Pitbull Syndicate
Encyclopedia
Midway Studios - Newcastle (formerly Pitbull Syndicate) was a video game developer
based in Gateshead
, Tyne & Wear in the United Kingdom
.
and later to even larger offices in Gateshead
. By 2005, this had swelled to over 60 people working on PC, Playstation 2 and Xbox. In October 2005, the company sold to Midway Games
. They were renamed Midway Studios – Newcastle. Immediately prior to that, Pitbull had created the titles L.A. Rush
and Rush for the company. It was Midway's only studio located outside the U.S. and was closed in July 2009 after the sale of most of Midway's assests to Warner Bros. A game called Necessary Force was being developed at the time of the closure. The rights to the game have diverted back to Midway Games as they are shopping the IP. Some members of the team were able to band together and form a new company, Atomhawk Design. http://www.joystiq.com/2009/09/03/from-the-ashes-of-midway-newcastle-atomhawk-design-rises In July 2010, Robert Troughton founder of Pitbull Syndicate announced the formation of Pitbull Studio, one year after Midway folded the renamed company. Troughton also said that an unannounced project was in development.
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
based in Gateshead
Gateshead
Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...
, Tyne & Wear in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
History
The business was formed in December 1996 by an ensemble of programmers and artists with extensive experience in the video games industry. The company started with a small office in Sunderland and an initial headcount of only 8 people, working on PC and Playstation games. Slowly expanding, the company moved to larger offices in Chester-Le-StreetChester-le-Street
Chester-le-Street is a town in County Durham, England. It has a history going back to Roman times when it was called Concangis. The town is located south of Newcastle upon Tyne and west of Sunderland on the River Wear...
and later to even larger offices in Gateshead
Gateshead
Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...
. By 2005, this had swelled to over 60 people working on PC, Playstation 2 and Xbox. In October 2005, the company sold to Midway Games
Midway Games
Midway Games, Inc. is an American company that was formerly a major video game publisher. Following a bankruptcy filing in 2009, it is no longer active and is in the process of liquidating all of its assets. Midway's titles included Mortal Kombat, Ms.Pac-Man, Spy Hunter, Tron, Rampage, the...
. They were renamed Midway Studios – Newcastle. Immediately prior to that, Pitbull had created the titles L.A. Rush
L.A. Rush
L.A. Rush is the 4th installment in the Rush series of video games. It was released in North America for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox consoles on October 10, 2005 and on October 21 in Europe. The PC version was released on November 4 in Europe. PlayStation Portable version was released on October 30,...
and Rush for the company. It was Midway's only studio located outside the U.S. and was closed in July 2009 after the sale of most of Midway's assests to Warner Bros. A game called Necessary Force was being developed at the time of the closure. The rights to the game have diverted back to Midway Games as they are shopping the IP. Some members of the team were able to band together and form a new company, Atomhawk Design. http://www.joystiq.com/2009/09/03/from-the-ashes-of-midway-newcastle-atomhawk-design-rises In July 2010, Robert Troughton founder of Pitbull Syndicate announced the formation of Pitbull Studio, one year after Midway folded the renamed company. Troughton also said that an unannounced project was in development.
Games
The team worked on many top selling games, most notably 4 games in the Test Drive series, some of which sold over 1 million copies.- Test Drive 4Test Drive 4Test Drive 4 is a cross-platform racing game. It was released for the PC and the PlayStation. It is the fourth entry in the Test Drive series of video games.-Gameplay:The game features various modes including single race, championship and challenge...
- Test Drive 5Test Drive 5Test Drive 5 is a cross-platform racing game, released on the PlayStation and PC in 1998. It is the fifth entry in the Test Drive series of video games.-Tracks:There are 18 tracks in the game, with 17 real-world tracks, plus one fictional circuit....
- Test Drive 6Test Drive 6Test Drive 6 is a cross-platform racing game, first released in 1999. It is the sixth entry in the Test Drive series. Test Drive 6 is available for PlayStation, Game Boy Color, Dreamcast and Windows.-Game modes:...
- TD OverdriveTD OverdriveTD Overdrive or Test Drive Overdrive is the seventh installment in the Test Drive series...
- Demolition RacerDemolition RacerDemolition Racer was a game developed by Pitbull Syndicate and published by Infogrames. It is a racing game that combines destruction and driving tactics in a fast paced racing environment...
- Big Air
- Demolition Racer: No ExitDemolition Racer: No ExitDemolition Racer: No Exit is a racing game developed for the Dreamcast. It was produced by Infogrames and Pitbull Syndicate. It is an enhanced port of Demolition Racer for PlayStation....
- L.A. RushL.A. RushL.A. Rush is the 4th installment in the Rush series of video games. It was released in North America for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox consoles on October 10, 2005 and on October 21 in Europe. The PC version was released on November 4 in Europe. PlayStation Portable version was released on October 30,...
- Wheelman
- Necessary Force (canceled)