Backbone Entertainment

Backbone Entertainment
Division
Industry Video game industry
Predecessor ImaginEngine
Digital Eclipse Software, Inc.
Founded February 19, 2003 (2003-02-19)
Headquarters Rancho Santa Margarita, California, United States
Website www.backboneentertainment.com/ Edit this on Wikidata

Backbone Entertainment is an American video game developer based in Rancho Santa Margarita, California. Created on February 19, 2003, it is the result of the merger of ImaginEngine and Digital Eclipse Software, Inc. effective on January 1, 2004.

History

Digital Eclipse logo, featuring the solar eclipse

Backbone Entertainment is the result of a 2003 merger between Digital Eclipse Software and ImaginEngine. Digital Eclipse specialized in arcade game emulation and handheld video games, and formerly had studios in Emeryville, California and Vancouver, British Columbia. ImaginEngine specializes in children's software, formerly having studios in San Francisco, California and Boston, Massachusetts. The San Francisco and Emeryville teams were combined at the Emeryville location upon execution of the merger.

One of their first franchise projects as Backbone Entertainment was Death Jr., for the PSP. They have also produced a sequel, Death, Jr. II: Root of Evil, and a Nintendo DS version of the franchise entitled Death Jr. and the Science Fair of Doom. When Death Jr. was first announced, the CEO of Backbone spoke on making DJ a full-featured franchise, with comic books, a TV show, action figures, and more. According to GameRankings, the average review score for the three games in the franchise is a 59%, with Death Jr. and the Science Fair of Doom scoring the lowest overall.

Foundation 9 Entertainment era

In 2005 the company merged with another video game developer, The collective in Newport Beach, CA to form a new conglomerate, Foundation 9 Entertainment.

The Foundation 9 Entertainment conglomerate initially used the Backbone Entertainment brand for its original titles, the Digital Eclipse brand for its arcade emulation titles, and ImaginEngine for many children's titles. Currently, the name ImaginEngine is used for products from the Boston-based studio of Foundation 9 Entertainment,[1] while Backbone Entertainment is used for their Emeryville, California-based studio.

An additional studio was formed in 2006 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, but was spun out in 2007 to become Other Ocean Interactive.[2] The Vancouver, British Columbia-based studio of Backbone Entertainment was scaled back in September 2008 and ultimately closed in May 2009, ending the company's presence in Canada.[3] Among that studio's later projects were Sonic Rivals and Sonic Rivals 2.

They developed Bomberman Live and Shrek N' Roll for the Xbox 360, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, Sega Genesis Collection for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable and its follow-up compilation, Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. They also created the Halo 3 interactive bonus disc included with Collector's and Legendary versions of the game.

Another studio was added, KnowWonder, formerly owned by Amaze Entertainment, best known for The Sims 2 DS and The Sims: Bustin' Out.

