Midway Studios – Newcastle

Midway Studios – Newcastle Limited
Subsidiary
Industry Video game industry
Founded 10 December 1996 (1996-12-10)
Defunct 2009 (2009)
Headquarters Gateshead, England
Products Test Drive series (1997–2002)
Parent Midway Games

Midway Studios – Newcastle Limited (formerly Pitbull Syndicate) was a British video game developer based in Gateshead, England.

History

Pitbull Syndicate was formed in December 1996 by an ensemble of programmers and artists with extensive experience in the video games industry.[1] The company started with a small office in Sunderland, England, and initially employed eight people, working on PC and PlayStation games. Slowly expanding, the company moved to larger offices in Chester-Le-Street and later to larger offices in Gateshead. By 2005, its staff had swelled to over 60 people working on PC, PlayStation 2 and Xbox. In October 2005, the company sold to Midway Games[2] and were renamed Midway Studios – Newcastle. Prior to that, Pitbull had created the titles L.A. Rush and Rush for Midway. It was Midway's only studio located outside the U.S. and was closed in July 2009 after the sale of most of Midway's assets to Warner Bros.. A game called Necessary Force was being developed at the time of the closure. The rights to the game have diverted back to Midway Games as they are shopping the intellectual property.[3] Some members of the team were able to band together and form a new company, Atomhawk Design.[4] In July 2010, Robert Troughton, founder of Pitbull Syndicate, announced the formation of Pitbull Studio, one year after Midway folded the renamed company. Troughton also said that an unannounced project was in development.[5]

Games developed

as Pitbull Syndicate

YearGamePlatform(s)
1997Test Drive 4Microsoft Windows, PlayStation
1998Blast RadiusPlayStation
Test Drive 5Microsoft Windows, PlayStation
Test Drive Off-Road 2PlayStation
1999Big Air
Demolition RacerDreamcast, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation
Test Drive 6Dreamcast, Game Boy Color, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation
2002TD Overdrive: The Brotherhood of SpeedMicrosoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox

as Midway Studios - Newcastle

YearGamePlatform(s)
2005L.A. RushMicrosoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Xbox
2009WheelmanMicrosoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

References

  1. Profile at Gamespy
  2. Midway Games acquires Pitbull Synicate Gameshell, 4 October 2005
  3. "Necessary Force game announced by Midway in hopes of selling it". Video Games Publisher.
  4. http://www.joystiq.com/2009/09/03/from-the-ashes-of-midway-newcastle-atomhawk-design-rises
  5. Eddie Makuch. "Pitbull bites back". GameSpot.
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