Westwood Studios

Westwood Studios was a computer and video games developer, founded in 1985 as Westwood Associates by Brett Sperry and Louis Castle and based in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Related Topics:
Computer - Video game - 1985 - Brett Sperry - Louis Castle - Las Vegas - Nevada

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The company's first projects consisted of contract work for companies like Epyx and Strategic Simulations (SSI), porting 8-bit titles to 16-bit systems like Commodore Amiga and Atari ST. One of the company's first successes was Eye of the Beholder (1990), a real-time computer role-playing game based on the Dungeons & Dragons license, developed for SSI. Proceeds from contract work allowed the company to expand into designing its own games in-house.

Related Topics:
Epyx - Strategic Simulations - Commodore Amiga - Atari ST - Eye of the Beholder - 1990 - Computer role-playing game - Dungeons & Dragons

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Their first original title was Mars Saga, a game developed for Electronic Arts and released in 1988. Other publishers of early Westwood games included Infocom and Disney. In 1992, the company was renamed Westwood Studios and sold to Virgin Interactive.

Related Topics:
Electronic Arts - 1988 - Infocom - Disney - 1992 - Virgin Interactive

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Well-known Westwood titles from this period include Dune II, the adventure game The Legend of Kyrandia and the role-playing game Lands of Lore. Westwood's greatest commercial success came in 1995, with the release of real-time strategy game Command & Conquer. Building on the gameplay and interface ideas of Dune II, it added pre-rendered 3D graphics for gameplay sprites and video cinematics, a techno soundtrack streamed from disk, and modem play. Command & Conquer, Kyrandia, and Lands of Lore all spawned multiple sequels.

Related Topics:
Dune II - Adventure game - The Legend of Kyrandia - Lands of Lore - 1995 - Real-time strategy - Command & Conquer

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In 1998, Westwood was acquired by Electronic Arts (EA). In response to what they perceived as unwillingness to maintain the Westwood brand and independence from EA's side, many long-time employees quit. One of the last games released by Westwood, Command & Conquer: Renegade (an action which mixed elements from first-person shooters and real-time strategy games) failed to meet consumer expectations and commercial goals Westwood and EA had set for it. In March of 2003, Westwood Studios was closed by EA and all willing staff were absorbed into EA Los Angeles. At the time of its closure, Westwood employed more than 100 people. Their last game was the MMORPG Earth & Beyond.

Related Topics:
1998 - Electronic Arts - First-person shooter - Real-time strategy - 2003 - EA Los Angeles - MMORPG - Earth & Beyond

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Some time after the closing of Westwood Studios, a new game studio, Petroglyph, was formed consisting mainly of former Westwood employees.

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