Robot Entertainment
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video game industry |
| Predecessor | Ensemble Studios |
| Founded | February 2009 |
| Headquarters | Plano, Texas, United States |
Key people | Tony Goodman, Patrick Hudson, Harter Ryan |
| Products | Age of Empires Online Orcs Must Die! series Hero Academy series Echo Prime |
Number of employees | 30 employees |
| Website | www |
Robot Entertainment is a video game development and publishing company created by the founders of the defunct Ensemble Studios, after being shut down by Microsoft.[1] Other members of the company founded another studio, Bonfire Studios. Robot Entertainment was responsible for maintaining and updating Halo Wars until February 28, 2010, when Microsoft Studios assumed control of the game servers and updates. Also, in January 2011, Microsoft Studios took over updates and servers for Age of Empires III. Robot Entertainment have since released games including Orcs Must Die!, Orcs Must Die! 2, Hero Academy, Echo Prime, Orcs Must Die! Unchained and Hero Academy 2.
History
On July 10, 2010, the company announced that they were working on two games; the first of which was published by Microsoft Studios, and is an real-time strategy game, similar to the Age of Empires series.[citation needed]
On August 17, 2010, the company announced the new game, Age of Empires Online. The game features a new stylized, 'cartoon' look, with Robot promising that it would offer gameplay depth. On 24 February 2011, Robot announced that Gas Powered Games would be taking over development on Age of Empires Online. Robot Entertainment President Patrick Hudson stated that handing over the development was expected, saying, "The plan was always to move to [an] original IP as soon as we had the ability to focus on our core business goal."[2]
On February 24, 2011, the company announced the new game Orcs Must Die!. The game was published by Robot Entertainment as well as being self-developed by them.[3]
On November 17, 2011, the company announced the new game Hero Academy. It is the company's first game developed for mobile devices.[4]
In June 2012, Robot Entertainment partnered with Yodo1 in an effort to release a Chinese version of Hero Academy.[5]
On February 27, 2015, it was announced that Tencent Holdings have bought an undisclosed, minority stake in Robot Entertainment.[6]
On March 27, 2018, Robot Entertainment laid off over 30 employees following the release of Hero Academy 2.[7]
On January 7, 2018, Robot Entertainment announced they would be closing servers for 'Orcs Must Die! Unchained', 'Hero Academy', and 'Hero Academy 2', due to the games being run at a financial loss; players would receive in-game currency for the final weeks of live play, 'at least once a day'. It was also announced that two new games were in development. [8]
Games
| Title | Genre | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| Age of Empires Online[9] | Real-time strategy | 2011 |
| Orcs Must Die![10] | Action, tower defense | 2011 |
| Hero Academy[11][4] | Turn-based tactics | 2012 |
| Orcs Must Die! 2 | Action, tower defense | 2012 |
| Echo Prime | Action role-playing game | 2013 |
| Orcs Must Die! Unchained | Action, tower defense | 2017 |
| Hero Academy 2 | Turn-based tactics | 2017 |
References
- ^ "Official Website". Robot Entertainment. 2009-02-15. Retrieved 2009-02-13.
- ^ "Age of Empires Online swaps devs". PC Gamer. February 24, 2011. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
- ^ "Robot Entertainment Unveils Orcs Must Die!". Robot Entertainment. February 24, 2011. Archived from the original on April 29, 2011. Retrieved March 4, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b "Robot Entertainment Announces Hero Academy". Archived from the original on March 5, 2012. Retrieved March 22, 2012.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Beijing-based Yodo1 grabs $2m to help US game developers crack China". The Next Web: Asia. June 28, 2012. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
- ^ James Brightman (February 27, 2015). "Tencent makes minority investment in Robot Entertainment". Retrieved August 4, 2015.
- ^ Javy Gwaltney (March 27, 2018). "Layoffs Hit Orcs Must Die Developer Robot Entertainment". Retrieved May 3, 2018.
- ^ Patrick Hudson (January 7, 2019). "Games Ceasing Operations". Retrieved January 7, 2019.
- ^ "Age of Empires Online". Robot Entertainment. Archived from the original on August 22, 2010. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Ex-Age Of Empires Devs Working On A New Unknown Game". Robot Entertainment. Archived from the original on July 13, 2010. Retrieved July 6, 2010.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Hero Academy - Robot Entertainment". www.robotentertainment.com.