Neversoft
| Company type | Subsidiary (1999–2014) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | July 1994 |
| Founder | Joel Jewett, Mick West, Chris Ward |
| Defunct | July 10, 2014 |
| Fate | Merged into Infinity Ward |
| Successor | Infinity Ward |
| Headquarters | Woodland Hills, California , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series, Guitar Hero series, Gun, Apocalypse, Spider-Man (2000) |
| Owner | Activision (from 1999) |
Number of employees | Over 150 (peak) (2007) |
| Parent | Activision |
Neversoft Entertainment, Inc. was a United States-based video game developer situated in Woodland Hills, California. Established in July 1994 by Joel Jewett, Mick West, and Chris Ward, the company was purchased by Activision in October 1999. Their initial projects included developing Skeleton Warriors for Playmates Toys. The studio also partnered with Crystal Dynamics and Sony Computer Entertainment on several initiatives that were eventually cancelled due to internal disagreements.
In 1998, following discussions with Activision, Neversoft created Apocalypse utilizing a custom game engine originally designed for a cancelled Sony project. During this period, Activision requested a prototype for a skateboarding title, which resulted in the launch of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater in 1999. The success of this title led Activision to acquire Neversoft later that year. Thereafter, Neversoft developed a Spider-Man game for PlayStation and delivered six additional Tony Hawk's installments over the following years.
By 2004, Neversoft had split into two teams to simultaneously work on the next Tony Hawk's release and a new western-themed action-adventure IP, Gun. After Activision obtained the rights to the Guitar Hero series in 2006, Neversoft assumed development responsibilities, launching Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock in 2007 to widespread critical praise. The studio then concentrated on producing new Guitar Hero releases while responsibility for the Tony Hawk's franchise transitioned to Robomodo. Their last title, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock (2010), received mixed critical responses and underperformed commercially, prompting Activision to reassign Neversoft as a support team for the Call of Duty franchise.
Beginning in 2011, Neversoft collaborated with other Activision teams on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, contributing the Chaos Mode DLC, and on Call of Duty: Ghosts, where they developed the Extinction mode. On May 3, 2014, Neversoft merged into Infinity Ward, officially ceasing operations on July 10, 2014. Their final project was the co-development of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare alongside Sledgehammer Games, released later that same year.
History
Neversoft was founded in July 1994 by three former employees of Malibu Interactive in Westlake Village, California. At that time, home consoles such as the Genesis and Super Nintendo were dominant, allowing small teams to create games effectively. Joel Jewett, who was then Malibu Interactive’s head of development, teamed up with programmer Mick West and artist Chris Ward to launch Neversoft.
Their debut project involved creating a game tied to Playmates Interactive’s Skeleton Warriors toy franchise. Initially focused on the Genesis platform, Playmates later shifted attention toward the Sega Saturn version, which Neversoft completed in time for the 1995 holiday season. The company grew quickly by hiring additional programmers, artists, and designers while also porting Skeleton Warriors to PlayStation in 1996.
By 1996, Neversoft had expanded to over twenty employees and worked on a cancelled Ghost Rider title for Crystal Dynamics. They started developing their own game called Big Guns, which evolved into Exodus after Sony acquired it. However, due to delays and changes in design direction, the project was cancelled late in 1997, reducing staff numbers to twelve.
In January 1998, amid financial difficulties, Neversoft secured an agreement with Activision to redevelop the unsuccessful project Apocalypse. Their proprietary technology impressed Activision and proved well-suited for this task. After completing Apocalypse in October 1998, they began work on Tony Hawk's Pro Skater for PlayStation and Nintendo 64 platforms. By the end of that year, Neversoft employed sixteen people including six programmers and five artists.
Between 1999 and 2007, Neversoft produced nine titles in the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series and expanded its workforce beyond 150 employees. In 2005, they released the western-themed open-world action-adventure game Gun, developed in collaboration with Beenox and Rebellion Developments.
Following Activision’s acquisition of both the Guitar Hero franchise and RedOctane from Harmonix in 2006, Neversoft was appointed as lead developer. They created multiple record-breaking games including Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. However, after releasing Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, development duties were transferred to Vicarious Visions. This change resulted in layoffs affecting around fifty employees in February 2010.
In May 2014, Neversoft merged with Infinity Ward—the studio behind Call of Duty—forming a combined internal "super-studio." The official closure of Neversoft occurred on July 10, 2014, exactly twenty years after its inception. The remaining team marked the occasion by burning a sculpture representing their signature skewered eyeball logo.
Release history
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (THPS) debuted on the PlayStation platform in August 1999, quickly followed by the development of its sequel. In 2000, Neversoft created Spider-Man for Activision, utilizing the Apocalypse engine, which was an evolution of the Big Guns technology. As Neversoft juggled these two significant projects, the company expanded its workforce into two sizable teams. During the summer of 1999, Activision acquired Neversoft through a stock exchange deal; the founders and essential personnel committed to four-year agreements.
Both Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 and Spider-Man were released in 2000. Subsequently, Neversoft concentrated on developing Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 for the PlayStation 2, consolidating their teams after finishing earlier projects. The third installment employed the RenderWare engine and launched in 2001, followed by Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 in 2002. In 2003, the studio shifted towards a narrative-driven approach with Tony Hawk's Underground, which was succeeded by its sequel in 2004. By 2005, Neversoft divided into two groups to simultaneously work on Gun and Tony Hawk's American Wasteland, marking the seventh entry in the series.
The release of Tony Hawk's Project 8 in 2006 represented Neversoft’s inaugural next-generation title on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Their follow-up, Tony Hawk's Proving Ground (2007), was their second title on PS3 and third on Xbox 360 within the franchise, and it was their final contribution before development responsibilities transitioned to Robomodo.
After Activision acquired RedOctane along with the Guitar Hero franchise, Neversoft assumed development duties starting with Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (2007) for Xbox 360 and PS3. This installment utilized a proprietary engine rather than Harmonix’s technology. Neversoft went on to develop several subsequent titles including Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, Guitar Hero World Tour, Guitar Hero: Metallica, Guitar Hero 5, Band Hero, and Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, significantly broadening the franchise’s audience.
Original works
| Year | Game | Platform(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Skeleton Warriors | Sega Saturn, PlayStation |
| 1998 | Apocalypse | PlayStation |
| 1999 | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater | |
| 2000 | Spider-Man | |
| Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 | ||
| 2001 | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 | PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox |
| 2002 | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 | |
| 2003 | Tony Hawk's Underground | |
| 2004 | Tony Hawk's Underground 2 | |
| 2005 | Tony Hawk's American Wasteland | PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, Xbox 360 |
| Gun | ||
| 2006 | Tony Hawk's Project 8 | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 |
| 2007 | Tony Hawk's Proving Ground | |
| Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock | ||
| 2008 | Guitar Hero: Aerosmith | |
| Guitar Hero World Tour | ||
| 2009 | Guitar Hero: Metallica | |
| Guitar Hero 5 | ||
| Band Hero | ||
| 2010 | Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock |
Porting and support contributions
| Year | Title | Platform(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | MDK[lower-alpha 1] | PlayStation |
| 2011 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3[lower-alpha 2] | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii |
| 2013 | Call of Duty: Ghosts[lower-alpha 3] | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, PlayStation 4, Xbox One |
| 2014 | Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare[lower-alpha 4] | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One |
Abandoned projects
| Year | Title | Platform(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Ghost Rider | PlayStation |
| 1997 | Big Guns | PlayStation |
| 2013 | Call of Duty: Future Warfare[lower-alpha 5] | Xbox 360 |
External links
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