Saffire Corporation

Saffire
Formerly	Cygnus Multimedia Productions (1993–1995)
Former type	Private
Industry	Video games
Fate	Dissolved
Founded	1993;27 years ago in Orem, Utah, US
Founders	Les Pardew; Charles Moore;
Defunct	2007
Headquarters	South Jordan, Utah , US
Key people	Hal Rushton (president)
Number of employees	120 (2001)

Last updated June 21, 2020

Saffire was an American video game developer based in South Jordan, Utah. Founded as Cygnus Multimedia Productions in 1993 by Les Pardew and Charles Moore, it was originally based in Pardew's basement in Orem with a team of six people. Pardew bought out Moore's share in 1994 and involved Hal Rushton as a partner in Moore's place. Cygnus was renamed Saffire in October 1995 and moved from Pleasant Grove to American Fork shortly thereafter for further expansion.

History

Saffire was founded by Leslie W. ("Les") Pardew with assistance by Charles Moore in 1993.^[1] The team initially consisted of six people working from Pardew's basement in Orem, Utah, and expanded to fourteen when it was incorporated in November 1993.^[2]^[3] The company was named Cygnus Multimedia Productions, taking the name from mythological king Cycnus of Liguria "because it sounded cool" and started out by creating artwork for video games of other developers.^[1]^[3]

In 1994, Pardew bought out Moore's stake in the company and brought on Hal Rushton, the former "vice president of product development" for Sculptured Software, as a partner.^[1] Rushton became the company's general manager, with Pardew as the president.^[3] By February 1995, Cygnus employed 50 people in a bottom-floor office in Pleasant Grove; the office was small, wherefore staff worked in shifts, and frequently flooded.^[1]^[3] Cygnus changed its name to Saffire in October 1995 and moved to a new studio in the Utah Valley Business Park in American Fork later that year.^[1]^[2] The move allowed Saffire to engage in the full production of video games, which Pardew sought to fasten with continued expansion.^[1] To raise capital, Pardew borrowed US$200,000 from Utah Technology Finance Corp. (UTFC) in September 1996 and further $125,000 in March 1997.^[1]

Rushton became the company's president by December 1997, while Pardew assume the role of chief executive officer.^[1] Saffire settled in expanded offices in Pleasant Grove in January 1999.^[4] By that time, Mark Kendell had become the company's chairman.^[5] Saffire continued to expand, with 80 employees in December 1999 and 120 employees in July 2001, the latter while based in American Fork.^[6]^[7]

In March 2007, Saffire (at the time based in South Jordan) was developing Cryptid, then scheduled for release in 2008.^[8]

Games developed

Title	Publisher(s)	Platform(s)	Release date
The Suit	SoftKey Multimedia	Microsoft Windows, MS-DOS	1996
They Call Me... The Skul	SoftKey Multimedia, The Learning Company	Microsoft Windows, MS-DOS	1996
NFL Legends Football '98	Accolade	Microsoft Windows	August 31, 1997
James Bond 007	Nintendo	Game Boy	January 29, 1998
Rampage World Tour	Midway Games	Nintendo 64	March 30, 1998
Bio F.R.E.A.K.S.	Midway Games	Nintendo 64, PlayStation	May 31, 1998
Oddworld Adventures	GT Interactive Software	Game Boy	December 1998
Animaniacs: Ten Pin Alley	ASC Games	PlayStation	December 1, 1998
StarCraft: Brood War	Blizzard Entertainment	Microsoft Windows, Mac OS	December 18, 1998
Top Gear Rally 2	Kemco	Nintendo 64	October 31, 1999
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six	Red Storm Entertainment	Nintendo 64	November 17, 1999
Billy Bob's Huntin'-n-Fishin'	Midway Games	Game Boy Color	November 17, 1999
Xena: Warrior Princess: The Talisman of Fate	Titus Software	Nintendo 64	December 14, 1999
Oddworld Adventures 2	GT Interactive Software	Game Boy Color	January 2000
The Mask of Zorro	Sunsoft	Game Boy Color	February 2000
CyberTiger	Electronic Arts	Nintendo 64	February 29, 2000
ESPN MLS GameNight	Konami	PlayStation	September 19, 2000
Army Men: Sarge's Heroes	Midway Games	Dreamcast	October 30, 2000
Microsoft Pinball Arcade	Classified Games (U.S.), Cryo Interactive (PAL)	Game Boy Color	2001
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear	Red Storm Entertainment	PlayStation	March 27, 2001
Lego Bionicle	Lego Software	Game Boy Advance	October 3, 2001
Lego Bionicle: The Legend of Mata Nui	Lego Software	Microsoft Windows	Canceled in October 2001
E.T.: Escape from Planet Earth	NewKidCo	Game Boy Color	November 4, 2001
Barbarian	Titus Software	PlayStation 2	June 27, 2002
Hot Wheels Velocity X	THQ	Game Boy Advance	October 31, 2002
Justice League: Injustice for All	Midway Games	Game Boy Advance	November 17, 2002
The Hobbit	Sierra Entertainment	Game Boy Advance	November 11, 2003
Peter Pan: The Motion Picture Event	Atari, Inc.	Game Boy Advance	December 10, 2003
Van Helsing	Vivendi Universal Games	PlayStation 2, Xbox, Game Boy Advance	May 6, 2004
Around the World in 80 Days	Hip Games	Game Boy Advance	July 5, 2004
Thunderbirds	Vivendi Universal Games	Game Boy Advance	August 10, 2004

