Virtual Playground

Last updated
Virtual Playground
Type Public
Industry Video games
GenreBusiness Management Games
Founded13 November 2002
Headquarters,
Subsidiaries Microvalue group
Website http://virtual-playground.co.uk

Virtual Playground was a software company producing many tycoon or business simulation games primarily for the PC platform, but their works do also extend to the Nintendo DS. [1] Their works include Prison Tycoon, [2] Homeland Defense, [3] Beer tycoon, [4] Eco Tycoon: Project Green, [5] and Mall Tycoon 2. [6]

Their games are published by Take 2 Interactive, Koch Media, Global Star Software and ValuSoft [7] and are typically based on the Gamebryo Game Engine. Since late 2018, many games published by Virtual Playground were removed from Nintendo eShop.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Game Boy Advance</span> Handheld game console by Nintendo

The Game Boy Advance (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, 2001, and in mainland China as iQue Game Boy Advance on June 8, 2004. The GBA is part of the sixth generation of video game consoles. The original model does not have an illuminated screen; Nintendo addressed that with the release of a redesigned model with a frontlit screen, the Game Boy Advance SP, in 2003. A newer revision of the redesign was released in 2005, with a backlit screen. Around the same time, the final redesign, the Game Boy Micro, was released in September 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nintendo</span> Japanese video game company

Nintendo Co., Ltd. is a Japanese multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nintendo 64</span> Home video game console

The Nintendo 64 (N64) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo. The successor to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, it was released on June 23, 1996 in Japan, on September 29, 1996, in North America, and March 1, 1997, in Europe and Australia. It was the last major home console to use cartridges as its primary storage format until the Nintendo Switch in 2017. It competed primarily with the Sony PlayStation and the Sega Saturn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virtual Boy</span> Video game console by Nintendo

The Virtual Boy is a 32-bit tabletop portable video game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. Released in 1995, it was marketed as the first console capable of displaying stereoscopic "3D" graphics. The player uses the console like a head-mounted display, placing the head against the eyepiece to see a red monochrome display. The games use a parallax effect to create the illusion of depth. Sales failed to meet targets, and Nintendo ceased distribution and game development in 1996, having released only 22 games for the system.

<i>Mario Bros.</i> 1983 arcade game

Mario Bros. is a 1983 arcade game developed and published for arcades by Nintendo. It was designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Gunpei Yokoi, Nintendo's chief engineer. Italian twin brother plumbers Mario and Luigi exterminate creatures emerging from the sewers by knocking them upside-down and kicking them away. The Famicom/Nintendo Entertainment System version is the first game produced by Intelligent Systems. It is part of the Mario franchise, but originally began as a spin-off from the Donkey Kong series.

Intelligent Systems Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game developer best known for developing games with Nintendo and the Fire Emblem, Paper Mario, WarioWare, and Wars video game series. Originally, the company was headquartered at the Nintendo Kyoto Research Center in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, but later moved to a building near Nintendo's main headquarters in October 2013. They were also responsible for the creation of various development hardware both first and 3rd party developers would use to make games for Nintendo systems, such as the IS Nitro Emulator, the official development kit for the Nintendo DS.

2003 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Final Fantasy X-2, Mario Kart: Double Dash, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Sonic Heroes, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain. New intellectual properties included Beyond Good & Evil, Call of Duty, Manhunt, PlanetSide, True Crime: Streets of LA, and Viewtiful Joe.

1995 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Dragon Quest VI, Mario's Picross, Mega Man 7, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, and Tekken 2, along with new titles such as Battle Arena Toshinden, Chrono Trigger, Rayman, Soul Edge, Twisted Metal, Star Wars: Dark Forces, Destruction Derby, Wipeout and Jumping Flash!

<i>Jurassic Park</i> video games Video game franchise

Numerous video games based on the Jurassic Park franchise have been released. Developers Ocean Software, BlueSky Software and Sega produced various games in 1993, coinciding with the first film, Jurassic Park. In 1997, several developers, including DreamWorks Interactive and Appaloosa Interactive, produced various games for nine different platforms to coincide with the release of the film The Lost World: Jurassic Park.

