 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Predecessor | Chemistry Entertainment |
| Founded | August 31, 1999; 26 years ago (1999-08-31) |
| Headquarters | , US |
Key people | Lyle Hall(president,CEO) |
| Products | See§ Games developed |
Number of employees | 43 (2020) |
| Parent |
|
| Website | heavyiron |
Heavy Iron Studios, Inc. is an Americanvideo game developer based inManhattan Beach, California. It was founded in August 1999 withinTHQ after the publisher acquired Steve Gray's Chemistry Entertainment. As part of a series ofcost reductions within THQ, Heavy Iron Studios wasspun off as an independent company in June 2009.Keywords Studios acquired the developer in January 2021.
Early during his career, Steve Gray worked for thevisual effects companiesRobert Abel and Associates,Rhythm & Hues, andDigital Domain. As Digital Domain was trying to get into thevideo game industry, Gray and the company'schief financial officer, Chris McKibbin, pitched their services to various larger video game companies. Although they were turned down due to Digital Domain's lack of experience in the field, Gray and McKibbin were offered positions at the game developer,EA Canada, which both accepted. Gray quickly discovered his dislike the studio'ssports games and soon switched toSquare USA, where he managed the development team forParasite Eve. As the game was completed, Gray and several of the game's developers believed they could easily obtain publishing contracts from outside companies if they set up their own studio.[1] In 1997, Gray established Chemistry Entertainment.[2] The studio worked on several unreleased games, including aGodzilla game forElectronic Arts.[1][3] Chemistry Entertainment was briefly part of Rainmaker Entertainment Group, which also housedRainmaker Digital Effects, as Rainmaker Interactive.[1][4] Eventually, the studio landed a deal withTHQ for a game based on theEvil Dead franchise.[1] Gray sold his studio to THQ, which then established Heavy Iron Studios as an internal developer on August 31, 1999.[2][5] The finished game,Evil Dead: Hail to the King, was released in late 2000.[6]
Following significant financial losses at THQ, the company announced that it wouldspin off several of its developers, including Heavy Iron Studios.[7] The studio's independence was effective on June 1, 2009.[5] Through a series of layoffs, its headcount was reduced from 120 to 60 by December.[8] In September 2020,Keywords Studios announced that it had agreed to acquire Heavy Iron Studios with its 43 employees forUS$13.3 million.[9] The acquisition was complete on January 13, 2021.[10]
| Year released | Title | Platform(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Evil Dead: Hail to the King | Microsoft Windows,Dreamcast,PlayStation |
| 2002 | Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights | Xbox,PlayStation 2,GameCube |
| 2003 | SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom | |
| 2004 | The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie | |
| The Incredibles | Xbox,PlayStation 2,GameCube,Microsoft Windows,Mac OS X | |
| 2005 | The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer | |
| 2007 | Ratatouille | Xbox 360,PlayStation 3 |
| 2008 | WALL-E | Xbox 360,PlayStation 3,Wii |
| 2009 | Up | |
| SpongeBob's Truth or Square | Xbox 360,Wii | |
| 2011 | UFC Personal Trainer | Xbox 360,PlayStation 3,Wii |
| 2012 | Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse | Microsoft Windows,Xbox 360,PlayStation 3 |
| Harley Pasternak's Hollywood Workout | Xbox 360,Wii | |
| 2015 | Fat City | Microsoft Windows,PlayStation 4,Xbox One,Wii U,OS X,PlayStation Vita,PlayStation VR,iOS,Android,Nintendo Switch |
| 2017 | Amazon Odyssey[11] | Microsoft Windows (RequiresHTC Vive) |
| 2020 | Pac-Man Mega Tunnel Battle | Stadia |
| Year | Title | Platform(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights | PlayStation | Early version of the game with a different plot and gameplay style.[13] |
| 2007 | Toy Story 3 | Xbox 360,PlayStation 3,Wii | Early rejected version. Final game was developed byAvalanche Software.[14][15][16] |
| 2008 | SpongeBob SquarePants: Happiness Squared | PlayStation 2,Wii | Altered and retooled intoSpongeBob's Truth or Square.[17] |
| 2010 | Saints Row: The Cooler | Xbox 360,PlayStation 3 | Fighting game spin-off of theSaints Row series that required theKinect/PlayStation Move.[18][19] |
| Disney’s E-Ticket | Xbox 360 | Early rejected version of what eventually becameKinect: Disneyland Adventures, developed byFrontier Developments.[20][21][22] | |
| Family Guy: Road to Death | Xbox 360,PlayStation 3 | Altered and retooled intoFamily Guy: Back to the Multiverse.[23][24][25] | |
| 2011 | Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse | Wii,Nintendo 3DS | Alternative versions of the game for Nintendo consoles with a different gameplay style.[26] |
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