HB Studios
 | |
| Game Developer | |
| Industry | Interactive entertainment |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Headquarters | Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada |
Key people | Alan Bunker, CEO, Craig Heffler, CFO |
| Products | see below |
Number of employees | 80+ |
| Website | www.hb-studios.com |
HB Studios is a Canadian video game developer founded in 2000 and located in Nova Scotia, Canada. They are best known for their rugby and cricket games, released on the EA Sports label.
History
HB Studios was founded in 2000 by Jeremy Wellard in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. The company started with nine employees, and developed Cricket 2002 for Electronic Arts' Asia Pacific studio.[1]
In 2004, HB Studios entered a multi-project deal with EA Canada to continue developing sports games for the EA Sports label, including further games in the Rugby and Cricket series, FIFA Street 2 for the PlayStation Portable as well as co-development on Madden 07 for the Wii. This exclusivity deal ended in 2007,[2] after which the company was hired by THQ to create Big Beach Sports for the Wii. This was HB Studios' first non-sports simulation game as well as the first game not developed for the EA Sports label.
In 2008, HB Studios opened a second studio in Halifax, Nova Scotia as well as now operating with 130 employees.[3] The Halifax studio was closed at the end of July 2012 with all development moved to their headquarters in Lunenberg. The last games developed by the satellite studio were NBA Baller Beats for Kinect and Medal Bound on iOS.[4]
A second label, HB Arcade, was formed in 2009, with the goal of self-publishing downloadable titles on WiiWare, PSN and Xbox Live Arcade. Games released under this label included HB Arcade Cards and HB Arcade Disc Golf, both for the WiiWare platform, as well as Jam Space for DSiWare.[5]
In 2011, HB Studios developed Rugby World Cup 2011, a self-funded title published by 505 Games.[6] It was well-received, and entered the UK charts at No.3.[7]
In January 2014, it was announced that HB's The Golf Club for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC would be launching in the Spring of 2014.[8] The game is a golf simulator that includes a Course Creator using procedural generation, allowing users to create, edit and share courses online. The game went to Steam Early Access in April 2014 and was fully released in August 2014.
In February 2015, HB Studios' founder, Jeremy Wellard, announced he was stepping down as President of the company with COO Alan Bunker announced as his replacement.[9]
In March 2016, HB Studios and Maximum Games announced a joint venture to release Infinite Air featuring Mark McMorris, an open-world, physics-based snowboarding video game that was built in partnership and close collaboration with multiple X-Games winner Mark McMorris. Infinite Air will include vast, customizable mountain ranges as well as a highly reactive, fluid control system. HB and Maximum have promised it to be the most authentic snowboarding game to date. It will be released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC in the fall of 2016.[10]
Games Developed
| Year | Title | Publisher | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Cricket 2002 | EA Sports | PS2, PC |
| 2003 | Cricket 2004 | PS2, PC | |
| Rugby 2004 | PS2, PC | ||
| 2005 | Rugby 2005 | Xbox, PS2, PC | |
| Cricket 2005 | Xbox, PS2, PC | ||
| 2006 | FIFA Street 2 | PSP | |
| Rugby 2006 | Xbox, PS2, PC | ||
| Madden NFL 07 | Wii | ||
| 2007 | Cricket 07 | PS2, PC | |
| UEFA Champions League 2006-2007 | PS2, PSP, PC | ||
| NBA Live 08 | PS2, PC | ||
| Rugby 08 | PS2, PC | ||
| NHL 08 | PS2, PC | ||
| 2008 | Big Beach Sports | THQ | Wii |
| NBA Live 09 | EA Sports | PS2, PSP, Wii | |
| NHL 09 | PS2, PC | ||
| 2009 | Rock Revolution | Konami | Wii, DS |
| Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 | EA Sports | PSP, PS2 | |
| Football Academy | Nintendo DS | ||
| HB Arcade Cards | HB Arcade | WiiWare | |
| FIFA 10 | EA Sports | PC, PS2, PSP | |
| NBA Live 10 | PSP | ||
| 2010 | 2010 Fifa World Cup South Africa | Wii, PSP, Xbox 360, PS3 | |
| FIFA 11 Ultimate Team | Xbox 360, PS3 | ||
| Backyard Sports: Sandlot Sluggers | GT Interactive | Wii, Xbox 360, PC | |
| FIFA 11 | EA Sports | PSP, PS2 | |
| HB Arcade Disc Golf | HB Arcade | WiiWare | |
| Backyard Sports: Rookie Rush | GT Interactive | Wii, 360, PC | |
| HB Arcade Jam Space | HB Arcade | DSiWare | |
| 2011 | Rugby World Cup 2011 | 505 Games | PS3, Xbox 360 |
| Madden NFL 12 | EA Sports | Wii, PSP, PS2 | |
| HB Rugby: Fixture Challenge | HB Studios | iOS | |
| 2012 | FIFA 12 | EA Sports | Wii |
| Medal Bound | HB Studios | iOS | |
| NBA Baller Beats | Majesco Entertainment | Kinect | |
| Madden NFL 13 | Vita, Wii | ||
| Maze Adventures | HB Studios | iPad | |
| Ace Geographer: Canada | iPad | ||
| 2013 | MLB.com Home Run Derby | MLB.com | iOS, Android |
| MLB.com Franchise MVP | iOS, Android | ||
| 2014 | MLB.com Home Run Derby 2014 | iOS, Android | |
| The Golf Club | HB Studios | PS4, PC, Xbox One | |
| Rugby 15 | PS4, Xbox One, PC, PS3, Xbox 360, PS Vita | ||
| 2015 | Rugby World Cup 2015 | PS4, Xbox One, PC, PS3, Xbox 360, PS Vita | |
| 2016 | Mark McMorris Infinite Air | Maximum Games | PS4, Xbox One, PC |
Games Contributed To
- 2009 Guitar Hero 5 - Wii
- 2009 Guitar Hero: Van Halen - PS3, 360
- 2009 Need for Speed: Nitro - Wii
- 2010 EA Sports Madden NFL 11 - PS3, 360
- 2010 EA Sports NHL 11 - PS3, 360
- 2010 FIFA 11 - PS3, 360, PC
- 2011 EA Sports Madden NFL 12 - PS3, 360
- 2012 EA Sports Madden NFL 13 - PS3, 360, WiiU
- 2012 EA Sports Madden NFL 13 Social - iOS
- 2010-2012 Sony's Wonderbook platform - PS3
- 2013 EA Sports NCAA Football 14 - PS3, 360
- 2013 EA Sports Madden NFL 25 - PS3, 360, PS4, Xbox One
- 2013 EA Sports Madden NFL 25 Mobile - iOS, Android
- 2014 EA Sports Madden NFL 15 - PS3, 360, PS4, Xbox One
References
- ↑ "ACOA Website - News - News Releases". Mediaroom.acoa-apeca.gc.ca. 2007-03-23. Archived from the original on October 9, 2011. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
- ↑ "ITNovaScotia.com - Where IT's at in Nova Scotia > News - East Coast video games firm expands beyond exclusive ties with industry giant". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on 2008-03-04. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
- ↑ "About HB Studios". Retrieved 2009-01-06.
- ↑ "'NBA Baller Beats' developer closing Halifax studio".
- ↑ "HB Studios". HB Arcade. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
- ↑ "Official Rugby World Cup 2011".
- ↑ "GFK Chart-Track". Chart-track.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
- ↑ "The Golf Club Announced by HB Studios".
- ↑ "HB Studios announces CEO's retirement".
- ↑ http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160307005431/en/HB-Studios-Maximum-Games-Carve-Tracks-Infinite