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Radical Entertainment

From Alfawiki
Radical Entertainment Inc.
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryVideo games
FoundedSeptember 1991; 35 years ago (1991-09) in Vancouver, Canada
FounderRory Armes, Dave Davis, Ian Wilkinson
FateDownsized to support studio; integrated into Activision Blizzard portfolio
Headquarters
Vancouver
,
Canada
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Ian Wilkinson (former president and CEO), Mike Ribero (former CEO), Stephen Van Der Mescht (creative director)
ProductsThe Simpsons: Hit & Run, Scarface: The World Is Yours, Prototype series, Crash Bandicoot franchise titles
OwnerActivision Blizzard (since 2008)
Number of employees
6 (as of 2022) (2022)
ParentActivision Blizzard

Radical Entertainment Inc. is a Vancouver-based Canadian video game developer recognized for creating games such as The Simpsons: Hit & Run (2003), Scarface: The World Is Yours (2006), and the Prototype series (2009–12). The company also contributed to the development of the Crash Bandicoot franchise. Established in September 1991 by Rory Armes, Dave Davis, and Ian Wilkinson, Radical was purchased by Vivendi Games in 2005 and subsequently integrated into Activision in 2008. Major workforce reductions in 2010 and 2012 prompted the studio to transition from creating original titles to providing support for other Activision development teams.

1991–2000: Formation and initial years

Ian Wilkinson and Rory Armes, who had previously been employed at Distinctive Software, founded Radical Entertainment following Electronic Arts' acquisition of their former employer in 1991. The new studio was established in Vancouver’s Yaletown area. Early on, Radical concentrated on porting and adapting games for the Nintendo Entertainment System, managing up to eight projects simultaneously by 1994.

In 1996, Mike Ribero joined the company as CEO after his tenure at Sega of America. That same year saw the release of The Divide: Enemies Within, after which several key personnel—including programmer Alex Garden and composer Paul Ruskay—left to start new ventures, namely Relic Entertainment and Studio Labs X. Additional departures between 1997 and 1998 resulted in the founding of Barking Dog Studios. In September 2000, Radical published MTV Sports: Pure Ride, a snowboarding game released under the THQ label.

2001–2005: Rise to prominence

On May 11, 2001, Radical Entertainment entered into a partnership with SPY Wireless Media to create a wireless content management system aimed at young mobile phone users. At E3 2001, Radical showcased two titles: The Simpsons: Road Rage, a narrative-driven driving game co-published by Electronic Arts and Fox Interactive, and Dark Summit, an action-adventure snowboarding game published by THQ. On August 15, 2001, the studio revealed a demonstration and white paper highlighting its Pure3D engine's capabilities for Nintendo's forthcoming GameCube. Both Dark Summit and The Simpsons: Road Rage were released in November of that year. Remarkably, The Simpsons: Road Rage became one of North America's top ten rented games in December 2001, earning over $500,000 in rental income within a single week.

In 2003, Radical expanded its operations by establishing 369 Interactive, a division dedicated to producing multiple titles based on the CSI series in collaboration with Ubi Soft.

2005–2008: Vivendi Universal acquisition

After delivering several successful projects under Vivendi Universal Entertainment, Radical Entertainment was acquired by Vivendi in 2005. Despite this change in ownership, the studio retained its operational autonomy. Under Vivendi's Sierra Entertainment banner, Radical developed titles including Scarface: The World Is Yours and The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction. The company also obtained the rights to the Crash Bandicoot franchise, assuming development responsibilities for Crash Tag Team Racing from Traveller's Tales. The favorable reception of this game led to the creation of Crash of the Titans and its follow-up Crash: Mind over Mutant, both of which achieved critical acclaim and commercial success. Concurrently, Radical commenced work on Prototype.

2008–present: Activision Takeover, Prototype Series, and Workforce Reductions

After the 2008 consolidation of Vivendi Games with Activision to create Activision Blizzard, Radical Entertainment became part of Activision's portfolio. At that juncture, Radical was working on four titles, including Crash: Mind over Mutant and Prototype. Activision implemented layoffs impacting approximately 100 staff members—about half of the studio’s workforce—and terminated two confidential projects, one being Treadstone, a game based on the Jason Bourne franchise. The rights to this title reverted back to Ludlum Entertainment and were subsequently licensed to Electronic Arts.

In February 2010, Radical faced another round of layoffs, reducing its personnel by roughly 90 employees, once again halving the team. Nevertheless, Prototype 2 was released in April 2012 and emerged as the top-selling game in the United States for that month. Despite this success, Activision labeled it a commercial disappointment and announced a substantial downsizing at Radical in June 2012, transitioning the studio's focus from original content creation to providing support services for other Activision development teams. Although some speculation pointed toward a studio shutdown, Activision confirmed Radical would continue operating with a smaller crew. The Windows version of Prototype 2 was launched in July 2012.

Radical's corporate registration was revoked by Canadian authorities in December 2013 due to non-compliance issues. Their final credited projects were the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One ports of both Prototype and Prototype 2, which came out in 2015. By 2022, Radical had been downsized to a six-person group whose contributions were credited under Activision Vancouver. Despite this significant reduction, Radical was included in Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard announced in 2022.

Organization

Radical Entertainment encouraged transparent dialogue between leadership and staff; the president regularly distributed bi-weekly emails company-wide and actively solicited employee feedback on various matters ranging from technology integration to workplace facilities. The chief financial officer conducted quarterly sessions reviewing financial results to enhance employee understanding of revenue streams and expenditures. The company adopted forward-thinking human resource management policies such as flexible core working hours, an enhanced maternity leave benefit offering a three-month full-pay top-up, and an intellectual property evaluation system known as the "Idea Review Senate," overseen by creative director Stephen Van Der Mescht. Concepts not greenlit for development were returned to their creators, who retained full ownership and could independently develop or license these ideas externally.

