Big Robot was a
UK company that specialised in developing
computer games
A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
, registered in
Halstead
Halstead is a town and civil parish in the Braintree District of Essex, England. Its population of 11,906 in 2011[England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...]
.
The company was started by
Jim Rossignol in 2010.
History
''AVSEQ'' was released in 2011, ''Fallen City'' is in the final bug-testing phase prior to release,
while currently under development is ''Lodestone'' (on hold). ''
Sir, You Are Being Hunted'' was released in 2014.
The developer's website went down in 2019 and the developer was inactive some time after early 2022.
Games
''AVSEQ''
The name comes from combining
audio
Audio most commonly refers to sound, as it is transmitted in signal form. It may also refer to:
Sound
*Audio signal, an electrical representation of sound
*Audio frequency, a frequency in the audio spectrum
*Digital audio, representation of sound ...
and
visual
The visual system is the physiological basis of visual perception (the ability to detect and process light). The system detects, transduces and interprets information concerning light within the visible range to construct an image and buil ...
(
audio-visual
Audiovisual (AV) is electronic media possessing both a sound and a visual component, such as slide-tape presentations, films, television programs, corporate conferencing, church services, and live theater productions.
Audiovisual service pro ...
) with "
sequencer". Game play is abstract in nature, and revolves around linking "atom" structures together to gain points. This also unlocks musical notes and activates that level's audio sequencer. The developers claim that "Each AVSEQ level has 2.2300745198530623×10^43 possible audio permutations".
''Fallen City''
This game is about rebuilding a city which has fallen into decay, which came from an idea by Rossignol that was put to Channel 4 in 2010,
and was commissioned by Channel 4 Education.
The game aims to educate children, by showing them how persuading people to clean up and repair can raise morale and improve the behaviour of citizens.
The game is played in the first person, the player being able to walk through the city and persuade the citizens, who are known as "Angries", to repair it, clean it up, and rebuild.
The Angries change colour according to their mood, purple being the ultimate state of anger and despair.
Completing certain tasks gives the Angries extra powers, such as the ability to create street art, and certain infrastructure repairs improve the areas communications and give the community new systems for their benefit.
Keith Stuart of ''The Guardian'' described some of these—"Reactivating a communications tower will get the word out about clean-up efforts,
..the trade plaza represents commerce and a system that pumps curry into every home is a great allegory for everyday utilities."
Rossignol says that ''Fallen City'' is based around the "
broken windows theory
In criminology, the broken windows theory states that visible signs of crime, antisocial behavior and civil disorder create an urban environment that encourages further crime and disorder, including serious crimes. The theory suggests that po ...
" of
James Q. Wilson
James Quinn Wilson (May 27, 1931 – March 2, 2012) was an American political scientist and an authority on public administration. Most of his career was spent as a professor at UCLA and Harvard University. He was the chairman of the Council of ...
and
George L. Kelling, which says that keeping an area in good-repair changes a populations outlook and so prevents further vandalism and prevents a descent into more serious crimes.
In an interview in ''The Guardian'', Rossignol states that "The reason the Angries have trashed their city is because they have been promised too much by the people in charge; the promises haven't been fulfilled and they've ended up feeling frustrated and alienated. So they've deliberately trashed the city – to get what they were promised."
''Lodestone''
''Lodestone'' is an exploration game, the purpose of which is to survive a journey through magnetic islands and the game environment, populated with artificial lifeforms. The game has been put on hold while the company develops its fourth game – ''Sir, You Are Being Hunted''.
''Sir, You Are Being Hunted''
Created using the
Unity game engine.
A
Kickstarter
Kickstarter, PBC is an American Benefit corporation, public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York City, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative project ...
pledge drive to fund completion of the game was launched on 2 November 2012.
''The Signal From Tölva''
A science fiction first-person shooter made with the Unity game engine released in 2017.
''Sir, You Are Being Hunted: Reinvented Edition''
References
{{reflist
External links
Big Robot website
Video game companies established in 2010
Video game companies of the United Kingdom
Video game development companies