Games developed

YearVideo gamePlatform(s)GameRankings score
1994JoustMacintosh
1994Robotron: 2084Macintosh
1994DefenderMacintosh
1995Williams Arcade ClassicsPlayStation, Sega Genesis, Sega Saturn, SNES, DOS, Windows, Game.com, Dreamcast
1995Activision's Commodore 64 15 PackWindows
1996Ms. Pac-ManSNES
1996Arcade's Greatest Hits: The Atari Collection 1PlayStation, Sega Genesis, SNES
1997Arcade's Greatest Hits: The Midway Collection 2PlayStation, Windows
1998NFL BlitzGame Boy Color
1998Arcade's Greatest Hits: The Atari Collection 2PlayStation
1998Rampage World TourGame Boy Color
1999Knockout KingsGame Boy Color
1999Disney's TarzanGame Boy Color
1999Atari Arcade Hits: Volume 1Windows
1999Arcade's Greatest Hits: The Atari Collection 2Windows
1999Arcade Classic No. 4: Defender / JoustGame Boy Color
1999KlaxGame Boy Color
1999ARCADE HITS Moon Patrol / Spy HunterGame Boy Color
1999RampartGame Boy Color
1999Rampage 2: Universal TourGame Boy Color
1999Arcade Party PakPlayStation
1999CentipedeDreamcast
1999Mortal Kombat 4Game Boy Color
1999Marble MadnessGame Boy Color
1999Ghosts 'n GoblinsGame Boy Color
2000Dragon's LairGame Boy Color76.50%
2000Little NickyGame Boy Color67.75%
2000Alice in WonderlandGame Boy Color73.50%
2001Batman: Chaos in GothamGame Boy Color63.50%
2001X-Men: Wolverine's RageGame Boy Color56.00%
2001Rayman AdvanceGame Boy Advance85.06%
2001Spyro: Season of IceGame Boy Advance71.75%
2002Spider-Man: The MovieGame Boy Advance77.56%
2002Disney's Lilo & StitchGame Boy Advance75.58%
2002Spyro 2: Season of FlameGame Boy Advance77.97%
2002Disney's Kim Possible: Revenge of Monkey FistGame Boy Advance61.00%
2002Phantasy Star CollectionGame Boy Advance76.09%
2003Spyro: Attack of the RhynocsGame Boy Advance74.50%
2004Spider-Man 2Game Boy Advance60.40%
2004 Nicktoons Basketball PC
2004Grand Theft AutoGame Boy Advance70.87%
2004The Incredibles: Escape from Nomanisan IslandPC
2005Rifts: Promise of PowerN-Gage73.57%
2005Death Jr.PSP63.24%
2005Namco Museum 50th AnniversaryPlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo Gamecube, PC, Game Boy Advance63.43%
2006Age of Empires: The Age of KingsNintendo DS79.80%
2006Charlotte's WebNintendo DS, Game Boy Advance61.00%
2006Death Jr. II: Root of EvilPSP70.65%
2006NBA Ballers: ReboundPSP69.78%
2006Sonic RivalsPSP65.95%
2006MechAssault: Phantom WarNintendo DS64.75%
2007Bomberman LiveXBLA85.24%
2007Death Jr. and the Science Fair of DoomNintendo DS50.62%
2007Sonic the HedgehogiPod
2007Brooktown HighPSP49.11%
2007Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD RemixPSN, XBLA84.00%
2007Sonic Rivals 2PSP62.90%
2007Shrek n' RollXBLA45.70%
2008Monster LabWii72.85%
2008Death Jr. II: Root of EvilWii70.25%
2008Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3PSN, XBLA67.36%
20081942: Joint StrikePSN, XBLA71.03%
2008Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD RemixPSN, XBLA88.75%
2009Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection/Sega Mega Drive Ultimate CollectionXbox 360, PS381.11%
2009G.I. Joe: The Rise of CobraNintendo DS
2009Rock Band UnpluggedPSP80.03%
2009Lego Rock BandNintendo DS78.86%
2009Marvel vs. Capcom 2PSN, XBLA83.81%
2010Rock Band 3Wii, Nintendo DS90.67%
2011Ugly Americans: ApocalypsegeddonPSN, XBLA
2011Zombie Apocalypse: Never Die AlonePSN, XBLA
2012Dance Central 3Xbox 360
2012Midway Arcade OriginsXbox 360, PlayStation 3
2018Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC
2018SNK 40th Anniversary Collection Nintendo Switch

Ports

Eclipse Engine

Part of Digital Eclipse's work include their own Eclipse Engine, a tool that allows them to decompile the code from older games into machine-readable format that is then used by the Eclipse Engine to play them on modern systems. While it may take some extra work by the company to decompile the older game into the proper format one time, this approach allows them to rapidly port the Eclipse version to any modern gaming system, including computer, console, or portable/mobile device with a minimum of effort. This engine has been used so far in the Mega Man Legacy Collection and The Disney Afternoon Collection.[4][5]

References

  1. ↑ ImaginEngine web site Archived 2008-01-18 at the Wayback Machine.
  2. ↑ Foundation 9 says goodbye to Charlottetown
  3. ↑ Vancouver's video game family tree.
  4. ↑ Orland, Kyle (August 27, 2015). "The new tech making game preservation more authentic and future-proof". Ars Technica. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  5. ↑ Watts, Steve (March 23, 2017). "Disney Afternoon Collection Producer Talks Challenges and Nostalgia". Shacknews. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
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