Wideload Games

Wideload Games
Subsidiary of Disney Interactive
Industry Interactive entertainment
Fate Defunct
Founded 2003
Founder Alexander Seropian
Defunct March 6, 2014
Headquarters Chicago, Illinois, United States
Products Video games
Parent Disney Interactive Studios
(The Walt Disney Company)
Website www.wideload.com

Wideload Games was an American game developer located in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded in 2003 by Alexander Seropian—the co-founder of Bungie and head behind the games Halo: Combat Evolved, Myth, and Marathon—and 6 other former Bungie employees 3 years after Bungie's acquisition by Microsoft Corporation.

Wideload focused on a core team and many external developers in developing games. The goal was to counteract the growing development costs associated with the current game industry, and to prove that smaller companies with relatively modest funds could make a game that could still sell well compared to releases from larger corporations.

Wideload's first project was Stubbs the Zombie in "Rebel Without a Pulse", a 3D-action-adventure game in which the player takes control of the zombie Stubbs in a plot filled with black humor. It was published in fall 2005 for Macintosh, Microsoft Windows-PCs, and Xbox by Aspyr.

Their sophomore project, Hail to the Chimp, was released June 23, 2008 by Gamecock Media Group for seventh-generation consoles. Additionally, Wideload has recently released information on their new group, Wideload Shorts. Wideload Shorts will be making smaller games systems like Xbox Live Arcade. The first game from Wideload Short, Cyclomite, was released in March 2008 on the InstantAction game platform.[1]

Wideload Games was acquired on September 8, 2009 by The Walt Disney Company. Under the Disney Interactive name, Wideload would develop original video game properties for Disney. They developed Guilty Party.[2] After Disney Interactive underwent corporate restructuring, Wideload was reassigned to make mobile games, beginning with Avengers Initiative, featuring Marvel superheroes.

Wideload Games was closed by Disney on March 6, 2014.[3]

References

  1. InstantAction Open to Gamers
  2. Disney Buys Wideload Games, Lands Bungie Founder
  3. John Pletz. "Disney shutters Wideload Games". Chicago Business. Retrieved 2015-03-14.
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