MC2 France
Encyclopedia
MC2 France is a French
software company that develops and publishes video games focusing on adventure game
s. It was formed in 2003 when Emmanuel Olivier merged Microïds
and Wanadoo Edition. In late 2009 all of the licences associated with the company were purchased by Anuman Interactive, and currently the Microïds brand is used.
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Microïds
was founded in 1985 by Elliot Grassiano. For the first 10 years, Microïds was a development house, but in 1995 it expanded into publishing and distribution as well.
Microïds is well known for the development of the adventure game
s including Syberia
, Syberia II
, Post Mortem and its sequel Still Life
. Other notable games that Microïds has produced include Far Gate and the Nicky Boum
series of action games for the Commodore Amiga.
On 23 November 2009 Anuman Interactive announced that they were acquiring the mark of and all the associated licences of Microïds. The Microïds deal with MC2 was completed on 1 January 2010.
and Wanadoo Edition and merged them to form MC2 France.
On September 30, 2003 Wanadoo Edition became part of MC2 France, from this deal Wanadoo
also became a 12% shareholder in Microïds. This move was a part of a deal with the French government for Microïds to emerge from bankruptcy protection.
On March 2005 Ubisoft
acquired part of MC2-Microïds (Microïds Canada) and integrated it into Ubisoft's Montréal studios. In 2006 MC2 France acquired of a minority interest in the mobile games developer, Tetraedge; among Tetraedge's work, they have adapted Syberia
for smartphones.
2007 saw the re-introduction of the Microïds brand and all future releases by the company would go under either Microïds Montreal or Microïds Paris. In 2008 Microïds announced they had entered into a publishing agreement with Encore (part of Navarre Corporation
), where Encore would publish Microïds entire catalogue in North America
. Similar deals were also struck with other companies for various territories. In 2008 the licences of Cryo Interactive
were added to the company. In 2009 Anuman Interactive acquired the mark of and all the associated licences of the company, and currently uses the Microïds brand.
, Vikings, Louvre: the ultimate curse). The company's greatest success was Dracula: The Resurrection, a PlayStation
and Windows
adventure game set in Transylvania, which sold over 200,000 copies in October 1999.
, which was its distributor. The new company was then acquired by Wanadoo
, the internet division of France Telecom
, under the name Wanadoo Edition. It was then active in all phases of the videogame business: development, publishing, and distribution. Furthermore, France Telecom Multimedia developed internet content, and another Wanadoo subsidiary, Goa, specialized in online gaming, a market in which Wanadoo Edition intended to increase its business.
During its lifespan, Wanadoo Edition played a critical role in the French videogame business, publishing games for studios such as 4X
, Babylon Software, Carapace
, Etranges Libellules
, Galilea Multimedia and PAM, and distributing products from independent publishers, such as Arxel Tribe
, Kalisto Entertainment
, Microïds
and Monte Cristo
. Wanadoo Edition's was a major player in the videogame market during the years which saw the demise of many French videogame companies, such as Kalisto, Cryo and 4X.
Wanadoo Edition teamed up with non-French studios as well, such as Asylum Entertainment, Spellbound
, Haemimont Games
, Rebellion Developments
, and TimeGate
. It also distributed games such as Tecmo (Project Zero
, Rygar: The Legendary Adventure
), Mythic Entertainment
(Dark Age of Camelot
) and PCCWJ (Raging Blades) in PAL territories. Finally, in its own studio, it developed its first 3D game: Inquisition
. After the demise of Kalisto, Wanadoo Edition hired the developers working on the Castleween
project so that they could finish the game in house.
The production at this time was heavily influenced by the personality of the editorial director, Edouard Lussan, a history buff. He created the concepts for most games, including the uchronic Iron Storm, set in an alternate, war-torn 1964, and Sniper Elite
, which takes place in Berlin during the last days of World War II
.
Emmanuel Olivier left Wanadoo Edition in January 2002 due to differences of opinion over strategy with the management of Wanadoo
. A year later, in January 2003, Thierry Breton
was appointed CEO of France Telecom
. After a strategic audit, he decided to part with Wanadoo Edition, and the staff were laid off.