Related Research Articles

Utah County is a county in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 516,564, thus making it Utah's second-most populous county. The county seat and largest city is Provo, which is the state's third-largest city.

Provo is the third-largest city in Utah, United States. It is 43 miles (69 km) south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the largest city and county seat of Utah County. It is home to Brigham Young University (BYU) and Sundance Resort is located just northeast of the city.

Lehi is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is named after Lehi, a prophet in the Book of Mormon. The population was 47,407 at the 2010 census, up from 19,028 in 2000. A more recent 2019 estimate reports a population of 69,724. The rapid growth in Lehi is due, in part, to the rapid development of the tech industry region known as Silicon Slopes. The center of population of Utah is located in Lehi.

Lindon is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 10,070 at the 2010 census. In July 2018 it was estimated to be to 10,970 by the US Census Bureau.

Pleasant Grove, originally named Battle Creek, is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States known as "Utah's City of Trees". It is part of the Provo–Orem Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 33,509 at the 2010 Census.

Utah Valley University (UVU) is a public university in Orem, Utah. UVU offers master's, bachelor's, and associate degrees. Previously called Utah Valley State College, the school attained university status in July 2008.

Utah Valley is a valley in North Central Utah located in Utah County, and is considered part of the Wasatch Front. It contains the cities of Provo, Orem, and their suburbs, including Alpine, American Fork, Cedar Hills, Elberta, Elk Ridge, Genola, Goshen, Highland, Lehi, Lindon, Mapleton, Payson, Pleasant Grove, Salem, Santaquin, Saratoga Springs, Spanish Fork, Springville, Vineyard and Woodland Hills. It is known colloquially as "Happy Valley".

The Daily Herald is a daily newspaper that covers news and community events in Utah County, central Utah. Much of the coverage focuses on the Provo-Orem metropolitan area in Utah Valley.

FrontRunner is a commuter rail train operated by the Utah Transit Authority that operates along the Wasatch Front in north-central Utah with service from Ogden in central Weber County through Davis County, Salt Lake City, and Salt Lake County to Provo in central Utah County.

Alpine School District is the primary school district in northern Utah County, Utah, United States, including the cities of Alpine, American Fork, Cedar Fort, Cedar Hills, Eagle Mountain, Fairfield, Highland, Lehi, Lindon, Orem, Pleasant Grove, Saratoga Springs, and Vineyard. It includes all grades from kindergarten all through high school (K-12). As of 2019, there were 59 elementary schools, 13 junior high schools, 10 high schools, and 8 special purpose schools serving approximately 78,659 students, making it the largest school district in Utah.

Sensory Sweep Studios was an American developer of video games. The studio was located in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The Provo-Orem, UT Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget, is an area consisting of two counties in Utah, anchored by the cities of Provo and Orem. As of the 2010 census, the MSA had a population of 526,810. By 2015, the Census Bureau estimated the population reached 585,799.

Lake Side Power Station is a natural gas turbine power station at Vineyard, Utah, United States. It was built by Lake Side Power LLC. with Siemens Westinghouse Power Corporation and is operated by PacifiCorp which does business in Utah as Rocky Mountain Power.

As of June 5, 2019, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reported 2,109,578 members living in Utah in 596 stakes, one district, 5,146 congregations, and eleven missions. As of April 2020, there are 24 temples operating, under construction, or announced in Utah.

<i>Lego Bionicle: Quest for the Toa</i> 2001 video game

Lego Bionicle: Quest for the Toa is an action-adventure game based on the Bionicle franchise. It was developed by Saffire Corporation, published by Lego Software and distributed in North America by Electronic Arts. It was released for the Game Boy Advance in October 2001. It was originally titled Lego Bionicle: Tales of the Tohunga, which was later changed due to legal issues with the Māori people of New Zealand.

