shooter video game developed by Crytek and published by Electronic Arts. It is the third installment in the Crysis series, and a sequel to the 2011 video game Crysis 2. The multiplayer portion of the game was developed by Crytek UK. Crysis 3's story, which serves to end the Crysis trilogy, revolves around a Nanosuit holder named Prophet and his quest for revenge against the Alpha Ceph, the leader of the Ceph alien race. Gameplay revolves around the use of the Nanosuit, which grants players a variety of abilities such as invisibility. New features introduced in Crysis 3 include a new Nanosuit ability called "Rip & Throw", a compound bow and hacking, which allows players to hack into enemies' equipment, drones, and security defenses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">4A Games</span> Ukrainian-Maltese video game developer

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.

<i>Grand Theft Auto V</i> 2013 video game

Grand Theft Auto V is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the seventh main entry in the Grand Theft Auto series, following 2008's Grand Theft Auto IV, and the fifteenth instalment overall. Set within the fictional state of San Andreas, based on Southern California, the single-player story follows three protagonists—retired bank robber Michael De Santa, street gangster Franklin Clinton, and drug dealer and gunrunner Trevor Philips, and their attempts to commit heists while under pressure from a corrupt government agency and powerful criminals. Players freely roam San Andreas's open world countryside and fictional city of Los Santos, based on Los Angeles.

<i>Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary</i> 2011 video game remaster

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary is a 2011 first-person shooter video game developed by 343 Industries, Saber Interactive, and Certain Affinity, and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360 console. It is a remaster of the 2001 game Halo: Combat Evolved, originally developed by Bungie. Announced at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in 2011, it was released on November 15, 2011, the tenth anniversary of Combat Evolved and the original Xbox it released on. Anniversary was later included as part of Halo: The Master Chief Collection for Xbox One in 2014, and for Windows and Xbox Series X/S in 2020.

<i>Halo: The Master Chief Collection</i> Video game compilation

Halo: The Master Chief Collection is a compilation of first-person shooter video games co-developed by 343 Industries in partnership with Certain Affinity and Saber Interactive, and published by Xbox Game Studios. The collection includes the first six main installments in the Halo franchise released between 2001 and 2012, originally developed by Bungie and 343 Industries. It originally released for Xbox One on November 11, 2014.

<i>Lichdom: Battlemage</i> 2014 video game

Lichdom: Battlemage is a first-person action role-playing video game that was developed by independent American game developer Xaviant and published by Maximum Games for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, running on the CryEngine 3 game engine. It was released as an alpha version for Steam Early Access on March 19, 2014, and then fully released in North America on August 26, 2014. A console version was released on April 19, 2016 in North America and on April 22, 2016 in Europe.

<i>Dakar 18</i> 2018 video game

Dakar 18 is a racing video game simulation developed by Portuguese studio Bigmoon Entertainment and published by Deep Silver for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows. It is based on the annual rally raid organized by the Amaury Sport Organisation (A.S.O). It was the first officially licensed Dakar Rally game since Dakar 2: The World's Ultimate Rally in 2003.

<i>World War Z</i> (2019 video game) Third-person shooter video game

World War Z is a third-person shooter video game developed and published by Saber Interactive. It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on 16 April 2019, and a Nintendo Switch version was released on 2 November 2021. It was released for Google Stadia on 5 April 2022. Ports for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S released on 24 January 2023. Loosely based on the 2006 novel World War Z and set in the same universe as the 2013 film adaptation, the game follows groups of four survivors of a zombie apocalypse.