On 20 October 2008 Microïds acquired the brands and intellectual property of Cryo Interactive
, who had been declared bankrupt in 2002.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
software company that develops and publishes video games focusing on adventure game
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
s. It was formed in 2003 when Emmanuel Olivier merged Microïds
Microïds
Microïds is a French software brand belonging to Anuman Interactive that publishes and develops video games. In recent years the company's collection of brands and game licenses has grown since being a part of MC2 France...
and Wanadoo Edition. In late 2009 all of the licences associated with the company were purchased by Anuman Interactive, and currently the Microïds brand is used.
Microïds
Microïds
Microïds is a French software brand belonging to Anuman Interactive that publishes and develops video games. In recent years the company's collection of brands and game licenses has grown since being a part of MC2 France...
was founded in 1985 by Elliot Grassiano. For the first 10 years, Microïds was a development house, but in 1995 it expanded into publishing and distribution as well.
Microïds is well known for the development of the adventure game
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
s including Syberia
Syberia
Syberia is a 2002 computer adventure game conceived by Benoît Sokal, developed by Microïds and published through The Adventure Company. It follows the protagonist Kate Walker as she attempts to wrap up a sale on the behalf of her law firm...
, Syberia II
Syberia II
Syberia II is a 2004 adventure game conceived by Benoît Sokal and developed by MC2-Microïds, and a continuation to Syberia. It is a third-person puzzle-solving game. Stylistically identical to the first Syberia, Syberia II improves upon the first game by introducing more realistic character animation...
, Post Mortem and its sequel Still Life
Still Life (video game)
Still Life is a 2005 computer adventure game by Microïds. While not sharing its name, Still Life is a sequel to Post Mortem. A sequel, Still Life 2, was released in 2009. The game has since sold 240,000 copies worldwide....
. Other notable games that Microïds has produced include Far Gate and the Nicky Boum
Nicky Boum
Nicky Boum is a side-scrolling platform game published for the Commodore Amiga, Atari ST and MS-DOS by Microïds in 1992.-Story:...
series of action games for the Commodore Amiga.
On 23 November 2009 Anuman Interactive announced that they were acquiring the mark of and all the associated licences of Microïds. The Microïds deal with MC2 was completed on 1 January 2010.
MC2 France
In 2003 Emmanuel Olivier took control of MicroïdsMicroïds
Microïds is a French software brand belonging to Anuman Interactive that publishes and develops video games. In recent years the company's collection of brands and game licenses has grown since being a part of MC2 France...
and Wanadoo Edition and merged them to form MC2 France.
On September 30, 2003 Wanadoo Edition became part of MC2 France, from this deal Wanadoo
Wanadoo
Wanadoo is the former name of the ISP division of Orange SA, which is a subsidiary of France Télécom. It operated in France, Spain, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Senegal, Mauritius, Madagascar, Lebanon, and Jordan...
also became a 12% shareholder in Microïds. This move was a part of a deal with the French government for Microïds to emerge from bankruptcy protection.
On March 2005 Ubisoft
Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....
acquired part of MC2-Microïds (Microïds Canada) and integrated it into Ubisoft's Montréal studios. In 2006 MC2 France acquired of a minority interest in the mobile games developer, Tetraedge; among Tetraedge's work, they have adapted Syberia
Syberia
Syberia is a 2002 computer adventure game conceived by Benoît Sokal, developed by Microïds and published through The Adventure Company. It follows the protagonist Kate Walker as she attempts to wrap up a sale on the behalf of her law firm...
for smartphones.
2007 saw the re-introduction of the Microïds brand and all future releases by the company would go under either Microïds Montreal or Microïds Paris. In 2008 Microïds announced they had entered into a publishing agreement with Encore (part of Navarre Corporation
Navarre Corporation
Navarre Corp. is a public distribution and publishing company founded in 1983 by Eric H. Paulson. The company is headquartered in New Hope, Minnesota...
), where Encore would publish Microïds entire catalogue in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. Similar deals were also struck with other companies for various territories. In 2008 the licences of Cryo Interactive
Cryo Interactive
Cryo Interactive Entertainment is a French video game development and publishing company founded in 1992, but existing unofficially since 1989 as a developer group under the name Cryo...
were added to the company. In 2009 Anuman Interactive acquired the mark of and all the associated licences of the company, and currently uses the Microïds brand.
