 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 1989 (36 years ago) (1989) |
| Founders |
|
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Charles Cecil (managing director) |
| Products | Broken Sword series |
| Website | revolution.co.uk |
Revolution Software Limited is a Britishvideo game developer based inYork, founded in 1989 byCharles Cecil,Tony Warriner, David Sykes and Noirin Carmody.[1] Its most popular line of games is that ofBroken Sword, a series which began in 1996 withBroken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars. As of 2024, there have been a further four iterations in the series:The Smoking Mirror (1997),The Sleeping Dragon (2003),The Angel of Death (2006) andThe Serpent's Curse (2013).
The company's logo was inspired by the 1981 filmExcalibur and designed in collaboration with a graphic design firm inHull.[2]
Released in 1992 for theAmiga,Atari ST andDOS platforms,Lure of the Temptress was both critically and commercially a success[3] which helped set the company up for their future game releases.[4] Revolution released the game asfreeware on 1 April 2003.[5]
Their next game was released in 1994;Beneath a Steel Sky became a hit on the Amiga and IBM PC compatibles. The game focused on protagonist Robert Foster's abduction and subsequent search for answers in adystopian city of the future. In that period they also portedSierra'sKing's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow to theAmiga.Virtual Theatre system was used instead of Sierra's Creative Interpreter because of its much better performance.[6]
Despite the success ofBeneath a Steel Sky, it was the company's next game that they would become best known for, and which would have both the biggest critical and commercial success.[7]Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars was released for PC andPlayStation in 1996 and was later ported to theGame Boy Advance in 2002. The game revolves around the story of George Stobbart, an American tourist whose holiday in Paris is rudely interrupted by a bombing. Investigating, he runs into photo-journalist Nicole Collard, and the two embark on a globe-trotting adventure. The hand drawn graphics, story and characters, and gameplay helped cement the company's reputation for story driven games.[7] The game was quickly followed by a well-received sequel,Broken Sword II: The Smoking Mirror.[8] According to Charles Cecil, each of the first twoBroken Sword games sold around 1,000,000 copies in the mid-1990s.
In July 2000, the company released their first 3D gameIn Cold Blood for the PlayStation (later released for Microsoft Windows in October 2000). Set in the near future, the game featured John Cord, anMI6 agent. Sent to the fictional, former Soviet region of Volgia, the player embarks on a mission to investigate a newly discovered substance, Blue Nephrine. However, Cord is betrayed and must work out by whom, while simultaneously trying to work out what plans the dictator of Volgia, General Nagarov, has for this mysterious new chemical and the implications for the world.
In December 2000, the company also released a children's adventure gameGold and Glory: The Road to El Dorado to coincide with the release of the filmThe Road to El Dorado.[9]
The company then started work onGood Cop Bad Cop, anaction game for thePlayStation 2,Xbox andGameCube. However the game was eventually cancelled[10] so that the company could concentrate onBroken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon.
