Rainbow Studios
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 1986 |
| Founder | Earl Jarred |
| Headquarters | Phoenix, Arizona , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Lenore Gilbert (CEO) |
| Products | Motocross Madness, MX vs. ATV franchise, Monster Jam: Steel Titans series |
Number of employees | 41 (2019) |
Rainbow Studios is a video game developer located in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, recognized primarily for its offroad racing titles such as Motocross Madness and the MX vs. ATV franchise. The company was originally established in 1986 by Earl Jarred under the name Rainbow Multimedia Group and adopted the Rainbow Studios identity in 1992. In 2002, it became part of THQ following an acquisition. The studio was renamed THQ Digital Studios Phoenix in 2010 but was shut down in 2011. After THQ's bankruptcy, Nordic Games (now THQ Nordic) purchased most of THQ's assets and revived the studio under its original name in 2013. Currently, Rainbow Studios operates as an independent entity.
History
Earl Jarred founded the company in 1986 as Rainbow Multimedia Group, which transitioned its focus to video game development and rebranded as Rainbow Studios by 1992. On November 8, 2001, THQ declared its intent to acquire Rainbow Studios through a stock transaction involving one million shares. The acquisition was finalized on January 3, 2002. In 2005, Jarred along with several key personnel departed to create 2XL Games. Subsequently, other former team members launched TimeFly Studios in 2008.
In April 2008, Rainbow Studios underwent layoffs affecting 30 employees assigned to an undisclosed project but continued its development efforts. Additional workforce reductions took place towards the end of 2008 and into early 2009 as part of THQ's broader corporate restructuring initiatives.
To emphasize digital distribution channels, Rainbow Studios and its sister company Juice Games were rebranded in February 2010 as THQ Digital Studios Phoenix and Warrington respectively, which led to approximately 60 job cuts. By August 2011, THQ Digital Studios Phoenix was closed, resulting in the dismissal of 48 staff members while retaining a quality assurance team.
Following the bankruptcy of THQ, Nordic Games acquired numerous assets including the MX vs. ATV series in 2013. Subsequently, Nordic restored Rainbow Studios under its original name and Phoenix location to continue developing new entries for the franchise. The revived studio rehired many former employees including CEO Lenore Gilbert. As of June 2019, Rainbow Studios had a workforce of roughly 41 individuals.
In September 2023, layoffs affected Rainbow Studios amid cost-reduction strategies implemented by Embracer Group. The studio later transitioned to become an independent company owned by its employees.
Games created
| Release Year | Game Title | Supported Platform(s) | Publishing Company(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Air Havoc Controller | Microsoft Windows | Trimark Interactive |
| 1995 | The Hive | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation | |
| 1996 | Deadly Tide | Microsoft Windows | Microsoft |
| Ravage D.C.X | Inscape | ||
| 1998 | Motocross Madness | Microsoft | |
| 2000 | Motocross Madness 2 | ||
| Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2000 | EA Sports | ||
| 2001 | ATV Offroad Fury | PlayStation 2 | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Splashdown | PlayStation 2, Xbox | Infogrames | |
| 2002 | ATV Offroad Fury 2 | PlayStation 2 | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX 2 | PlayStation 2, Xbox | Activision | |
| Star Wars Racer Revenge | PlayStation 2 | LucasArts | |
| 2003 | Splashdown: Rides Gone Wild | THQ | |
| 2004 | MX Unleashed | PlayStation 2, Xbox | |
| 2005 | MX vs. ATV Unleashed | ||
| 2006 | Cars | Game Boy Advance, GameCube, Wii, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360 | |
| 2007 | Cars Mater-National Championship | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Wii, Xbox 360 | |
| MX vs. ATV Untamed | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | ||
| 2009 | Deadly Creatures | Wii | |
| MX vs. ATV Reflex | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | ||
| 2010 | Dood's Big Adventure | Wii | |
| 2011 | MX vs. ATV Alive | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | |
| 2014 | MX vs. ATV Supercross | Nordic Games | |
| 2015 | MX vs ATV: Supercross Encore | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | |
| 2018 | MX vs ATV All Out | Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | THQ Nordic |
| 2019 | Monster Jam: Steel Titans | Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Stadia, Xbox One | |
| 2021 | Monster Jam: Steel Titans 2 | Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Stadia, Xbox One | |
| 2022 | MX vs ATV Legends | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S |