Blue Fang Games
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 1998 in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States |
| Founder | Adam Levesque, John Wheeler |
| Defunct | 2011 |
| Headquarters | Waltham, Massachusetts , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Hank Howie (former president) |
| Products | Zoo Tycoon series, World of Zoo, Lion Pride, Zoo Kingdom, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, The Oregon Trail |
Number of employees | 75 (2009) |
Blue Fang Games, LLC was a United States-based video game developer established in 1998 in Waltham, Massachusetts. The company achieved notable commercial success with its initial release, Zoo Tycoon, available on Windows and Macintosh platforms. This success was followed by a sequel and multiple expansion packs. However, as the industry moved away from traditional boxed games with extended development periods, Blue Fang found it challenging to keep pace. After launching several titles on mobile and social media platforms that saw limited market traction, the studio ultimately ceased operations in 2011.
History
Blue Fang Games was created in 1998 by Adam Levesque and John Wheeler, both formerly of Papyrus Design Group, recognized for their work on the NASCAR Racing series. Initially, the company intended to develop a fantasy role-playing game, which was later cancelled. According to former president Hank Howie, this dragon-themed project proved too ambitious for the small team’s resources.
Motivated by the success of RollerCoaster Tycoon, Blue Fang redirected its focus toward management simulation games. The idea for Zoo Tycoon originated in 1998, culminating in a publishing agreement with Microsoft by 2000. When it launched in late 2001, Zoo Tycoon achieved global sales exceeding 6 million copies by 2004. The franchise expanded through various add-ons, and development began on a follow-up title.
Released in November 2004, Zoo Tycoon 2 ranked as the 19th best-selling PC game of that year and was supported by several expansion packs. Plans for Zoo Tycoon 3 were eventually abandoned as Blue Fang shifted away from PC game production. The company reached its largest size with 75 employees in 2009, the same year it published World of Zoo for Windows, Nintendo DS, and Wii in partnership with publisher THQ. Unfortunately, this title did not meet commercial expectations, signaling a decline for the studio. Howie cited the collapse of the Wii market as a major factor affecting their business.
In an effort to adapt, Blue Fang moved toward mobile and social gaming markets by releasing Lion Pride on iOS in 2009 and collaborating with The Learning Company to bring classic games such as Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? and The Oregon Trail to Facebook in 2011. These projects suffered from rushed development schedules and ineffective partnerships, leading to poor commercial results. By July 2011, Blue Fang had laid off its development staff and fully closed by September of that year.
Games
| Title | Release date | Platform |
|---|---|---|
| Zoo Tycoon | 2001 | Microsoft Windows, Macintosh |
| Template:* Dinosaur Digs | 2002 | Microsoft Windows |
| Template:* Marine Mania | 2002 | |
| Template:* Complete Collection | 2003 | |
| Zoo Tycoon 2 | 2004 | Microsoft Windows, Macintosh |
| Template:* Endangered Species | 2005 | Microsoft Windows |
| Template:* African Adventure | 2006 | |
| Template:* Dino Danger Pack | 2006 | |
| Template:* Zookeeper Collection | 2006 | |
| Template:* Marine Mania | 2006 | |
| Template:* Extinct Animals | 2007 | |
| Template:* Ultimate Collection | 2008 | |
| Zoo Tycoon DS | 2005 | Nintendo DS |
| Zoo Tycoon 2 DS | 2008 | |
| World of Zoo | 2009 | Microsoft Windows, Nintendo DS, Wii |
| Lion Pride | 2009 | iOS |
| Zoo Kingdom | 2010 | |
| Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? | 2011 | |
| The Oregon Trail | 2011 |