Big Huge Games

Infobox Company
company_name = Big Huge Games
company_
company_type = Subsidiary of THQ
foundation = February, 2000
location = Timonium, Maryland
key_people = Brian Reynolds
Tim Train
David Inscore
Jason Coleman
Ken Rolston
industry = Computer and video game industry
products = Rise of Nations series
revenue =
operating_income =
net_income =
num_employees = 121 [cite web |url=http://www.bighugegames.com/team.shtml |title=Big Huge Games' Team |accessdate=2008-07-22]
parent = THQ
subsid =
homepage = http://www.bighugegames.com/
footnotes =

Big Huge Games is a computer game developer located in Timonium, Maryland. The company was founded in February 2000 by four veteran game industry developers: Tim Train, David Inscore, Jason Coleman and Brian Reynolds (lead designer of "Civilization II", "Alpha Centauri" and "Colonization").

History and events

Although Reynolds was a founding member of Firaxis Games, he and the others allegedly left Firaxis to found a new company based on their desire to apply the complexity and concepts of the turn-based strategy genre to the real-time strategy genre. The corporate website stresses the company's dedication to the strategy game genre.

In February 2007, Big Huge Games announced that Ken Rolston, the lead designer behind ' and ', had come out of retirement to join the company as Lead Designer on an untitled role playing game (RPG). [cite news |first=iTZKooPA |url=http://tgnforums.stardock.com/?aid=144850 |title=Acclaimed 'Oblivion' Designer Heads To Big Huge Games |publisher=Totalgaming.net |date=2007-02-20 |accessdate=2007-05-03] Later that May it was announced that THQ would publish the title in 2009. [cite news |first=iTZKooPA |url=http://tgnforums.stardock.com/?forumid=141&aid=151776 |title=Big Huge Games RPG Gets Publisher, Date |publisher=Totalgaming.net |date=2007-05-03 |accessdate=2007-05-03] This will mark the first title from Big Huge Games that is not distributed by Microsoft.

On January 15, 2008, THQ acquired the developer. [ [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=16947 Gamasutra: THQ Acquires BHG] ]

In July 30, 2008, Grant Kirkhope joins the Big Huge Games team as an Audio Director, he had previously worked in the Perfect Dark, Banjo-Kazooie games and some other from Rare. [ [http://www.music4games.net/News_Display.aspx?id=992 Music 4 Games: Grant Kirkhope resigns from Rare, joins Big Huge Games as Audio Director] ]

Game titles

Releases

*"Rise of Nations", May 2003
*"", April 2004
*"", May 2006
*"Catan", May 2007 (Xbox 360 version)
*"", October 2007

Upcoming titles

*Untitled RPG, 2009 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC) [cite web |url=http://investor.thq.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=96376&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=994961&highlight= |title=BHG and THQ join hands|publisher=THQ Investor Relations |date=2007-05-03 |accessdate=2007-05-03]
*Untitled Wii game [cite web |url=http://jobs.gamasutra.com/jobseekerx/ViewJob.asp?JobID=zhzLqIUWDCnVnPJhM%2Bs370anxq6u&Keywords=Wii= |title=BHG Big Huge Games now working on Wii title|date=2007-08-28 |accessdate=2007-08-28]

Game engine

Many of the titles developed by Big Huge Games makes use of their internally developed game engine, the "Big Huge Engine". Although the engine is available for licensing by third parties, its primary use is in-house, where it was used for both "Rise of Nations" and "Catan".

According to the website, the engine features support for a variety of applications and technologies, including physics, artificial intelligence, animation, and others. [cite web |url=http://www.bighugeengine.com/index.html |title=Big Huge Engine |publisher=Big Huge Games |accessdate=2007-05-07]

References

External links

* [http://www.bighugegames.com Official website]
* [http://www.microsoft.com/games/pc/riseofnationsgold.aspx Rise of Nations]
* [http://www.mobygames.com/company/big-huge-games Big Huge Games profile] on MobyGames