Index+
In 1992, Emmanuel Olivier founded Index+. Initially, the company developed interactive multimedia CD-Roms such as Le Louvre, Paintings and Palace in 1994. In 1995, it merged with another company, Arctad, founded by Vincent Berlioz and Jacques Simian, and began to publish its own productions. In this age of multimedia, they focused on graphical adventure games, often with a historical or an educational perspective (Crusaders, Paris 1313Paris 1313
Paris 1313 is a video game released in 2001, developed by Dramaera and is a co-production between Canal+ Multimedia, RMN and Microïds. The Musée National du Moyen Age, contributed to the game....
, Vikings, Louvre: the ultimate curse). The company's greatest success was Dracula: The Resurrection, a PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
and Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
adventure game set in Transylvania, which sold over 200,000 copies in October 1999.
Wanadoo Edition
In September 2000, Index+ purchased France Telecom Multimedia, a subsidiary of France's main telecommunication operator France TelecomFrance Télécom
France Telecom S.A. is the main telecommunications company in France, the third-largest in Europe and one of the largest in the world. It currently employs about 180,000 people and has 192.7 million customers worldwide . In 2010 the group had revenue of €45.5 billion...
, which was its distributor. The new company was then acquired by Wanadoo
Wanadoo
Wanadoo is the former name of the ISP division of Orange SA, which is a subsidiary of France Télécom. It operated in France, Spain, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Senegal, Mauritius, Madagascar, Lebanon, and Jordan...
, the internet division of France Telecom
France Télécom
France Telecom S.A. is the main telecommunications company in France, the third-largest in Europe and one of the largest in the world. It currently employs about 180,000 people and has 192.7 million customers worldwide . In 2010 the group had revenue of €45.5 billion...
, under the name Wanadoo Edition. It was then active in all phases of the videogame business: development, publishing, and distribution. Furthermore, France Telecom Multimedia developed internet content, and another Wanadoo subsidiary, Goa, specialized in online gaming, a market in which Wanadoo Edition intended to increase its business.
During its lifespan, Wanadoo Edition played a critical role in the French videogame business, publishing games for studios such as 4X
4X
4X games are a genre of strategy video game in which players control an empire and "explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate." The term was first coined by Alan Emrich in his September 1993 preview of Master of Orion for Computer Gaming World...
, Babylon Software, Carapace
Carapace
A carapace is a dorsal section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tortoises, the underside is called the plastron.-Crustaceans:In crustaceans, the...
, Etranges Libellules
Étranges Libellules
Étranges Libellules is a French video game developer based out of Lyon, France. It was founded in 1994.-Games produced:* 2000 - Kirikou - PlayStation, PC - published by Wanado Edition...
, Galilea Multimedia and PAM, and distributing products from independent publishers, such as Arxel Tribe
Arxel Tribe
Arxel Tribe is an international computer game and multimedia company, founded by Slovene architects Matjaž Požlep and Diego Zanco in 1991. The company is now known as The Arxel Guild.-Games:...
, Kalisto Entertainment
Kalisto Entertainment
Kalisto Entertainment SA was a French video game development company founded by Nicolas Gaume at age 19.The company began as Atreid Concept in 1990 and later created the distribution label Kalisto in 1992, which became Kalisto Entertainment's namesake. In late 1994 Atreid Concept became part of...
, Microïds
Microïds
Microïds is a French software brand belonging to Anuman Interactive that publishes and develops video games. In recent years the company's collection of brands and game licenses has grown since being a part of MC2 France...
and Monte Cristo
Monte Cristo (company)
Monte Cristo was a French computer game developer and publisher, based in Paris. It was established in 1995 by former Credit Suisse First Boston vice-president Jean-Marc de Fety and former Mars & Co strategy senior consultant Jean-Cristophe Marquis. The company was led by Jean-Christophe Marquis...
. Wanadoo Edition's was a major player in the videogame market during the years which saw the demise of many French videogame companies, such as Kalisto, Cryo and 4X.
Wanadoo Edition teamed up with non-French studios as well, such as Asylum Entertainment, Spellbound
Spellbound Entertainment
Spellbound is a German developer of computer games based in Kehl, Germany. The company was founded in 1994 by Armin Gessert. The company is best known for the Desperados Series....
