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UTV Ignition Games

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Ignition Entertainment Limited
  • Ignition Entertainment
  • UTV Ignition Games
Formerly
  • Valecombe Limited
  • UTV Ignition Entertainment
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryVideo games
Founded26 September 2001; 23 years ago (2001-09-26) in Waltham Abbey, London
Defunct20 January 2012; 12 years ago (2012-01-20)
FateLiquidation
Headquarters
Hammersmith, London
,
England
Key people
Jatin Talwar
ParentThe Walt Disney Company India
SubsidiariesIgnition London Limited
Ignition Entertainment Limited USA

Ignition Entertainment Limited, doing business as UTV Ignition Games, was a video game publisher of Indian media conglomerate UTV Software Communications. After The Walt Disney Company acquired UTV Software Communications as a wholly owned subsidiary for The Walt Disney Company India, UTV Ignition Games assets were liquidated.

History

[edit]

UTV Ignition Games originated as a British video game publisher in September 2001 called Valecombe Limited and was located in Waltham Abbey. The company was renamed Ignition Entertainment on 30 March 2002. It was created from a selection of smaller developers and publishers, such as Archer Maclean's Awesome Studios (also known as Awesome Developments and Awesome Games). In 2007, the company was acquired by UTV Software Communications and opened two new branches: Ignition Tokyo in Japan and Ignition Florida in the United States.

Focused on the production of games for the PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS, the company has produced a selection of budget titles for the Game Boy Advance: Pool Paradise from Awesome Studios as well as the Nintendo DS game Zoo Keeper. The company also published SNK's full lineup in Europe which includes the Metal Slug series, Samurai Shodown series as well as The King of Fighters series. In 2005, the company had several games planned, including Mercury, The King of Fighters Neowave and Pool Paradise International. The company had acquired the rights to the tactical role-playing game Spectral Force Genesis. The game was released later that year in North America and Europe.

On 20 April 2007, the company announced the completion of their acquisition by UTV Software Communications, a media conglomerate based in India. On 17 December 2007, they announced the opening of two development studios – Ignition Florida, and Ignition Tokyo. Both studios were said to be working on proprietary intellectual property for next-generation platforms. The Tokyo studio was composed of former members of Clover Studio and Capcom, worked on the game El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron. On 21 April 2009, Ignition announced that they would be publishing Muramasa: The Demon Blade for the Wii in North America.[1] On 22 October, they announced they would be publishing Arc Rise Fantasia. Ignition Entertainment also published The King of Fighters XII in North America and Europe for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 during Summer 2009.

On 2 November 2010, sources at UTV confirmed the closing of the Florida-based studio. Staff were given opportunities to relocate to Texas or find other work. This announcement followed the widespread allegations of sexual harassment by former boss Paul Steed and mismanagement of company funds. The title they were producing, Reich, had completed 2 of 9 major levels' costing roughly US$23 million. Despite major setbacks, the London office continued on in a more limited scope.[2] Leaked footage of Reich was uploaded to YouTube in November 2010 by an unknown source.[3]

