DC Studios Inc. was a British

video game developer A video game developer is a broad term for a software developer specializing in video game development – the process and related disciplines of creating video games. A game developer can range from one person who undertakes all tasks to a larg ...

based in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

, Canada. Founded by Mark Greenshields in December 1999, it was originally located in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated pop ...

, and later expanded to Montreal,

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, and

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

. Following the underperformance of '' State of Emergency 2'', which the company had acquired from

VIS Entertainment VIS Entertainment Limited (formerly known as VIS Interactive) was a British video game developer based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The company was founded in 1996 by Chris van der Kuyl and Peter Baillie. In April 2003, VIS Entertainment acquired BA ...

, DC Studios closed its Scotland operations in June 2006. The remaining Montreal office was closed in September 2007. Both offices were replaced by ones for Greenshields' newer venture,

Firebrand Games Firebrand Games Limited is a British video game developer based in Glasgow, Scotland. The company was founded by chief executive officer Mark Greenshields in 2006 and has operated a second office in Merritt Island, Florida, since September 2007 ...

History

DC Studios was founded on 3 December 1999. Mark Greenshields set it up in

, after leaving Steel Monkeys, another Scotland-based development studio, earlier that year. In November 2000, the company expanded with a second outfit located in

. In August 2003, Andrew McLennan left his position as commercial director from Steel Monkeys, at the time run by his brother Derek as

managing director A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especiall ...

, to join DC Studio as

business development Business development entails tasks and processes to develop and implement growth opportunities within and between organizations. It is a subset of the fields of business, commerce and organizational theory. Business development is the creation of ...

director. In April 2005, backed by the

Irish government The Government of Ireland ( ga, Rialtas na hÉireann) is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland. The Constitution of Ireland vests executive authority in a government which is headed by the , the head of government. The gover ...

, DC Studios opened a development studio in

, seeking to employ 50 further staff. In May 2005, the company acquired the rights to '' State of Emergency 2'' from the defunct developer

. Following its release, however, the game severely underperformed in sales, due to which DC Studios announced on 4 June 2006 that it had ceased all operations in the United Kingdom, laying off all 29 staff from its

office. The Montreal office remained open, at the time with 55 employees. It was eventually shut down in favour of opening a Florida office for Greenshields' newer venture,

, on 25 September 2007.

Games developed

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite web , url=https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/92948/DC_Studios_Appoint_New_Biz_Dev_Director.php , title=DC Studios Appoint New Biz Dev Director , first=David , last=Jenkins , date=14 August 2003 , website=

Gamasutra ''Game Developer'', known as ''Gamasutra'' until 2021, is a website founded in 1997 that focuses on aspects of video game development. It is owned and operated by Informa and acts as the online sister publication to the print magazine '' Gam ...

, access-date=1 July 2018 , archive-date=1 July 2018 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701165155/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/92948/DC_Studios_Appoint_New_Biz_Dev_Director.php , url-status=dead {{cite web , url=https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/100540/DC_Studios_Closes_Scottish_Development_HQ.php , title=DC Studios Closes Scottish Development HQ , first=David , last=Jenkins , date=5 June 2006 , website=

, access-date=1 July 2018 , archive-date=1 July 2018 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701165142/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/100540/DC_Studios_Closes_Scottish_Development_HQ.php , url-status=dead {{cite web , url=https://gamasutra.com/view/news/96238/DC_Studios_Creates_GovernmentApproved_Irish_Wing.php , title=DC Studios Creates Government-Approved Irish Wing , first=David , last=Jenkins , date=12 April 2005 , website=

, access-date=1 February 2021 , archive-date=1 July 2018 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701164855/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/96238/DC_Studios_Creates_GovernmentApproved_Irish_Wing.php , url-status=dead {{cite web , url=https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/106573/Race_Game_Developer_Firebrand_Gets_US_Office.php , title=Race Game Developer Firebrand Gets U.S. Office , first=Brandon , last=Boyer , date=25 September 2007 , website=

, access-date=1 July 2018 , archive-date=2 July 2018 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702011424/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/106573/Race_Game_Developer_Firebrand_Gets_US_Office.php , url-status=dead {{cite press release , url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/five-years-old-and-financially-fit , title=Five Years Old and Financially Fit , publisher=DC Studios , date=3 December 2004 , via=

GamesIndustry.biz Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British mass media company based in Brighton. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and othe ...

