Robot Entertainment
 | |
| Private (LLC) | |
| Industry | Video game industry |
| Predecessor | Ensemble Studios |
| Founded | February 2009 |
| Headquarters | Plano, Texas, United States |
Key people | Tony Goodman, Patrick Hudson, Harter Ryan |
| Products |
Age of Empires Online Orcs Must Die! series Hero Academy Echo Prime |
Number of employees | 60 employees |
| Website |
www |
Robot Entertainment is a video game development and publishing company created by the founders of the defunct Ensemble Studios, after being shut down by Microsoft.[1] Other members of the company founded another studio, Bonfire Studios. Robot Entertainment was responsible for maintaining and updating Halo Wars until February 28, 2010, when Microsoft Studios assumed control of the game servers and updates. Also, in January 2011, Microsoft Studios took over updates and servers for Age of Empires III. Robot Entertainment have since released four games including Orcs Must Die!, Orcs Must Die! 2, Hero Academy and Echo Prime.
History
On July 10, 2010, the company announced that they were working on two games; the first of which was published by Microsoft Studios, and is an RTS game, similar to the Age of Empires series.
On August 17, 2010, the company announced the new game, Age of Empires Online. The game features a new stylized, 'cartoon' look, but Robot promised that it would still offer gameplay depth for fans of the franchise and would not alienate fans of the series. On 24 February 2011, Robot announced that Gas Powered Games would be taking over development on Age of Empires Online. Robot Entertainment President Patrick Hudson stated that handing over the development was expected, saying, "The plan was always to move to [an] original IP as soon as we had the ability to focus on our core business goal."[2]
On February 24, 2011, the company announced the new game Orcs Must Die!. The game "challenges players to defend fortresses under siege. With a wide variety of traps and weapons to choose from, Orcs Must Die! dares players to find the best ways to hack, launch, flatten, gibletize, and incinerate an endless army of filthy orcs and their vile allies. Orcs Must Die! features a vibrant look, addictive gameplay, and a blatant disregard for the welfare of orcs." The game was published by Robot Entertainment as well as being self-developed by them.[3]
On November 17, 2011, the company announced the new game Hero Academy. The game is "...a head-to-head tactics game for iOS devices. Blending classic tactics gaming with the quick action of modern casual titles." Hero Academy features multiplayer combat that "is asynchronous, so a player may battle friends across multiple simultaneous games, whenever they have a few moments of free time. Push notifications alert you to your turn – select your moves from a range of options, like advancing across the playing field, attacking, defending, or adding powerful items to the fray." It is the company's first game developed for mobile devices.[4]
In June 2012, Robot Entertainment partnered with Yodo1 in an effort to release a Chinese version of Hero Academy.[5]
On February 27, 2015, it was announced that Tencent Holdings have bought an undisclosed, minority stake in Robot Entertainment.[6]
Games
| Title | Genre | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| Age of Empires Online[7] | Real-time strategy | 2011 |
| Orcs Must Die![8] | Action-Tower defense | 2011 |
| Hero Academy[9][4] | Turn-based tactics | 2012 |
| Orcs Must Die! 2 | Action-Tower defense | 2012 |
| Echo Prime | Action RPG | 2013 |
| Orcs Must Die! Unchained[10] | Action-Tower defense, MOBA | 2015 |
References
- ↑ "Official Website". Robot Entertainment. 2009-02-15. Retrieved 2009-02-13.
- ↑ "Age of Empires Online swaps devs". PC Gamer. February 24, 2011. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
- ↑ "Robot Entertainment Unveils Orcs Must Die!". Robot Entertainment. February 24, 2011. Archived from the original on April 29, 2011. Retrieved March 4, 2011.
- 1 2 "Robot Entertainment Announces Hero Academy". Archived from the original on March 5, 2012. Retrieved March 22, 2012.
- ↑ "Beijing-based Yodo1 grabs $2m to help US game developers crack China". The Next Web: Asia. June 28, 2012. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
- ↑ James Brightman (February 27, 2015). "Tencent makes minority investment in Robot Entertainment". Retrieved August 4, 2015.
- ↑ "Age of Empires Online". Robot Entertainment. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
- ↑ "Ex-Age Of Empires Devs Working On A New Unknown Game". Robot Entertainment. Retrieved July 6, 2010.
- ↑ http://www.robotentertainment.com/games/heroacademy
- ↑ "Orcs Must Die! closed beta begins June 27". Joystiq. Retrieved June 24, 2014.