Games published

[edit]
Year Title Platform(s) Developer(s)
2002 Monster! Bass Fishing Game Boy Advance AIA USA
Demon Driver: Time to Burn Rubber!
Super Dropzone: Intergalactic Rescue Mission Game Boy Advance, PlayStation Eurocom
2003 Chop N' Drop System 3
Strike Force Hydra Digi-Guys
Archer Maclean's Pool Archer Maclean
Stadium Games Game Boy Advance Ignition Entertainment
2004 Metal Slug 3 PlayStation 2, Xbox SNK
Metal Slug Advance Game Boy Advance Noise Factory
The King of Fighters 2000 PlayStation 2 SNK
The King of Fighters 2001
Archer Maclean Presents Pool Paradise GameCube, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2 Awesome Studios
2005 The King of Fighters: Maximum Impact PlayStation 2, Xbox SNK, Noise Factory
Zoo Keeper Nintendo DS Success
SVC Chaos: SNK vs. Capcom PlayStation 2, Xbox SNK
Animaniacs: The Great Edgar Hunt PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube Warthog
Animaniacs: Lights, Camera, Action! Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS
Archer Maclean's Mercury PlayStation Portable Awesome Studios
The King of Fighters 2002 PlayStation 2, Xbox SNK, Eolith
Metal Slug 4 Mega Enterprise, BrezzaSoft, Noise Factory, SNK
2006 Metal Slug 5 Noise Factory, SNK
The King of Fighters: Maximum Impact 2 Noise Factory
PoPoLoCrois PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable Epics
Samurai Shodown V PlayStation 2, Xbox Yuki Enterprise
Mercury Meltdown PlayStation Portable Ignition Banbury
Puyo Pop Fever Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable Sonic Team
The King of Fighters Neowave PlayStation 2, Xbox SNK
NeoGeo Battle Coliseum PlayStation 2 SNK
Mercury Meltdown Remix PlayStation 2 Ignition Branbury
2007 Blade Dancer: Lineage of Light PlayStation Portable Hit Maker
Metal Slug Anthology PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 2, Wii Terminal Reality
Art of Fighting: Anthology PlayStation 2 SNK Playmore
The King of Fighters XI Terminal Reality, Alpha Denshi, SNK Playmore
Mercury Meltdown Revolution Wii Ignition Banbury
New Zealand Story Revolution Nintendo DS Taito
2008 SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters DS SNK
George of the Jungle and the Search for the Secret PlayStation 2 7 Studios, Payapa Studios
World Heroes Anthology Prosoft
SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii Terminal Reality, Alpha Denshi, SNK
Fatal Fury: Battle Archives Volume 1 PlayStation 2 SNK Playmore
Metal Slug 7 Nintendo DS
Obscure II Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii Hydravision Entertainment
The King of Fighters Collection: The Orochi Saga PlayStation 2 Terminal Reality
Teenage Zombies: Invasion of the Alien Brain Thingys! Nintendo DS inLight Entertainment
Tornado SKONEC Entertainment
Red Bull BC One Smack Down Productions
2009 Blue Dragon Plus Mistwalker, Feelplus, Brownie Brown
Boing! Docomodake DS Suzack, AQ Interactive
Lux-Pain Killaware
Nostalgia Matrix Software, Red Entertainment
Muramasa: The Demon Blade Wii Vanillaware
The King of Fighters XII PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 SNK
Samurai Shodown Anthology PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii SNK, Terminal Reality
The King of Fighters '98: Ultimate Match PlayStation 2 SNK
2010 Arc Rise Fantasia Wii Imageepoch
Deadly Premonition Xbox 360 Access Games
Spectral Force Genesis Nintendo DS Idea Factory
Blacklight: Tango Down Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Zombie Studios
2011 Swarm PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Hothead Games
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron Ignition Tokyo
Faxion Online Microsoft Windows UTV True Games
National Geographic Challenge! PlayStation 3, Wii Gusto Games
Mercury Hg PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Eiconic Games
2012 Magical Drop V Microsoft Windows Golgoth Studio
Fractured Soul: Deep Void Nintendo 3DS Endgame Studios
Order Up!! SuperVillain Studios
Planet Crashers Renegade Kid
2013 Kung-Fu: High Impact Xbox 360 Virtual Air Guitar Company

Cancelled

[edit]
  • Reich
  • WarDevil / Project Kane[4]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Ignition Nabs Muramasa". IGN. 21 April 2009. Archived from the original on 23 April 2009. Retrieved 21 July 2009.
  2. ^ "Ignition closes US Studio". Develop-Online.net. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
  3. ^ "In-Game Reich footage". YouTube. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
  4. ^ Hartup, Andy (18 July 2013). "12 cancelled Xbox 360 and PS3 games (that we actually miss)". gamesradar. Retrieved 24 May 2024.