References

  1. ↑ "Bigmoon Entertainment". GameCompanies. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  2. ↑ "BigMoon Entertainment, Ltd". MobyGames. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Pereira, Elsa (1 November 2010). ""Big Moon": animação infantil de Gaia a pensar no Mundo". Jornal de Notícias. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  4. 1 2 "RTP2 aposta em animação portuguesa". Diário de Notícias. 15 September 2010. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  5. 1 2 "Programação infantil com os olhos postos além-fronteiras". Público. 15 September 2010. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  6. 1 2 Galvão, Bruno (25 September 2018). "DAKAR 18 da Portuguesa Bigmoon chega às lojas". Eurogamer Portugal. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  7. 1 2 Loureiro, Jorge (19 October 2019). "Estúdio português Big Moon Entertainment foi comprado pela Saber". Eurogamer Portugal. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  8. 1 2 Lemos, Luís (19 October 2019). "Bigmoon Entertainment do Porto adquirida pela Saber Interactive". PróximoNível. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  9. 1 2 Wilson, Jason (18 October 2019). "Saber Interactive buys Bigmoon Entertainment, announces two new projects". GamesBeat. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  10. 1 2 Taborda, Gonçalo (7 January 2022). "De 0 a 10 - Crysis Remastered Trilogy". IGN Portugal. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  11. 1 2 Galvão, Bruno (4 October 2022). "Dakar Desert Rally já disponível". Eurogamer PT. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  12. ↑ "Tic Tac Tales". RTP. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  13. ↑ "Pikaboo Musical: Menino". Fnac. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  14. ↑ Soares, Jorge (27 January 2012). "Imagens de D-TEAM: The kidnapping of Professor Zig". Eurogamer Portugal. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  15. ↑ "Jagged Alliance: Back in Action". IGN. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  16. ↑ "Trapped Dead: Lockdown". GamePressure. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  17. ↑ Rita, Ana (20 March 2016). "Videojogos. Estes mortos-vivos são portugueses e vão para a PlayStation 4 e XBox One". Dinheiro Vivo. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  18. ↑ "Games Distillery". Vision Game. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  19. ↑ Staff, MCV (16 December 2014). "BitComposer files for insolvency". MCV / DEVELOP. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  20. ↑ Nutt, Christian (16 December 2014). "Publisher Bitcomposer files for bankruptcy". Game Developer. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  21. 1 2 3 Partleton, Kayleigh (21 October 2019). "Saber Interactive snaps up Dakar 18 developer Bigmoon Entertainment". PC Games Insider. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  22. ↑ Loureiro, Jorge (30 September 2015). "Syndrome, um Survival Horror feito por portugueses". Eurogamer Portugal. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  23. ↑ Mota, Ricardo (22 October 2016). "Syndrome: terror "made in" Portugal". Observador. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  24. ↑ Loureiro, Jorge (30 July 2015). "Demons Age anunciado para PC, PS4 e Xbox One". Eurogamer Portugal. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  25. ↑ Silvestre, Daniel (1 August 2015). "Demons Age da Bigmoon Entertainment é o próximo RPG feito em Portugal". PróximoNível. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  26. ↑ Galvão, Bruno (6 October 2017). "Jogo Português Syndrome já disponível". Eurogamer Portugal. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  27. ↑ Parreira, Rui (28 August 2018). "Recriação de Dakar em videojogo custou três milhões de euros a estúdio português". Sapo Tek. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  28. ↑ Gonçalves, Aníbal (3 July 2018). "Bigmoon Entertainment anuncia data de lançamento de DAKAR 18". IGN Portugal. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  29. ↑ Lopez, Azario (12 April 2019). "Partnership Confirms 'Call of Cthulhu' and 'Vampyr' Switch Release Along With 2 New Ambitious Titles". noisy pixel. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  30. ↑ Taborda, Gonçalo (15 October 2021). "Crysis Remastered Trilogy - Análise". IGN Portugal. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  31. ↑ Romano, Sal (8 December 2021). "Saber Interactive to showcase five upcoming titles during The Game Awards 2021 and Twitch Winter Gathering". Gematsu. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  32. ↑ "Dakar Desert Rally - Reveal Trailer". IGN. 13 December 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  33. ↑ Harrison-Lord, Thomas (11 December 2021). "Dakar Desert Rally is a new rally raid game, launches 2022". Traxion GG. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  34. ↑ Boiston, Alan (13 December 2021). "Dakar Desert Rally announced, epic map reading returns". Team VVV. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  35. ↑ "Dakar Desert Rally - Pre-Order Trailer". IGN. 17 August 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  36. ↑ "Dakar Desert Rally - Gameplay Overview Trailer". IGN. 25 August 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  37. ↑ Critix, Par (30 August 2022). "Preview Dakar Desert Rally, gargantuesque !". IGN France. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  38. ↑ Harrison-Lord, Thomas (26 August 2022). "Everything you need to know about Dakar Desert Rally". Traxion GG. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.