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Shiny Entertainment

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Shiny Entertainment
Company typePrivate
IndustryComputer and video game industry
Founded1993
HeadquartersNewport Beach, CA
Key people
David Perry
Websitewww.shiny.com

Shiny Entertainment is a console / PC / Handheld video game developer based in Newport Beach, Southern CA, and is the creator of several hits such as Earthworm Jim, MDK, Sacrifice and Enter The Matrix. Shiny was founded by David Perry in October 1993 and is currently a development studio owned by Foundation 9, Entertainment Inc.

History

David Perry, a veteran game developer (20+ years), was developing for Probe Software in London on the Terminator movie video game, the game was to be published by Virgin Games in Irvine, CA. Perry agreed to complete the work in the United States and so moved over in 1991. While in the states he developed Mc Donald's Global Gladiators (Sega's Game of the Year), 7-Up's Cool Spot, early development work on Disney's Jungle Book and programmed Disney's Aladdin. Aladdin became a #1 hit around the world.

As these projects grew so did Perry's relationships with certain development team members.

At this time Perry got a USA Greencard and decided to form Shiny Entertainment Inc. To fund it, he signed a three game distribution deal with Playmates Interactive Entertainment, the three games became Earthworm Jim, Earthworm Jim 2 & MDK. All three games were well reviewed, won awards and were highly profitable.

The first Shiny release was Earthworm Jim, which won the Sega Game of the Year award and put Shiny front-row center as a developer to be watched. A TV show deal was signed with Universal Cartoon Studios, a TV output deal was signed with the Warner Kids Network, Playmates Toys made a complete action figure toy line, a home video collection was made by MCA, Carls Jr. made a kids meal, Del Taco made a kids meal, Marvel made the official comic books, Fruit of the Loom made clothing and bed coverings, there were even lunchbox, strategy guide, sticker deals etc.

After two sequels (Earthworm Jim 2 and Earthworm Jim Special Edition for Sega CD), Shiny decided to move into the world of 3D with the game MDK. At this time Interplay Entertainment Inc. (who had published Earthworm Jim for Sega CD) bought Shiny so co-published MDK with Playmates Interactive Entertainment.

Interplay had a previous relationship with Bioware (making Baldur's Gate) and so Bioware made the sequel to MDK, called MDK 2.

In 2002, during the development of Enter the Matrix, Shiny was acquired by Infogrames (which later changed its name to Atari), for $47 million. Atari purchased only the team and the rights to the Matrix Franchise.

Perry kicked off a yet-to-be-announced Epic Next-Generation game, Earthworm Jim on Sony's PlayStation Portable, and a new Fighting Game called Age of Elements at E3 2006 on Sony PSP.

Atari Announced their interest in selling off all their development studios, so Perry resigned in an attempt to help Atari find a quality buyer.

Atari held on to Shiny, and so after a few months Perry started new companies called www.gameconsultants.com and www.gameinvestors.com, he is also directing a new MMO game called 2Moons. www.2moonsgame.com

On October 2, 2006, Foundation 9 Entertainment acquired Shiny Entertainment, so now Shiny joins the largest independent game development company in the world. [1]

Games

  • Earthworm Jim
  • Earthworm Jim 2
  • MDK
  • R/C Stunt Copter, a game that made the PlayStation controller act just like a dual stick remote control helicopter transmitter. This game was bought by Midway from Interplay, then Titus bought it from Midway (who later bought Interplay as well.)
  • Wild 9, an action game for Playstation. This game had a hook that let you catch enemies, control them and feed them back into the traps they had set for you. Sony Japan licensed the game from Interplay so they could release it themselves in Japan.
  • Messiah, a game featuring the hook of "possession" and a new real-time tessellation video game engine.
  • Sacrifice, Shiny's first online multiplayer game. This game won numerous awards and still is remembered as one of the best PC real-time strategy games of all time.
  • Enter the Matrix returned Perry to licensing, based on the Matrix movie franchise where Shiny became the first team to work with Directors willing to make around 1 hour of EXCLUSIVE Matrix movie footage just for gamers. The game hit #1 around the world and sold an estimated 5 million copies.
  • The Path of Neo shipped by Atari, again based on the Matrix movie franchise, this time focusing on the lead character from the movies.

Trivia

  • The name Shiny was accidentally conceived while listening to the R.E.M. track Shiny Happy People.
  • Every single first generation iMac shipped with a copy of MDK in a distribution deal with Apple.

References

  1. ^ Foundation 9 Acquires Shiny From Atari, GamaSutra, October 2, 2006
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