Radical operated an internal research and development division led by Dave Forsey. In 1998, this team completed a federally sponsored $350,000 Industrial Research Assistance Program initiative that improved hierarchical spline technology within 3D Studio MAX and Autodesk Maya, allowing for detailed localized animation on characters and culminating in the commercial launch of the Rodin graphics software. In 2000, they received a $200,000 grant from the BC Science Council to build an internal game engine library along with tools designed to optimize production workflows. By 2001, Forsey and colleagues collaborated with the University of Calgary to establish and teach an innovative undergraduate course focused on video game programming targeted at senior computer science students. Later that year, additional Radical staff members delivered a comparable course at the University of British Columbia aimed at mitigating Canada's growing shortage of skilled game developers.

Awards and Recognition

On December 13, 2000, Radical Entertainment was honored by the National Post as one of Canada's leading 50 best-managed private companies, a distinction given to Canadian private enterprises with revenues exceeding $5 million and notable growth over a three-year span. Subsequently, on October 5, 2001, Ian Wilkinson, the company's president and CEO, was awarded the 2001 Media and Entertainment Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young.

Developed Titles

Year Title Publisher Platform(s) Ref.
1992 The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends THQ Nintendo Entertainment System [1]
The Terminator Mindscape [1]
1993 The Battle of Olympus Broderbund Game Boy [1]
Mario Is Missing! The Software Toolworks Nintendo Entertainment System
Wayne's World THQ Game Boy, Nintendo Entertainment System [1]
Pelé! Accolade Sega Genesis [1]
1994 Brett Hull Hockey Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Bebe's Kids Motown Software
Mario's Time Machine The Software Toolworks Nintendo Entertainment System [1]
Pelé II: World Tournament Soccer Accolade Sega Genesis
Mountain Bike Rally ASC Games Super Nintendo Entertainment System [1]
Al Unser Jr.'s Road to the Top The Software Toolworks [1]
Beavis and Butt-Head Viacom New Media Sega Genesis [1]
Speed Racer in My Most Dangerous Adventures Accolade Super Nintendo Entertainment System
1995 Brett Hull Hockey '95 Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo Entertainment System [1]
1996 The Divide: Enemies Within Viacom New Media Microsoft Windows, PlayStation [1]
Power Piggs of the Dark Age Titus Software Super Nintendo Entertainment System
NHL Powerplay '96 Virgin Interactive Microsoft Windows, PlayStation, Sega Saturn [1]
Grid Runner [1]
1997 Independence Day Fox Interactive [1]
NHL Powerplay 98 / NHL All-Star Hockey 98 Virgin Interactive / Sega
1998 X Games Pro Boarder Electronic Arts Microsoft Windows, PlayStation [1]
1999 Blood Lines Sony Computer Entertainment Europe PlayStation
MTV Sports: Snowboarding THQ [2]
'NBA Basketball 2000 ' Fox Interactive Microsoft Windows, PlayStation [1]
'NHL Championship 2000 ' [1]
2000 'Jackie Chan Stuntmaster ' Midway Games PlayStation [1]
'MTV Sports: Pure Ride ' THQ PlayStation [1]
2001 'Dark Summit ' GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox [1]
'The Simpsons: Road Rage ' Electronic Arts GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox [1]
2002 'Tetris Worlds ' THQ GameCube, Xbox [1]
'Monsters, Inc. Scream Arena' GameCube [1]
'James Cameron's Dark Angel' Sierra Entertainment PlayStation 2, Xbox [1]
2003 'CSI: Crime Scene Investigation' Ubi Soft Microsoft Windows, Xbox [1]
'Hulk' Vivendi Universal Games Microsoft Windows, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox [1]
'The Simpsons: Hit & Run' Vivendi Universal Games Microsoft Windows, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox [1]
2004 'CSI: Dark Motives' Ubi Soft Microsoft Windows [1]
'CSI: Miami' Ubi Soft Microsoft Windows [1]
2005 'The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction' Vivendi Universal Games GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox [1]
'Crash Tag Team Racing' Vivendi Universal Games GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, PlayStation Portable [1]
'2006' 'Scarface: The World Is Yours' Vivendi Games Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Wii, Xbox [1]
'2007' 'Crash of the Titans' PlayStation 2, Wii, Xbox 360 [1]
'2008' 'Crash: Mind over Mutant' Activision PlayStation 2, Wii, Xbox 360 [1]
'2009' 'Prototype' Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 [1]
'2012' 'Prototype 2' Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 [1]
'2014' Destiny (support team for Bungie) Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4


Canceled Titles

Year Game Title Platform(s)
1994 Brett Hull Hockey Sega Genesis
1995 RHI Roller Hockey '95 Super Nintendo Entertainment System
2001 A.I. The Circuit or A.I. Gladiator Xbox
2006 Scarface: The World Is Yours Xbox 360
~2007 The Simpsons: Hit & Run 2 Unknown
2008 Scarface 2 Unknown
Treadstone
2010 I Am Crash Bandicoot, also known as Crash 2010 or Crash Landed PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360
2011 Spider-Man 4 PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
2012 Prototype 3 PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 1.28 1.29 1.30 1.31 1.32 1.33 1.34 1.35 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named RadicalGames
  2. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named RadicalIndex2000
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