, Haemimont Games
Haemimont Games
Haemimont Games is a Bulgarian video game developer founded in September 1997 and based in Sofia. The company primarily concentrates on producing medieval and ancient history strategy games and has about 50 employees, making it Bulgaria's largest video game developer.-Games:-External links:* * *...
, Rebellion Developments
Rebellion Developments
Rebellion is a British computer games company, based in Oxford, who are most famous for the first Aliens vs. Predator computer game. It has published comic books since 2000 and launched its own book imprint, Abaddon Books, in 2006.-History:...
, and TimeGate
TimeGate
TimeGate is an Atlanta-based science fiction convention dedicated to Doctor Who and Stargate fandom, though general SF/F interests are also represented.-History:...
. It also distributed games such as Tecmo (Project Zero
Fatal Frame
Fatal Frame, known as Project Zero in the PAL region, and Zero Zero in Japan, is a survival horror video game series consisting of four installments and a spin-off. The first and second games in the series were released for the PlayStation 2 and the Xbox, the third has been released for the...
, Rygar: The Legendary Adventure
Rygar: The Legendary Adventure
Rygar: The Legendary Adventure, known in Japan as , is a console game for the PlayStation 2 first released in November 2002. It is an update of the original Rygar released for arcade machines and various consoles. The new features are a transition to 3D graphics and portions of the environment are...
), Mythic Entertainment
Mythic Entertainment
BioWare Mythic is a computer game developer in Fairfax, Virginia which is most widely recognized for developing the 2001 massively multiplayer online role-playing game Dark Age of Camelot...
(Dark Age of Camelot
Dark Age of Camelot
Dark Age of Camelot is a 3D medieval fantasy MMORPG, released on October 10 2001 in North America and in Europe shortly after through it's partner GOA. It is still running today recently celebrating its 10th anniversary....
) and PCCWJ (Raging Blades) in PAL territories. Finally, in its own studio, it developed its first 3D game: Inquisition
Inquisition (video game)
Inquisition is an adventure video game released in 2003 for Microsoft Windows. The game was developed by the French company Wanadoo Edition....
. After the demise of Kalisto, Wanadoo Edition hired the developers working on the Castleween
Castleween
Castleween, also known as Spirits & Spells in North America and Mahou no Pumpkin in Japan, is a platform video game developed by Wanadoo Edition.-Story:...
project so that they could finish the game in house.
The production at this time was heavily influenced by the personality of the editorial director, Edouard Lussan, a history buff. He created the concepts for most games, including the uchronic Iron Storm, set in an alternate, war-torn 1964, and Sniper Elite
Sniper Elite
Sniper Elite, also known as Sniper Elite: Berlin 1945, is a 2005 tactical shooter developed by UK-based video game developer Rebellion Developments.The main character is Karl Fairburne, an American OSS secret agent disguised as a German sniper...
, which takes place in Berlin during the last days of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Emmanuel Olivier left Wanadoo Edition in January 2002 due to differences of opinion over strategy with the management of Wanadoo
Wanadoo
Wanadoo is the former name of the ISP division of Orange SA, which is a subsidiary of France Télécom. It operated in France, Spain, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Senegal, Mauritius, Madagascar, Lebanon, and Jordan...
. A year later, in January 2003, Thierry Breton
Thierry Breton
Thierry Breton is a French businessman and politician who is currently the CEO of the IT firm Atos. He was the French Minister of Economy, Finance and Industry in the governments of Prime Ministers Jean-Pierre Raffarin and Dominique de Villepin, Jacques Chirac being the President de la...
was appointed CEO of France Telecom
France Télécom
France Telecom S.A. is the main telecommunications company in France, the third-largest in Europe and one of the largest in the world. It currently employs about 180,000 people and has 192.7 million customers worldwide . In 2010 the group had revenue of €45.5 billion...
. After a strategic audit, he decided to part with Wanadoo Edition, and the staff were laid off.
Cryo
Cryo Interactive
Cryo Interactive Entertainment is a French video game development and publishing company founded in 1992, but existing unofficially since 1989 as a developer group under the name Cryo...
, who had been declared bankrupt in 2002.
Games
MC2 France have a vast catalog of games, featuring titles from Index+, Wanadoo Edition, and Microïds.External links
- Microïds Official website
- Microïds and Wanadoo-Edition at Moby Games