Splash Damage
Encyclopedia
Splash Damage is an independently-owned British
game development company that specializes in multiplayer first-person shooter
games. The studio is best known as the creator of the Enemy Territory
franchise for id Software.
, such as Quake 3 Fortress
.
The studio began life working with Now TV
and Gamer.tv
, providing both custom maps and an in-game television production solution. Splash Damage staff also worked to produce and present over 150 TV shows based on Quake III Arena Capture the Flag.
In March 2002, Splash Damage partnered with Games Domain
to produce a number of multiplayer maps for their online gaming service. One of these was a map for id Software's Return to Castle Wolfenstein
based on Operation Market Garden
; this map was hugely successful online and instantly became the most played third-party map for the game.
Following Market Garden's success, Activision and id Software asked Splash Damage to produce three additional multiplayer maps for the Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Game of the Year Edition. The same year, Splash Damage partnered with the two companies to develop Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory
, a stand-alone expansion based on Return to Castle Wolfenstein. The Windows version of Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory was released online for free on 29 May 2003, with Linux and Mac versions following later. Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory won several Game of the Year and Editor's Choice awards and remains one of the most popular online first-person shooter titles.
In June 2003 and once again working with id Software, Splash Damage created all the maps for Doom 3
s multiplayer mode and at the same time began pre-production on Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
, a follow-up to Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory using a heavily modified version of the id Tech 4 engine and set in the QUAKE
universe. Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars shipped on 28 September 2007, and has won dozens of awards to date, including several Game of the Year awards and over 25 Editor's Choice awards.
The full list of awards can be found on their web site.
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...
game development company that specializes in multiplayer first-person shooter
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
games. The studio is best known as the creator of the Enemy Territory
Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory
Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory is a free and open source multiplayer first-person shooter video game set during World War II...
franchise for id Software.
History
Splash Damage was formed in May 2001 by the creators of high profile free modsMod (computer gaming)
Mod or modification is a term generally applied to personal computer games , especially first-person shooters, role-playing games and real-time strategy games. Mods are made by the general public or a developer, and can be entirely new games in themselves, but mods are not standalone software and...
, such as Quake 3 Fortress
Quake 3 Fortress
Quake 3 Fortress is a mod for the computer game Quake III Arena.The game was a class-based fortress mod, where players would select from one of nine classes and would play on the red or blue team...
.
The studio began life working with Now TV
Now TV
Now TV is a 24-hour pay-TV service provider in Hong Kong.It is transmitted through the company's Netvigator broadband network via an IPTV service...
and Gamer.tv
Gamer.tv
Gamer.tv was a weekly television show produced by the company of the same name, that ran from 2002 to 2008. Each half-hour episode mixed topical video game news, reviews, previews and features. The series aired on a number of networks around the world including Bravo in the UK and Starz in North...
, providing both custom maps and an in-game television production solution. Splash Damage staff also worked to produce and present over 150 TV shows based on Quake III Arena Capture the Flag.
In March 2002, Splash Damage partnered with Games Domain
Games Domain
Games Domain was a video game website founded by Dave Stanworth and based out of Birmingham, UK. In the late 1990s, it was at one time mirrored in seven different countries and had a tumultuous history of being purchased by different corporations over its 11-year existence. It was active from March...
to produce a number of multiplayer maps for their online gaming service. One of these was a map for id Software's Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Return to Castle Wolfenstein is a first person shooter video game published by Activision and originally released on November 19, 2001 for Microsoft Windows. It was made available on Steam on August 3, 2007. The single player game was developed by Gray Matter Interactive and Nerve Software...
based on Operation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden was an unsuccessful Allied military operation, fought in the Netherlands and Germany in the Second World War. It was the largest airborne operation up to that time....
; this map was hugely successful online and instantly became the most played third-party map for the game.
Following Market Garden's success, Activision and id Software asked Splash Damage to produce three additional multiplayer maps for the Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Return to Castle Wolfenstein is a first person shooter video game published by Activision and originally released on November 19, 2001 for Microsoft Windows. It was made available on Steam on August 3, 2007. The single player game was developed by Gray Matter Interactive and Nerve Software...
Game of the Year Edition. The same year, Splash Damage partnered with the two companies to develop Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory
Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory
Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory is a free and open source multiplayer first-person shooter video game set during World War II...
, a stand-alone expansion based on Return to Castle Wolfenstein. The Windows version of Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory was released online for free on 29 May 2003, with Linux and Mac versions following later. Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory won several Game of the Year and Editor's Choice awards and remains one of the most popular online first-person shooter titles.
In June 2003 and once again working with id Software, Splash Damage created all the maps for Doom 3
Doom 3
Doom 3 is a science fiction horror video game developed by id Software and published by Activision. An example of the first-person shooter genre, Doom 3 was first released for Microsoft Windows on August 3, 2004. The game was later adapted for Linux, as well as being ported by Aspyr Media for Mac...
s multiplayer mode and at the same time began pre-production on Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars is a first-person shooter video game, and is the follow-up to the 2005 title Quake 4. It is also the first game in the series to be rated T by the ESRB...
, a follow-up to Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory using a heavily modified version of the id Tech 4 engine and set in the QUAKE
Quake (series)
The Quake series is a line of first-person shooter video games produced by id Software.-Overview:The Quake series is somewhat unusual in that its focus changes frequently; the story of Quake II has nothing to do with Quake, and Quake III Arena has little to do with either of its predecessors...
universe. Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars shipped on 28 September 2007, and has won dozens of awards to date, including several Game of the Year awards and over 25 Editor's Choice awards.
Release history
| Game Title | Year | Platform | Metacritic | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return to Castle Wolfenstein Game of the Year Edition Return to Castle Wolfenstein Return to Castle Wolfenstein is a first person shooter video game published by Activision and originally released on November 19, 2001 for Microsoft Windows. It was made available on Steam on August 3, 2007. The single player game was developed by Gray Matter Interactive and Nerve Software... |
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... , Linux Linux Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds... , Mac OS X Mac OS X Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems... |
- | Multiplayer content | |
| Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory is a free and open source multiplayer first-person shooter video game set during World War II... |
Windows, Linux, Mac OS X | 90 | ||
| Doom 3 Doom 3 Doom 3 is a science fiction horror video game developed by id Software and published by Activision. An example of the first-person shooter genre, Doom 3 was first released for Microsoft Windows on August 3, 2004. The game was later adapted for Linux, as well as being ported by Aspyr Media for Mac... |
Windows, Linux, Mac OS X | 87 | Multiplayer content | |
| Enemy Territory: Quake Wars Enemy Territory: Quake Wars Enemy Territory: Quake Wars is a first-person shooter video game, and is the follow-up to the 2005 title Quake 4. It is also the first game in the series to be rated T by the ESRB... |
Windows, Linux, Mac OS X | 84 | ||
| Brink Brink (video game) Brink is a first-person shooter video game developed by Splash Damage for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360... |
Windows, PlayStation 3 PlayStation 3 The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles... , Xbox 360 Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles... |
70 | ||
Awards
- 2008: winner of the Develop Industry Excellence Award for Best Independent Studio
- 2008: winner of the Ultraweb Level 4 Award
- 2008: nominated for a Golden Joystick award for UK Developer of the Year
- 2009: winner of the Guardian Top 100 UK Tech & Media Companies
The full list of awards can be found on their web site.
External links
- Official Splash Damage wiki
- Splash Damage entry at MobyGamesMobyGames-Platforms not yet included:- Further reading :* Rusel DeMaria, Johnny L. Wilson, High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media; 2 edition , ISBN 0-07-223172-6...