The Behemoth
Encyclopedia
The Behemoth is a video game development company that was created in 2002 by John Baez, artist Dan Paladin
(aka Synj), and programmers Tom Fulp
(the creator of the popular Newgrounds
Flash
website), Brandon LaCava, and Nick Dryburgh. Dryburgh later left the company. The Behemoth development studio is located in San Diego, California
. The company is known for producing simple games with Paladin's signature 2D style.
Their first console
game, Alien Hominid
, gained critical acclaim by the media and the members of The Behemoth quickly gained status as indie developers focused on bringing old-school styles of video games back into mainstream gaming.
The Behemoth's second game, Castle Crashers
, was released August 27, 2008, originally for the Xbox Live Arcade
service, but re-released on the PlayStation 3
on August 31, 2010. Since its release on Xbox Live Arcade, Castle Crashers has become one of the most downloaded games, with over 2,000,000 players listed on their leader boards.
A third title, BattleBlock Theater was in development for 2010 but due to delay is pushed to 2011.
for Newgrounds
. The game has since become extremely popular and generated over eighteen million hits and rising. Later in the year, Paladin was working on developing a console video game when co-worker Baez approached him. He was a fan of Alien Hominid and asked Paladin if he was interested in developing the game for consoles. When Baez offered to produce the game, Fulp and Paladin eventually agreed, recruited LaCava and Dryburgh, and formed The Behemoth. The place where it all began, Newgrounds, is credited alongside The Behemoth at the beginning of each game.
Dan Paladin
Daniel "Dan" Paladin is an American video game designer. He collaborated with Newgrounds creator Tom Fulp and designed Flash-based games: Sack Smash 2001, Chainsaw the Children, Dad n' Me, and, most notably, Alien Hominid. In 2002 he, Fulp, John Baez and Brandon LaCava created video game company...
(aka Synj), and programmers Tom Fulp
Tom Fulp
Thomas Michael "Tom" Fulp is the co-owner of video game company The Behemoth, and the creator and administrator of Newgrounds, a popular website for sharing Flash files...
(the creator of the popular Newgrounds
Newgrounds
Newgrounds is an American entertainment and social media website. Founded on July 6, 1995 by Tom Fulp, the site primarily hosts Adobe Flash animations and games, but also features a music-oriented page, along with an art portal...
Flash
Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
website), Brandon LaCava, and Nick Dryburgh. Dryburgh later left the company. The Behemoth development studio is located in San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
. The company is known for producing simple games with Paladin's signature 2D style.
Their first console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
game, Alien Hominid
Alien Hominid
Alien Hominid is an independently developed console video game released for Sony PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube in 2004 through publisher O~3 Entertainment. A PAL version was later released during May 2005 for PlayStation 2 and Microsoft's Xbox through ZOO Digital Publishing...
, gained critical acclaim by the media and the members of The Behemoth quickly gained status as indie developers focused on bringing old-school styles of video games back into mainstream gaming.
The Behemoth's second game, Castle Crashers
Castle Crashers
Castle Crashers is a beat 'em up console video game independently developed by The Behemoth and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It features music created by members of Newgrounds. The Xbox 360 version was released on August 27, 2008 via Xbox Live Arcade as part of the Xbox Live Summer of Arcade...
, was released August 27, 2008, originally for the Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
service, but re-released on the PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
on August 31, 2010. Since its release on Xbox Live Arcade, Castle Crashers has become one of the most downloaded games, with over 2,000,000 players listed on their leader boards.
A third title, BattleBlock Theater was in development for 2010 but due to delay is pushed to 2011.
History
During August 2002, Tom Fulp and Dan Paladin collaborated in creating the Flash game Alien HominidAlien Hominid
Alien Hominid is an independently developed console video game released for Sony PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube in 2004 through publisher O~3 Entertainment. A PAL version was later released during May 2005 for PlayStation 2 and Microsoft's Xbox through ZOO Digital Publishing...
for Newgrounds
Newgrounds
Newgrounds is an American entertainment and social media website. Founded on July 6, 1995 by Tom Fulp, the site primarily hosts Adobe Flash animations and games, but also features a music-oriented page, along with an art portal...
. The game has since become extremely popular and generated over eighteen million hits and rising. Later in the year, Paladin was working on developing a console video game when co-worker Baez approached him. He was a fan of Alien Hominid and asked Paladin if he was interested in developing the game for consoles. When Baez offered to produce the game, Fulp and Paladin eventually agreed, recruited LaCava and Dryburgh, and formed The Behemoth. The place where it all began, Newgrounds, is credited alongside The Behemoth at the beginning of each game.
Games
- Alien HominidAlien HominidAlien Hominid is an independently developed console video game released for Sony PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube in 2004 through publisher O~3 Entertainment. A PAL version was later released during May 2005 for PlayStation 2 and Microsoft's Xbox through ZOO Digital Publishing...
(2004) (PlayStation 2PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, GameCubeNintendo GameCubeThe , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
, XboxXboxThe Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
, Game Boy AdvanceGame Boy AdvanceThe is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
, PC [Flash prototypePersonal computerA personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
]) - Alien Hominid HD (2007) (Xbox 360Xbox 360The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
) - Castle CrashersCastle CrashersCastle Crashers is a beat 'em up console video game independently developed by The Behemoth and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It features music created by members of Newgrounds. The Xbox 360 version was released on August 27, 2008 via Xbox Live Arcade as part of the Xbox Live Summer of Arcade...
(2008) (Xbox 360Xbox 360The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, PlayStation 3PlayStation 3The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
) - Super Soviet Missile Mastar (2011) (iOS)
- BattleBlock Theater (2011) (Xbox 360, TBC)