Released in November 2003,Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon featured 3D graphics, and moved away from the 2Dpoint-and-click style of older games. As the game was developed for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2 and Xbox simultaneously, they decided to implement a direct control mechanism for the protagonist, instead of mouse control clicking on hot spots, as this was easier to convert to console game pads.[11]
Revolution releasedBroken Sword: The Angel of Death on 15 September 2006. At the start of the game, George is working as a bail bonds clerk when he falls in love with Anna-Maria, a woman who asks George to help her find an artifact.[12]
On 1 March 2009, Revolution Software released a director's cut version of their firstBroken Sword series, titledBroken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars – Director's Cut, forWii andNintendo DS platforms (later oniOS,Microsoft Windows andOS X).[13] According to a Charles Cecil interview with Pocket Gamer, the iOS version of theDirector's Cut sold around 160,000 copies by December 2010.[14] The company also announced thatThe Director's Cut is coming soon toAndroid.[15]
In October 2009,Beneath a Steel Sky – Remastered was made available on theApple App Store.[16]The Remastered Edition sold around 20,000 copies in its first month and expected to hit 70,000 sales in the first year and 100,000 lifetime sales.[17]
The company announced the remastered edition of the second game in theBroken Sword series on 9 December 2010, calledBroken Sword: The Smoking Mirror – Remastered. The game was released in late 2010 on iPhone, April 2011 on OS X and May 2011 on Microsoft Windows.[18]
On 25 July 2012, Charles Cecil posted on his personal Facebook account: "Totally focused on the announce video for our next game. I am thrilled by how it's looking, and can't wait to talk publicly, but completing the video for end of the month – as originally promised – now seems somewhat ambitious."[19] After a short delay, the game was officially announced to be a fifth entry in the series:Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse.[20] The game was announced with aKickstarter campaign and a video, showing some of the game's graphics and hinting at its storyline.[21]
After the release ofBeneath a Steel Sky – Remastered, Charles Cecil and Dave Gibbons stated that a sequel could be likely and that iPhone would be the ideal platform.[22] During theBroken Sword 5 crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, the company originally putBeneath a Steel Sky 2 as a $1,000,000 bonus stretch goal if the new Broken Sword game raises enough money, but it only raised $820,000 (includingPayPal donations). On 24 September 2012, after failing to reach the bonus stretch goal, the company's co-founder Tony Warriner said that "after the huge success of theBroken Sword 5 crowdfunding campaign on Kickstater, it inspired us to begin work onBeneath a Steel Sky 2. Development of the sequel will begin after the release ofBroken Sword 5. We're delighted by the recent level of interest in a sequel toBeneath a Steel Sky and are currently discussing design ideas for this project which we plan to go into development following the release ofBroken Sword 5. We're deeply touched that ourBeneath a Steel Sky fans are as enthusiastic today as they were when the original game released in 1994."Beneath a Steel Sky 2 is to be developed for iOS, Android, PC, Linux and OS X. There is also a possibility in looking into a console version release.[23]In a September 2015 interview, Cecil announced that he was working on a story forBroken Sword 6 which would involve the main characters travelling to Germany.[24] In a later interview from April 2020, however, Cecil said he was "mulling around" ideas forBroken Sword 6, while his focus seemed to be still onBeyond a Steel Sky, though he did not exclude the idea that the nextBroken Sword game may follow the company's present project.[25]
Towards the end of 2023, Revolution announced[26] that a sixth instalment ofBroken Sword was in development, titledBroken Sword: Parzival's Stone, which is scheduled for release in 2024. In addition, a "Reforged" revamp of the first game,Shadow of the Templars, was due for release in 2024, with updated graphics and other minor changes to the original gameplay.
| Year | Publication/Ceremony | Nominated game or person | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | PC Gamer | Beneath a Steel Sky | Best Dialogue | Won |
| Golden Joystick Awards | Best Adventure | Won | ||
| 1997 | Generation 4[28] | Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars | Best Adventure 1997 | Won |
| Quest magazine[28] | Best Quest | Won | ||
| 2001 | GameVortex | In Cold Blood | Top Pick | Won |
| 2003 | British Academy Video Games Awards[29] | Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon | Best Design | Nominated |
| Best PC Game | Nominated | |||
| Best Adventure Game | Nominated | |||
| Just Adventure[30] | Best Adventure Game of 2003 | Won | ||
| 2004 | Game Developers Choice Awards[31] | Excellence in Writing | Nominated | |
| 2006 | Develop | Charles Cecil | Development Legend | Won |
| 2009 | Slide to Play | Beneath a Steel Sky: Remastered | Game of the Month, October 2009 | Won |
| Slide to Play's iPhone Games Holiday Buyer's Guide | Best Adventure Game | Won | ||
| British Academy Video Games Awards[32] | Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars – Director's Cut | Best Story | Nominated | |
| 2010 | Adventure Gamers'2009 Aggie Awards[33] | Best Port/Updated Re-release | Nominated | |
| Beneath a Steel Sky: Remastered | Nominated | |||
| 2011 | European Games Awards[34] | Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars – Director's Cut | Best European Adventure | Won |
| Order of the British Empire | Charles Cecil | Member of the Order of the British Empire | Won |
