DreamCatcher Interactive

DreamCatcher Interactive Inc.

Company type	Subsidiary (2006–2011)
Industry	Video games
Founded	1 January 1996 (1996-01-01) in Toronto, Canada
Founder	Richard Wah Kan
Defunct	1 January 2011 (2011-01-01)
Fate	Bankruptcy; assets acquired by Nordic Games Holding
Successor	Nordic Games (publishing label)
Headquarters	Toronto , Canada
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Richard Wah Kan (founder)
Products	Video games, publishing labels The Adventure Company, Silverline Software
Parent	JoWooD Entertainment (2006–2011)

DreamCatcher Interactive Inc.—also recognized as DreamCatcher Games—was a Canadian video game publisher established in 1996 by Richard Wah Kan, with a primary focus on adventure games. In 2006, it became part of JoWooD Entertainment as a subsidiary. Following JoWooD's entry into administration in 2011, all of DreamCatcher’s assets were acquired by Nordic Games Holding, which currently operates DreamCatcher as one of its publishing labels.

History

DreamCatcher began operations in 1996 in Toronto, launching its inaugural title, Jewels of the Oracle. The company shifted its focus exclusively toward adventure games after identifying strong market demand, releasing notable titles such as Beyond Time and the successful The Crystal Key. By 1999, DreamCatcher broadened its catalog with additional releases including Nightlong: Union City Conspiracy and The Forgotten: It Begins. The year 2000 saw significant sales driven by key games like Dracula: Resurrection, Traitors Gate, Beyond Atlantis, and The Crystal Key. In March 2000, DreamCatcher was acquired by Cryo Interactive.

Later that same year, DreamCatcher obtained publishing rights for the Nancy Drew series from Her Interactive. By late 2002, the company had absorbed most of Cryo Interactive’s assets and development teams, resulting in the creation of DreamCatcher Europe with major offices and an internal development studio. In 2003, it ranked among the top ten video game publishers in the United States. That year also marked the launch of its publishing division, The Adventure Company, which collaborated with developers such as Wanadoo Edition and Microïds to release titles like Syberia, Still Life, and ObsCure. Even after Ubisoft acquired Microïds’ primary studio in 2005, DreamCatcher maintained publishing rights for ongoing projects.

Operating under The Adventure Company banner, DreamCatcher published adventure games inspired by Agatha Christie novels and secured agreements to publish titles based on The Hardy Boys. Beyond adventure genres, the company also published the acclaimed first-person shooter Painkiller, which achieved commercial success and was featured in the CPL World Tour 2005. Around 2004, DreamCatcher introduced the Silverline Software label to handle non-core titles and utility software, including the "Time to Ride" horse simulation series, which was later acquired by Ubisoft.

In 2006, JoWooD Entertainment purchased DreamCatcher to enhance its footprint in North America and acquire important licenses. Following this acquisition, DreamCatcher continued releasing games under both The Adventure Company and its own name, including titles developed by JoWooD such as the SpellForce series. When JoWooD filed for administration in 2011, DreamCatcher subsequently declared bankruptcy. Nordic Games Holding then acquired all assets and incorporated DreamCatcher as a publishing label within its subsidiary Nordic Games. Prior to this, Nordic Games had already obtained JoWooD and The Adventure Company, consolidating operations under THQ Nordic based in Vienna, Austria.

Games

Note: This compilation includes only games released by DreamCatcher Interactive. Titles published under The Adventure Company are not part of this list.

Year	Title	Developer	Platform(s)
1996	Jewels of the Oracle	ELOI Productions	Macintosh, Windows 3.x
1997	Egypt 1156 B.C.: Tomb of the Pharaoh	Cryo Interactive Entertainment	Macintosh, Microsoft Windows
	Safecracker	Daydream Software
	Soldier Boyz	Daydream Software	Microsoft Windows
	Beyond Time	Jones and Jones Multimedia	Microsoft Windows, Windows 3.x
1998	Jewels II: The Ultimate Challenge	ELOI Productions
	Karma: Curse of the 12 Caves		Microsoft Windows
	Cydonia: Mars - The First Manned Mission
	Nightlong: Union City Conspiracy
1999	The Adventures of Jonny Quest
	The Crystal Key		Macintosh, Microsoft Windows
2000	The Forgotten: It Begins
	Egypt II: The Heliopolis Prophecy		Microsoft Windows
	Seven Games of the Soul
	Riddle of the Sphinx: An Egyptian Adventure		Macintosh, Microsoft Windows
	The Legend of Lotus Spring
	The Sacred Amulet		Microsoft Windows
	Dracula: The Resurrection		Macintosh, PlayStation, Microsoft Windows
	Traitors Gate		Macintosh, Microsoft Windows
	Beyond Atlantis
	In Cold Blood		PlayStation, Microsoft Windows
	The New Adventures of the Time Machine		Microsoft Windows
	TimeScape: Journey to Pompeii		Macintosh, Microsoft Windows
	The Legend of the Prophet and the Assassin		Microsoft Windows
	Odyssey: The Search for Ulysses
	Nancy Drew series entries such as Message in a Haunted Mansion, Secrets Can Kill, Stay Tuned for Danger, and Treasure in the Royal Tower, mainly available on Microsoft Windows and Game Boy Advance systems.
Titles including Frank Herbert's Dune, Dracula: The Last Sanctuary, Necronomicon: The Dawning of Darkness, and The Messenger, offered across Microsoft Windows, Macintosh, and PlayStation platforms.
A variety of 2001 releases featuring Woody Woodpecker on Game Boy Color alongside numerous adventure and strategy titles for PC.
In 2002, DreamCatcher expanded into Game Boy Advance and PlayStation 2 markets with games like Inspector Gadget: Advance Mission, Gremlins: Stripe vs. Gizmo, plus PC strategy titles such as Casino Mogul, SuperPower, and Arabian Nights.
Noteworthy 2003 launches include Battlecruiser Millennium Gold, Harbinger, Hellboy: Dogs of the Night, and multi-platform games like Curse: The Eye of Isis. Additionally, PC strategy games like Ultimate Beach Soccer, and Xbox releases such as Arx Fatalis were published.
Between 2004 and 2005, DreamCatcher released significant PC titles including Traitors Gate 2: Cypher, Painkiller, and SuperPower 2, alongside genre diversification with console games like ObsCure.
From 2006 through 2008, the catalog featured licensed properties such as the Agatha Christie series on PC, simulation titles like Ship Simulator 2006, Nintendo DS games including Animates, and ongoing PC strategy releases such as SpellForce 2.
In later years, offerings spanned multiple platforms with games like Inkheart, several installments in the Painkiller franchise, and RPGs such as Arcania: Gothic 4. The focus remained largely on PC releases with occasional Nintendo DS titles.

External links

• (archived)