<i>Around the World in 80 Days</i> (video game) video game

Around the World in 80 Days is a video game developed by Pick Up & Play for Mobile phones, and by Saffire Corporation for Game Boy Advance. It is an adaptation of the 2004 film of the same name starring Jackie Chan. The game features pre-rendered characters and graphics, and a password feature for returning to specific levels.

Altabank is a full-service bank headquartered in American Fork, Utah, United States, that was formerly known as People's Intermountain Bank. It is owned by a publicly held holding company, People's Utah Bancorp, which is traded on NASDAQ as PUB. It is the second-largest bank headquartered in Utah, and has 26 branches serving businesses and individuals in the area from Preston, Idaho to St. George, Utah. The current bank was formed from mergers of separate institutions including Bank of American Fork, Lewiston State Bank, and People's State Bank of American Fork These themselves had grown by opening new branches and by acquisitions, including, in the case of Bank of American Fork, by its acquisition of branches from Banner Bank.

The Mount Timpanogos Transit Center was a staffed, open air bus transfer station in southeast Orem, Utah, United States. It functioned as both the Utah Transit Authority's (UTA) customer service center for Utah County, as well as a bus transfer center for UTA's buses in east central Utah Valley. Prior to the opening of the FrontRunner commuter rail extension south to Provo in 2012), it was the busiest bus stop within the entire UTA bus system.

Lego Bionicle: The Legend of Mata Nui is a canceled action-adventure video game developed by Saffire Corporation. Based on the Lego Group's Bionicle line of constructible action figures, the game was intended to release on Microsoft Windows computers in late 2001 and the GameCube in early 2002. The game was designed as a direct sequel to Saffire's Game Boy Advance game Lego Bionicle: Quest for the Toa, which was released in October 2001. The story of The Legend of Mata Nui was meant to serve as a conclusion to the 2001 Bionicle story arc, focusing on the Toa, heroic elemental warriors destined to defeat the evil Makuta, who is attacking the island of Mata Nui with corrupted Rahi animals.

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Pusey, Roger (December 24, 1997). "UTFC helps Saffire Corp. grow like a house a-fire". Desert News . Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
1 2 "Cygnus Multimedia Gets Recognition – and a New Name". Deseret News . October 25, 1995. Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
1 2 3 4 Romboy, Dennis (February 22, 1995). "Cygnus Takes Place Among 'the Stars'". Deseret News . Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
↑ Haddock, Sharon (February 3, 1999). "'Motion capture' nets growth for company – Saffire Corp. puts realistic moves in lot of video games". Deseret News . Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
↑ Christiansen, Barbara (January 20, 1999). "Saffire Corp. brings video game development to P.G." American Fork Citizen. p. 15. Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
↑ Strickland, Tosha (December 12, 1999). "Saffire". Daily Herald . p. 26. Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
↑ McDermott, Tara (July 6, 2001). "LEGO builds ties with Utah company". Daily Herald . Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
↑ House, Dawn (March 15, 2007). "SLC is video game capital of America". The Salt Lake Tribune . Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020.

External links

Official website (archived)

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.

[Deseret_News_1997-12-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Pusey, Roger (December 24, 1997). "UTFC helps Saffire Corp. grow like a house a-fire". Desert News . Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020.

[Deseret_News_1995-10-2] 1 2 "Cygnus Multimedia Gets Recognition – and a New Name". Deseret News . October 25, 1995. Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020.

[Deseret_News_1995-02-3] 1 2 3 4 Romboy, Dennis (February 22, 1995). "Cygnus Takes Place Among 'the Stars'". Deseret News . Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020.

[Deseret_News_1999-02-4] Haddock, Sharon (February 3, 1999). "'Motion capture' nets growth for company – Saffire Corp. puts realistic moves in lot of video games". Deseret News . Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020.

[American_Fork_Citizen_1999-01-5] Christiansen, Barbara (January 20, 1999). "Saffire Corp. brings video game development to P.G." American Fork Citizen. p. 15. Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020– via Newspapers.com.

[Daily_Herald_1999-12-6] Strickland, Tosha (December 12, 1999). "Saffire". Daily Herald . p. 26. Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020– via Newspapers.com.

[Daily_Herald_2001-07-7] McDermott, Tara (July 6, 2001). "LEGO builds ties with Utah company". Daily Herald . Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020.

[The_Salt_Lake_Tribune_2007-03-8] House, Dawn (March 15, 2007). "SLC is video game capital of America". The Salt Lake Tribune . Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020.