, access-date=1 July 2018 , archive-date=1 July 2018 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701193829/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/five-years-old-and-financially-fit , url-status=live {{cite web , url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/focus-on-dc-studios-mark-greenshields , title=Focus On: DC Studios' Mark Greenshields , first=Rob , last=Fahey , date=2 July 2004 , website=

, access-date=1 July 2018 , archive-date=1 July 2018 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701193832/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/focus-on-dc-studios-mark-greenshields , url-status=live {{cite web , url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/dc-studios-shuts-scottish-operation-as-state-of-emergency-tanks , title=DC Studios shuts Scottish operation as State of Emergency tanks , first=Rob , last=Fahey , date=5 June 2006 , website=

, access-date=1 February 2021 , archive-date=1 February 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201113609/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/dc-studios-shuts-scottish-operation-as-state-of-emergency-tanks , url-status=live {{cite web , url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/dc-studios-picks-up-state-of-emergency-2 , title=DC Studios picks up State of Emergency 2 , first=Ellie , last=Gibson , date=3 May 2005 , website=

, access-date=1 July 2018 , archive-date=1 July 2018 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701193803/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/dc-studios-picks-up-state-of-emergency-2 , url-status=live {{cite magazine , url=https://www.mcvuk.com/development-news/montreal-is-not-an-efficient-place-to-run-a-business/ , title='Montreal is not an efficient place to run a business' , date=17 March 2008 , magazine=

MCV/Develop ''MCV/Develop'' (formerly ''MCV'' and ''Market for Computer & Video Games'') is a UK trade magazine that focuses on the business aspects of the video game industry. It is published monthly by Biz Media, a subsidiary of Datateam Media Group and ...

, access-date=1 February 2021 , archive-date=31 January 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131212426/https://www.mcvuk.com/development-news/montreal-is-not-an-efficient-place-to-run-a-business/ , url-status=live {{cite web , url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/british-game-developer-takes-business-to-new-level-in-montreal/article1184775/ , title=British game developer takes business to new level in Montreal , first=Ian , last=Johnson , date=3 August 2001 , website= The Globe and Mail , access-date=1 July 2018 , archive-date=28 November 2020 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201128161325/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/british-game-developer-takes-business-to-new-level-in-montreal/article1184775/ , url-status=live {{cite web , url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12435428.state-of-emergency-spells-end-for-29-staff-gaming-redundancies/ , title=State Of Emergency spells end for 29 staff GAMING: REDUNDANCIES , first= , last= , date=4 June 2006 , website= The Herald , access-date=1 February 2021 , archive-date=1 February 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201113617/https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12435428.state-of-emergency-spells-end-for-29-staff-gaming-redundancies/ , url-status=live {{cite web , url=https://www.scotsman.com/business/new-state-emergency-declared-glasgow-firm-takes-game-2454502 , title=New State of Emergency declared as Glasgow firm takes on game , date=1 May 2005 , website=

The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its pa ...

, access-date=1 February 2021 , archive-date=1 February 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201113640/https://www.scotsman.com/business/new-state-emergency-declared-glasgow-firm-takes-game-2454502 , url-status=live {{cite web , url=https://www.scotsman.com/business/director-leaves-brothers-games-company-join-rival-2454487 , title=Director leaves brother's games company to join rival , date=3 August 2003 , website=

, access-date=1 February 2021 , archive-date=1 February 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201113630/https://www.scotsman.com/business/director-leaves-brothers-games-company-join-rival-2454487 , url-status=live 1999 establishments in Scotland Defunct video game companies of Canada Video game companies disestablished in 2007 Video game companies established in 1999 Video game development companies