Danger Close Games
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Predecessor | DreamWorks Interactive LLC, EA Los Angeles |
| Founded | March 22, 1995 in Los Angeles, United States |
| Founder | DreamWorks SKG, Microsoft Games |
| Defunct | January 2013 |
| Fate | Disbanded; some staff moved to DICE LA (Ripple Effect Studios) |
| Successor | DICE LA (Ripple Effect Studios) |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Alan Hartman (executive producer), Glenn Entis (CEO) |
| Products | Medal of Honor series and other video games |
| Owner | Electronic Arts (from 2000) |
Number of employees | Approximately 75 (initially in 1995) (1995) |
| Parent | Electronic Arts |
Danger Close Games, previously known as DreamWorks Interactive LLC and later EA Los Angeles, was a United States-based video game developer with its headquarters situated in Los Angeles. Established in March 1995 as a collaborative venture between DreamWorks SKG and Microsoft Games, the company operated facilities both in Redmond, Washington and Los Angeles.
In February 2000, Electronic Arts took ownership of the Los Angeles studio, rebranding it as EA Los Angeles and subsequently renaming it Danger Close Games in 2010. From that point onward, the studio dedicated itself exclusively to the development of the Medal of Honor franchise. Following the franchise's suspension in January 2013, Danger Close was disbanded; a portion of its workforce moved to DICE LA (currently Ripple Effect Studios), another subsidiary within EA.
DreamWorks Interactive Era (1995–2000)
On March 22, 1995, DreamWorks SKG and Microsoft jointly founded DreamWorks Interactive LLC, a video game development firm created as a result of Microsoft acquiring a minority stake in DreamWorks SKG. The company initially operated out of Los Angeles, supplemented by a smaller team located near Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond, Washington. Both partners contributed $30 million in funding to support a staff of approximately 75 employees.
Steven Spielberg was instrumental in obtaining financing and facilitating the partnership agreement. To lead the new venture, Microsoft transferred executive producer Alan Hartman to oversee operations, while film industry veteran Glenn Entis assumed the role of CEO. John A. S. Skeel managed the Redmond branch, which concentrated on publishing titles developed by third parties.
In June 1995, DreamWorks SKG entered into a $50 million collaboration with Silicon Graphics aimed at advancing computer animation technology for use in both motion pictures and video games. By March 1997, DreamWorks Interactive secured a publishing agreement with Electronic Arts.
Although early releases struggled commercially, Goosebumps: Escape from Horrorland experienced moderate success, selling 130,000 copies by August 1997. In 1996, Microsoft appointed art director Matt Hall to develop a new first-person shooter franchise inspired by Spielberg’s creative vision.
The studio achieved significant recognition in 1999 with the launch of Medal of Honor, published by EA for the PlayStation platform. This title laid the groundwork for historically themed war shooters and influenced competing series such as Activision’s Call of Duty.
Nonetheless, the studio’s standing was damaged by the 1998 release of Trespasser, based on the Jurassic Park license. The game encountered critical backlash due to technical deficiencies and unconventional control schemes, resulting in sales of only 50,000 units. The negative reception raised concerns for Steven Spielberg about continued involvement in gaming projects.
Period Under Electronic Arts Ownership (2000–2013)
Following DreamWorks' withdrawal from gaming, Electronic Arts acquired the Los Angeles-based DreamWorks Interactive studio from DreamWorks and Microsoft on February 24, 2000. This deal included ownership of intellectual property rights to the Medal of Honor series. Industry analysts estimated the purchase price at approximately $10 million. The facility was renamed EA Los Angeles and concentrated on producing Medal of Honor installments, beginning with Medal of Honor: Underground released later that year. In August 2003, EA Los Angeles moved to a new campus in Playa Vista, where it merged with EA Pacific and absorbed personnel from the shuttered Westwood Studios. This expansion allowed them to contribute to the Command & Conquer franchise as well.
Meanwhile, DreamWorks Interactive’s Redmond operations were absorbed into Microsoft’s internal division, Microsoft Games. Alan Hartman transitioned to lead Digital Anvil, while remaining staff from Redmond joined Turn 10 Studios.
In July 2010, EA Los Angeles underwent rebranding as Danger Close Games to concentrate solely on the Medal of Honor series. Their inaugural project under this identity was the 2010 release titled Medal of Honor, available on Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 platforms. This was followed by Medal of Honor: Warfighter in October 2012. Due to unfavorable critical response and sales performance, Electronic Arts placed the franchise on hold in January 2013. Consequently, Danger Close was effectively shuttered; some team members transferred to other EA divisions or departed from Los Angeles entirely. Several senior personnel subsequently established DICE LA in May 2013 as an affiliate studio under EA DICE.
Under DreamWorks Interactive
| Year | Game Title | Platform(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Someone's in the Kitchen! | Microsoft Windows |
| Steven Spielberg's Director's Chair | ||
| Goosebumps: Escape from Horrorland | ||
| The Neverhood | ||
| 1997 | Chaos Island: The Lost World | |
| Goosebumps: Attack of the Mutant | ||
| Dilbert's Desktop Games | ||
| The Lost World: Jurassic Park | PlayStation | |
| 1998 | Skullmonkeys | |
| Small Soldiers | ||
| Small Soldiers: Squad Commander | Microsoft Windows | |
| Trespasser | ||
| 1999 | BoomBots | PlayStation |
| T'ai Fu: Wrath of the Tiger | ||
| Warpath: Jurassic Park | ||
| Medal of Honor | ||
| 2000 | Medal of Honor: Underground |
Under EA Los Angeles
Under Danger Close Games
| Year | Game Title | Platform(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
2010 |
Medal of Honor |
Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 |
|
|
2012 |
Medal of Honor: Warfighter |
Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 |