Black Rock Studio
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Predecessor | Pixel Planet, Climax Brighton, Climax Racing |
| Founded | 1998 |
| Founder | Tony Beckwith |
| Defunct | 2011 |
| Fate | Closed by Disney Interactive Studios |
| Successor | Studio Gobo, West Pier Studio, Roundcube Entertainment, ShortRound Games, Boss Alien (founded by former employees) |
| Headquarters | Brighton , United Kingdom |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Video games (e.g. Pure, Split/Second: Velocity) |
| Owner | Disney Interactive Studios (from 2006) |
Number of employees | Approximately 300 (at closure) (2011) |
| Parent | Disney Interactive Studios |
Black Rock Studio Limited was a video game developer from the United Kingdom, headquartered in Brighton, England, operating as a branch of Disney Interactive Studios. The company originated in 1998 under the name Pixel Planet, established by Tony Beckwith. In 1999, it became part of the Climax Group and was renamed Climax Brighton. Following a rebranding effort by the Climax Group in 2004, the studio adopted the name Climax Racing.[1] On 28 September 2006, Buena Vista Games (now DIS) acquired the studio, which was subsequently renamed Black Rock Studio in 2007.[2] The final title developed under Climax Group was MotoGP '07, completed after the acquisition. The studio’s name is inspired by an area within Brighton.[3]
In early 2011, Black Rock experienced workforce reductions and discontinued development on sequels to Pure and Split/Second: Velocity. Although both titles received favorable critiques, Disney opted not to pursue their continuation, focusing instead on producing freemium games.[4]
Disney Interactive Studios declared on 30 June 2011 its intention to close Black Rock Studio. After closure, approximately 300 former employees went on to establish new companies including Studio Gobo, West Pier Studio, Roundcube Entertainment, ShortRound Games, and Boss Alien.[5]
Games
| Year | Title | Platform(s) |
|---|---|---|
| as Climax Brighton | ||
| 2002 | Gumball 3000 | PlayStation 2 |
| 2002 | MotoGP: Ultimate Racing Technology | Windows, Xbox |
| 2002 | Rally Fusion: Race of Champions | PlayStation 2, Xbox |
| 2003 | ATV: Quad Power Racing 2 | GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox |
| 2003 | MotoGP: Ultimate Racing Technology 2 | Windows, Xbox |
| 2003 | The Italian Job | GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox |
| 2003 | Hot Wheels: World Race | GameCube, PlayStation 2, Windows |
| as Climax Racing | ||
| 2004 | ATV Offroad Fury 3 | PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable |
| 2004 | Crash 'n' Burn | Xbox, PlayStation 2 |
| 2004 | Hot Wheels: Stunt Track Challenge | Xbox, PlayStation 2, Windows |
| 2005 | MotoGP: Ultimate Racing Technology 3 | Windows, Xbox |
| 2006 | MotoGP '06 | Xbox 360 |
| 2006 | ATV Offroad Fury 4 | PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable |
| 2007 | MotoGP '07 | Windows, Xbox 360 |
| as Black Rock Studio | ||
| 2008 | Pure | PlayStation 3, Windows, Xbox 360 |
| 2010 | Split/Second: Velocity | |