Criterion Games is a British video game developer based in Guildford. Founded in January 1996 as a division of Criterion Software, it was owned by Canon Inc. until Criterion Software was sold to Electronic Arts in October 2004. Many of Criterion Games' titles were built on the RenderWare engine, which Criterion Software developed. Notable games developed by Criterion Games include racing video games in the Burnout and Need for Speed series. As of April 2017, Criterion Games employ approximately 90 people.

Virtual Console, also abbreviated as VC, is a line of downloadable video games for Nintendo's Wii and Wii U home video game consoles and the Nintendo 3DS family handheld game console.

Sunsoft, stylized as SUNSOFT, is a Japanese video game developer and publisher.

<i>Nintendo Magazine System</i> (Australia) Former official Nintendo magazine of Australia

Nintendo Magazine System was the official Nintendo magazine of Australia. In publication for seven years until 2000, the magazine was a branch of Official Nintendo Magazine, the UK's official Nintendo magazine, which was also called Nintendo Magazine System at the time. On 12 November 2008 a new official Australian Nintendo magazine was announced.

<i>Prison Tycoon</i> 2005 video game

Prison Tycoon is a business simulation computer game developed by Virtual Playground and published by ValuSoft in July 2005 that puts the user in charge of a prison. Objectives are to keep the prison running, keep the staff happy, keep the prisoners in line, all while trying to make money.

Linux gaming refers to playing video games on a Linux operating system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nintendo Software Planning & Development</span> Former division of Nintendo

Nintendo Software Planning & Development Division, commonly abbreviated as Nintendo SPD, was a Japanese research, planning and development division housed inside the Nintendo Development Center in Kyoto, Japan. The division had two departments: Software Planning & Development Department, which primarily co-produced games with external developers; and Software Development & Design Department, which primarily developed experimental and system software. The division was created during a corporate restructuring in September 2003, with the abolition of the Nintendo R&D1 and Nintendo R&D2 departments.

<i>Anno 2070</i> 2011 video game

Anno 2070 is a city-building and economic simulation game, with real-time strategy elements. It is the 5th game of the Anno series. It was released on 17 November 2011, and was co-developed by the German studios Related Designs and Blue Byte, and published by Ubisoft. Anno 2070 required Uplay to operate as an always online DRM System, later removed for receiving severe criticism from players.

<i>Eco Tycoon: Project Green</i> 2009 video game

Eco Tycoon: Project Green is a business simulation game which focuses on managing various environmental concerns while maintaining the region's economy. It was developed by Virtual Playground and published by ValuSoft in 2009.

Melsoft Games is a Lithuanian video game developer focussing on casual mobile games. The company was founded in Belarus in 2008, and later opened offices in Cyprus and Lithuania. It was acquired by Israeli mobile video game developer Moon Active in December 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flair Software</span>

Flair Software was a British video game developer and publisher of the 1990s that developed and published games for the Amiga, Amiga CD32, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, PlayStation, Sega Saturn and SNES. The developer is mainly associated with popular and colourful Amiga games as Elvira: The Arcade Game, Trolls, Oscar and Whizz . In 1993 platformer Oscar was bundled with Millennium's Diggers as launch bundle for the Amiga CD32 and it was considered one of the mascot games for the failed system. Flair Software's 1994 fighting game Dangerous Streets is generally considered one of the worst games of all time.

References

  1. http://uk.gamespot.com/pages/company/index.php?company=76567 [ dead link ]
  2. "VIRTUAL PLAYGROUND - Prison Tycoon". Virtual-playground.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-01-30.
  3. "VIRTUAL PLAYGROUND - Homeland Defense". Virtual-playground.co.uk. Retrieved 2008-12-27.
  4. "Virtual Playground - Beer Tycoon". Virtual-playground.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2008-08-04. Retrieved 2008-12-27.
  5. "ECO Tycoon : Project Green". Virtual Playground. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  6. "VIRTUAL PLAYGROUND - Mall Tycoon 2 Deluxe". Virtual-playground.co.uk. Retrieved 2008-12-27.
  7. "VIRTUAL PLAYGROUND - Company Information". Virtual-playground.co.uk. Retrieved 2008-12-27.