Jump to content

Human Head Studios

From Alfawiki
Human Head Studios, Inc.
Company typePrivate
IndustryVideo game development
FoundedOctober 1997; 29 years ago (1997-10)
FounderBen Gokey, Chris Rhinehart, Paul MacArthur, Ted Halsted, James Sumwalt, Shane Gurno
DefunctNovember 13, 2019 (2019-11-13)
Headquarters
Madison, Wisconsin
,
United States
Key people
Tim Gerritsen (co-owner from 1998)
ProductsRune, Prey, Brink, The Quiet Man, Rune II

Human Head Studios, Inc. was a video game development company located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States.

History

Established in October 1997 by six ex-developers from Raven Software—Ben Gokey, Chris Rhinehart, Paul MacArthur, Ted Halsted, James Sumwalt, and Shane Gurno—Human Head Studios expanded its leadership in June 1998 by bringing on game producer Tim Gerritsen as a co-owner. Their debut project was Rune, an action title featuring third-person Viking gameplay. The studio later created the first-person shooter Prey, which was executive produced by 3D Realms.

On April 20, 2007, a fire caused partial damage to their main office; fortunately, no one was hurt. By October 1, 2007, the team had relocated back into refurbished facilities. In 2014, after TimeGate Studios declared bankruptcy, Human Head took over and revived the multiplayer game Minimum. Their final significant release was the divisive action-adventure The Quiet Man, published by Square Enix, distinguished by its use of full-motion video sequences.

After launching Rune II, Human Head Studios ceased operations on November 13, 2019. The entire workforce transitioned to form Roundhouse Studios, a subsidiary under ZeniMax Media. According to Chris Rhinehart, the closure of Human Head was necessary for this move but the team successfully integrated into ZeniMax. Roundhouse Studios collaborated with Arkane Austin on Redfall, however it shuttered in May 2024 without releasing additional games; its personnel were absorbed into ZeniMax Online Studios.

Games developed

Year Title Publisher(s) Platform(s)
  1. REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
|| Rune || rowspan="3"| Gathering of Developers || Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux
  1. REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
|| Blair Witch Volume II: The Legend of Coffin Rock || Microsoft Windows
  1. REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
|| Rune: Halls of Valhalla || Microsoft Windows
  1. REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
|| Rune: Viking Warlord || Take-Two Interactive || PlayStation 2
  1. REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
|| Dead Man's Hand || Atari, SA || Xbox, Microsoft Windows
  1. REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
|| Prey || 2K Games || Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, macOS, Linux
  1. REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
|| Brink || Bethesda Softworks || Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
  1. REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
|| Fort Courage || Human Head Studios || iOS
  1. REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
|| Defiance || Trion Worlds || Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
  1. REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
|| Minimum || Atari, SA || Microsoft Windows
  1. REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
|| Lost Within || Amazon Game Studios || iOS, Android
  1. REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
|| Dungeon Defenders II || Trendy Entertainment || Xbox One, PlayStation 4
  1. REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
|| The Quiet Man || Square Enix || Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4
  1. REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
|| Survived By || Digital Extremes || Microsoft Windows
  1. REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
|| Rune II || Ragnarok Game, LLC || Microsoft Windows


Cancelled Projects

Releases Under Roundhouse Studios

Year Game Title Publisher Platforms
2023 Redfall Bethesda Softworks Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X/S