Black Isle Studios

Infobox_Company
company_name = Black Isle Studios
company_
company_type = defunct
subsid =
foundation = 1996
location = Orange County, California, USA
key_people = Feargus Urquhart: founder, division director
industry = computer and video game industry
products = computer games, video games

Black Isle Studios was a division of the computer and video game developer and publisher Interplay Entertainment, created specifically for the development of computer role-playing games. It was based in Orange County, California, USA. [cite web | url=http://games.ign.com/objects/027/027142.html | title=Black Isle Studios |publisher=IGN | accessmonthday=July 25 | accessyear=2006 ] The division was formed during 1996, adopting the name "Black Isle Studios" during 1998.cite web | url=http://www.rpgplanet.com/lionheart/info-faq.shtml | first=Ian |last=Cheong |publisher=GameSpy|work=Lionheart Chronicles |title=Game Info| accessmonthday=July 25 | accessyear=2006 ] The idea for the division's name came from the Black Isle in Scotland - founder Feargus Urquhart's native country.cite web | url=http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/january01/blackisle/ |publisher=GameSpy| title= Black Isle Studios: We are not BioWare |first=John |last=Keefer | year=2001 |month=January| accessmonthday=July 25 | accessyear=2006 ] Black Isle Studios is most famous for working on the "Fallout" and "Baldur's Gate" series of computer role-playing games, though it only published the "Baldur's Gate" series.

Closure

In 1998, several key members responsible for the division's first title, "Fallout", left Interplay to form Troika Games after they "were unable to come to an agreement with Interplay as to how [their] next team should be structured".cite web | url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/issue/77/8 |publisher=The Escapist| title= The Rise and Fall of Troika | accessmonthday=March 27 | accessyear=2007 | last=Blancato | first=Joe] On December 8, 2003, in the midst of serious financial difficulties, Interplay laid off the entire Black Isle Studios staff.cite web |first=Tor |last=Thorsen |publisher=GameSpot |title=Interplay shuts down Black Isle Studios |date=2003-12-08 | url=http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/fallout3/news_6085243.html | accessmonthday= May 1 | accessyear= 2006 ]

Products

*"Fallout" (1997)cite web | archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.blackisle.com/games.html |url=http://www.blackisle.com/games.html|archivedate=2003-06-04|title= Black Isle Studios Website|publisher=Interplay| accessmonthday=July 25 | accessyear=2006 ]
*"Fallout 2" (1998)
*"" (1999)
*"Icewind Dale" (2000)
*"" (2001)
*"" (2001)
*"Icewind Dale II" (2002)
*"" (2004)

Among the products whose development Black Isle assisted are:
*"Baldur's Gate" 1998
*"" (1999)
*"" (2000)
*"" (2001)
*"" (2003)

Two compilations bearing their name were also released:
*"Black Isle Compilation" (2002)
*"Black Isle Compilation Part Two" (2004)

References

External links

* [http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/fallout3/news_6085243.html GameSpot: "Interplay shuts down Black Isle Studios" (8 December 2003)]
* [http://www.mobygames.com/company/black-isle-studios "Black Isle Studios"] profile on MobyGames