Loki Entertainment
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | November 9, 1998 |
| Founder | Scott Draeker |
| Defunct | January 31, 2002 |
| Fate | Bankruptcy |
| Headquarters | Tustin, California , United States |
Area served | Linux gaming market |
| Products | Video game ports for Linux (e.g. Civilization: Call to Power, Myth II: Soulblighter, Railroad Tycoon II) |
Loki Software, Inc. (also known as Loki Entertainment) was a U.S.-based video game developer located in Tustin, California, specializing in adapting games from Microsoft Windows to the Linux operating system. Taking its name from the Norse god Loki, the firm successfully ported multiple titles to Linux before ceasing operations and declaring bankruptcy in January 2002.
History
Established on November 9, 1998, by Scott Draeker, a former attorney turned business founder, Loki Software aimed to grow the gaming ecosystem on Linux. By December of that year, the company had acquired the rights to convert Activision's strategy game Civilization: Call to Power for Linux, marking its inaugural release in May 1999. Subsequently, Loki secured additional projects to port games such as Myth II: Soulblighter, Railroad Tycoon II, and Eric's Ultimate Solitaire, steadily expanding its catalog.
To increase compatibility with FreeBSD, Loki collaborated with BSDi to implement a compatibility layer for their Linux ports, thereby widening their potential user base. Despite these initiatives, financial difficulties led Loki to file for bankruptcy in August 2001. The majority of employees were dismissed by January 2002, and the company officially shut down on January 31.
Legacy
Although Loki Software did not achieve lasting commercial success, it is widely acknowledged as a pioneer in establishing the contemporary Linux gaming sector. The company created essential open-source utilities such as the Loki installer and contributed significantly to the Simple DirectMedia Layer (SDL) project. Loki also initiated development of the OpenAL audio library—now maintained by Creative Technology and Apple—and collaborated with id Software on GtkRadiant, all of which remain critical tools in Linux game development. Moreover, Loki extended support for development tools like GCC and GDB. The book Programming Linux Games, authored by Loki intern John R. Hall, documents key APIs utilized in their Linux titles.
Several notable industry professionals began their careers at Loki: Ryan C. Gordon (icculus) went on to port numerous commercial games to Linux and Mac OS X; Mike Phillips co-founded Linux Game Publishing following Loki’s demise; Nicholas Vining became lead programmer at Gaslamp Games, known for releasing Dungeons of Dredmor on Linux; Sam Lantinga later joined Blizzard Entertainment, founded Galaxy Gameworks to provide commercial support for SDL, and became part of Valve’s Linux development team.
Following Loki’s closure, Linux Game Publishing acquired rights to MindRover and offered updated support. id Software assumed responsibility for maintaining the Linux version of Quake III Arena, employing Timothee Besset for ongoing maintenance and subsequent ports. Running with Scissors released a multiplayer-only edition of Postal 2 in 2007. In 2004, Human Head Studios published source headers for Rune, although no Linux-specific updates emerged amid delays in developing its sequel.
In 2010, contractor Frank C. Earl claimed rights to port the entire Myth series to Linux. Kevin Bentley contributed to a 2009 Linux patch for Descent 3, which was reissued on Steam in 2014 by Rebecca Heineman with source code access. Additionally, Project Magma released an updated Linux version of Myth II: Soulblighter in 2011.
Games Released
| Game Title | Supported Platforms | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IA-32 | PowerPC | SPARC | Alpha | |
| Civilization: Call to Power | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Descent 3 | Yes | No | No | No |
| Descent 3: Mercenary (expansion, downloadable installer only) | Yes | No | No | No |
| Eric's Ultimate Solitaire | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Heavy Gear II | Yes | No | No | No |
| Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K.² | Yes | No | No | No |
| Heretic II | Yes | No | No | No |
| Heroes of Might and Magic III | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns | Yes | No | No | No |
| MindRover | Yes | No | No | No |
| Myth II: Soulblighter | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Postal Plus | Yes | No | No | No |
| Railroad Tycoon II#Gold Edition | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Quake III Arena | Yes | No | No | No |
| Rune | Yes | No | No | No |
| Game Title | IA-32 | PowerPC | SPARC | Alpha |
|---|
| Game Title | IA-32 | PowerPC | SPARC | Alpha |
|---|
Yes No No No Yes Yes No Yes Yes No No No Yes No No No Yes No No No Yes No No No
In addition, Loki Software worked on an incomplete Linux version of Deus Ex. The official Windows patch for Deus Ex included Loki’s OpenGL driver tailored for the Unreal Engine, improving compatibility with Wine.
See also
External links
- Official website
- Icculus.org Ryan Gordon's platform hosting numerous Loki projects and resources for Linux gaming
- Activision and Loki Collaborate to Bring Titles to Linux Linux PR, October 11, 1999
- Linux.com - Loki: Inside the Trenches (Interview with Loki Software Staff)