7th Level
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Headquarters | Dallas, Texas , United States |
Number of employees | Close to 300 (1996) |
7th Level was a video game development company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, established in 1993. Among its prominent releases are the trio of Monty Python titles created in collaboration with Python member Eric Idle, G-Nome (1997), a game reminiscent of the MechWarrior franchise; the anime-themed aerial combat title Helicops (1997); and Tracer, which offered virtual hacking gameplay influenced by Neuromancer, Shadowrun, and Snowcrash.
History
On February 24, 1995, 7th Level expanded its capabilities by acquiring Distant Thunder Entertainment, a 3-D game developer based in Dallas. Later that year, it further broadened its reach by purchasing Lanpro Corp. and the Lanpro Localization Center located in San Francisco to enhance localization services and boost sales in the Asia Pacific region. On March 1, 1996, the company added PyroTechnix from Cincinnati, Ohio to its portfolio. By mid-1996, 7th Level employed close to 300 staff members distributed across Texas, California, Ohio, and Europe.
The company revealed plans on November 17, 1997, to merge with Pulse Entertainment to create P7 Solutions. The following day, Panasonic Interactive Media secured distribution rights for the Monty Python games, marking the end of 7th Level's involvement with those products. However, the merger with Pulse was called off in April 1998.
In February 1999, 7th Level combined forces with Street Technologies Inc., launching the website 7th Street.com. This platform later evolved into learn.com, tutorials.com, and Taleo—eventually acquired by Oracle Corporation in 2012. George Grayson, one of the co-founders, subsequently established The Imagination Station.
Prior to ceasing its game development operations, 7th Level began work on Dominion: Storm Over Gift 3, which was eventually sold unfinished to Ion Storm for completion.
Titles
| Game name | Release year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tuneland series | 1993–1997 | Published through a division of 7th Level |
| Lil' Howie's FunHouse series | 1993–1997 | Developed by subsidiary Kids' World Entertainment; featured voice work by Howie Mandel |
| Monty Python's Complete Waste of Time | 1994 | |
| Battle Beast | 1995 | |
| Timon & Pumbaa's Jungle Games | 1995 (PC), 1996 (Mac OS), 1997 (SNES) | Created by 7th Level; published by Disney Interactive |
| Take Your Best Shot | 1995 | |
| Ace Ventura | 1996 | |
| Arcade America | 1996 | |
| The Hunchback of Notre Dame: Topsy Turvy Games | 1996 | |
| Monty Python & the Quest for the Holy Grail | 1996 | |
| Tracer | 1996 | |
| The Universe According to Virgil Reality | 1996 | |
| G-Nome | 1997 | |
| Monty Python's The Meaning of Life | 1997 | |
| Tamagotchi | 1997 | PC edition developed in partnership with Bandai Digital Entertainment |
| Helicops | 1997 | |
| My Teacher Is an Alien | 1997 | |
| Dominion: Storm Over Gift 3 | 1998 | Finished by Ion Storm |
| Return to Krondor | 1998 | Development completed by PyroTechnix |
External links
- (archived)
- Articles with short description
- Video game development studios
- Video game firms founded in 1993
- Video game firms closed in 1998
- Defunct American video game companies
- Video game companies located in Texas
- Defunct Texas-based companies
- Businesses located in Dallas
- 1993 Texas establishments
- 1998 Texas closures
- Defunct video game companies of the United States