Avalanche Software
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Predecessor | Sculptured Software (founders were former programmers) |
| Founded | October 1995 in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States |
| Founder | John Blackburn and three others |
| Defunct | May 10, 2016 (first incarnation) |
| Fate | Shut down by Disney Interactive Studios in 2016; acquired and revived by Warner Bros. Games in 2017 |
| Headquarters | Salt Lake City , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | John Blackburn (CEO) |
| Products | Video games including Disney Infinity series, Cars 3: Driven to Win, Hogwarts Legacy |
| Owner | Warner Bros. Games |
| Parent | Warner Bros. Games |
Avalanche Software is a United States-based video game developer operating as a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Games and headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. The company was launched in October 1995 by a group of four former programmers from Sculptured Software, including John Blackburn, who currently serves as CEO. In May 2005, Disney's gaming division acquired Avalanche. Over the following decade under Disney's ownership, the studio produced numerous titles tied to Disney franchises, with Disney Infinity (2013) standing out as a prominent toys-to-life game. After the toys-to-life sector experienced a downturn, Disney decided to shut down its gaming division and Avalanche in May 2016. Subsequently, Warner Bros. Games purchased and revived the studio in January 2017.
History
Avalanche Software was founded in October 1995 by four former programmers from Sculptured Software, with John Blackburn appointed as president. The founders chose to establish their own company rather than relocate to another studio's location.
On April 19, 2005, Buena Vista Games (which later became Disney Interactive Studios) acquired Avalanche for an undisclosed amount. Buena Vista also created a related studio called Fall Line Studio in November 2006; this entity was integrated into Avalanche by January 2009. The studio released the cross-platform toys-to-life game Disney Infinity in January 2013. However, due to a slowdown in the toys-to-life market and increasing production expenses, Disney discontinued Disney Infinity and closed down Disney Interactive Studios—including Avalanche—on May 10, 2016. A significant number of former Avalanche employees moved on to join castAR to establish a new development team in Salt Lake City.
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (currently Warner Bros. Games) acquired Avalanche and restarted operations on January 24, 2017, with John Blackburn resuming his role as CEO. The first title developed by Avalanche under Warner Bros. was Cars 3: Driven to Win.
In February 2021, Troy Leavitt, the game director for Hogwarts Legacy, resigned from both Avalanche and the project after controversy arose over his social media activity related to Gamergate and cultural appropriation debates.
The release of Hogwarts Legacy in 2023 marked Avalanche’s initial non-Disney project since joining Warner Bros. Games. Published under Warner’s Portkey Games label, this open-world action RPG was revealed during the PlayStation 5 Showcase in September 2020 and received considerable acclaim as one of the event’s highlights. It launched on several platforms including PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2.
Games developed
External links
- Articles with short description
- Utah establishments in 1995
- Mergers and acquisitions in 2005
- Utah disestablishments in 2016
- Utah establishments in 2017
- Mergers and acquisitions in 2017
- American firms founded in 1995
- American firms founded in 2017
- Companies headquartered in Salt Lake City
- Acquisitions by Disney
- Companies that were re-established
- Utah-based video game companies
- Video game companies closed in 2016
- Video game companies founded in 1995
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- Video game development firms
- Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
- American companies established in 2017