Juice Games
Encyclopedia
THQ Digital Studios UK Ltd (also known as THQ Digital Warrington, formerly Juice Games) was a video game developer
based in Warrington, England; Juice Games was acquired by THQ
in March 2006, and was merged with 'Rainbow Studios' in 2010 forming THQ Digital Studios. The Warrington operations were closed in June 2011.
(bought out by Rage). The company was headed by industry veteran Colin Bell, until the buy out by THQ, who then assumed the position of General Manager
.
Juice Games' most anticipated game, Juiced, was released around May/June after much delay. Juiced was originally going to be released in November , but its publisher, Acclaim
, went out of business and the game went into limbo for a month before being picked up and published by THQ.
Set up in , Juice Games also launched mobile
and interactive TV games, according to their website
.
In 2005, Juice Games won the "Best New UK/European Studio" from the Develop
magazine awards.
Juice Games developed the Xbox 360, PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS versions of Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights
in 2007.
As of 2007, Juice Games was based in two localised offices in Warrington
, UK, and employed over 80 members of staff. Over 30 staff were laid off and the second office closed, as part of THQ's reorganisational operations on 3 November 2008 - this was due to the project the studio was working on was seen by THQ executives as a 'risk' (in line with the rest of the company's family friendly identity). This was revealed to be a project called Stormbirds, featuring a range of customisable jet fighters through a Realtime:uk produced CG video.
In early 2010, their website advertised for staff to work on "an unannounced arcade racing game".
In February 2010, THQ
announced Juice Games would be part of a reshuffle, and would now bear the title THQ Digital Warrington. It is said 60 members of staff face redundancies between THQ's Rainbow studio and Juice Games' studio.
On 11 August 2010, THQ announced THQ Digital Warrington are working on "Red Faction: Battlegrounds
" for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network.
The closure of the studio was announced on 13 June 2011.
In August, two directors of THQ Warrington announced they would be opening an outsource studio, named D3T.
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
based in Warrington, England; Juice Games was acquired by THQ
THQ
THQ Inc. is an American developer and publisher of video games. Founded in 1989 in the United States, the company develops products for video game consoles, handheld game systems, as well as for personal computers and wireless devices...
in March 2006, and was merged with 'Rainbow Studios' in 2010 forming THQ Digital Studios. The Warrington operations were closed in June 2011.
History
Juice Games was formed from the ashes of Rage Games Limited, which was mostly made up of staff from Digital Image DesignDigital Image Design
Digital Image Design was a British video game developer founded by Martin Kenwright and Phillip Allsopp in 1989 and was originally based in Runcorn, Cheshire, England. The company had employed around eighty developers who specialized in areas of software and simulation...
(bought out by Rage). The company was headed by industry veteran Colin Bell, until the buy out by THQ, who then assumed the position of General Manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
.
Juice Games' most anticipated game, Juiced, was released around May/June after much delay. Juiced was originally going to be released in November , but its publisher, Acclaim
Acclaim Entertainment
Acclaim Entertainment was an American video game developer and publisher. It developed, published, marketed and distributed interactive entertainment software for a variety of hardware platforms, including Sega's Mega Drive/Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, and Game Gear, Nintendo's NES, SNES, Nintendo...
, went out of business and the game went into limbo for a month before being picked up and published by THQ.
Set up in , Juice Games also launched mobile
Mobile game
A mobile game is a video game played on a mobile phone, smartphone, PDA, tablet computer or portable media player. This does not include games played on handheld video game systems such as Nintendo DS or PlayStation Portable....
and interactive TV games, according to their website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
.
In 2005, Juice Games won the "Best New UK/European Studio" from the Develop
Develop (magazine)
Develop is a monthly trade magazine for the video games industry. Based in Hertford, Hertfordshire, the magazine allows participation by anyone working in the video game industry. Develop is the only European-based website and print magazine aimed exclusively at the development community...
magazine awards.
Juice Games developed the Xbox 360, PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS versions of Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights
Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights
Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights is a racing video game for various platforms. The PlayStation 2, Xbox 360 and Nintendo DS versions were released on September 17, 2007. The PlayStation Portable version was released on October 8, 2007. The PlayStation 3 version was released on October 22, 2007. The...
in 2007.
As of 2007, Juice Games was based in two localised offices in Warrington
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
, UK, and employed over 80 members of staff. Over 30 staff were laid off and the second office closed, as part of THQ's reorganisational operations on 3 November 2008 - this was due to the project the studio was working on was seen by THQ executives as a 'risk' (in line with the rest of the company's family friendly identity). This was revealed to be a project called Stormbirds, featuring a range of customisable jet fighters through a Realtime:uk produced CG video.
In early 2010, their website advertised for staff to work on "an unannounced arcade racing game".
In February 2010, THQ
THQ
THQ Inc. is an American developer and publisher of video games. Founded in 1989 in the United States, the company develops products for video game consoles, handheld game systems, as well as for personal computers and wireless devices...
announced Juice Games would be part of a reshuffle, and would now bear the title THQ Digital Warrington. It is said 60 members of staff face redundancies between THQ's Rainbow studio and Juice Games' studio.
On 11 August 2010, THQ announced THQ Digital Warrington are working on "Red Faction: Battlegrounds
Red Faction: Battlegrounds
Red Faction: Battlegrounds is a multi-directional shooter developed by THQ Digital Warrington and published by THQ. It is a tie-in game to the upcoming release of Red Faction: Armageddon and was released on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network in April 2011...
" for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network.
The closure of the studio was announced on 13 June 2011.
In August, two directors of THQ Warrington announced they would be opening an outsource studio, named D3T.
See also
- Rage SoftwareRage SoftwareRage Software or Rage Games was a British video game developer. Formed in Liverpool in 1992, its games were marked by an emphasis on graphical effects with arcade gameplay....
- Digital Image DesignDigital Image DesignDigital Image Design was a British video game developer founded by Martin Kenwright and Phillip Allsopp in 1989 and was originally based in Runcorn, Cheshire, England. The company had employed around eighty developers who specialized in areas of software and simulation...
- LamborghiniLamborghini (video game)Lamborghini was a racing video game developed by Rage Software and published by Majesco Games. It was cancelled in 2003 due to Rage Software's bankruptcy. The team that worked on Lamborghini went on and created the game studio Juice Games, which created the Juiced series....
- Stormbirds
External links
- Company Page at GameSpotGameSpotGameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
- Colin Bell at Moby Games