Lankhor was a French

video game developer A video game developer is 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 large business with em ...

based in Clamart, France. The company was founded in 1987 by Jean-Luc Langlois and Kyilkohr. Lankhor was known for developing '' Mortville Manor'', the first video game to feature

speech synthesis Speech synthesis is the artificial production of human speech. A computer system used for this purpose is called a speech synthesizer, and can be implemented in software or hardware products. A text-to-speech (TTS) system converts normal langua ...

during gameplay. In 1998, the company won the award for the Best French Company by the magazine Génération 4.

History

Lankhor was founded in 1987 as a result of the merger between Kyilkohr creations and Béatrice & Jean-Luc Langlois. Lankhor gained fame with productions such as the arcade game ''

Wanderer Wanderer, Wanderers, or The Wanderer may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film, television, and theater * The Wanderer (1913 film), ''The Wanderer'' (1913 film), a silent film * The Wanderer (1925 film), ''The Wanderer'' (1925 film), a silen ...

'' (1987) by the Langlois siblings and, above all, the adventure games '' Mortville Manor'' and ''

Maupiti Island Maupiti is an island in the western Leeward Islands in French Polynesia. It is the westernmost volcanic island in the archipelago, northwest of Tahiti and west of Bora Bora. It has a population of 1,286 people. The largest town is Vaiea. Geogr ...

''. ''Mortevielle'' by Gourier and Bernard Grélaud was published for the first time in 1986 on the

Sinclair QL The Sinclair QL (for ''Quantum Leap'') is a personal computer launched by Sinclair Research in 1984, as an upper-end counterpart to the ZX Spectrum. The QL was the last desktop microcomputer from Sinclair Research aimed at the serious home use ...

platform, but in the refreshed version of Lankhor (with a new title board and

speech synthesizer Speech synthesis is the artificial production of human speech. A computer system used for this purpose is called a speech synthesizer, and can be implemented in software or Computer hardware, hardware products. A text-to-speech (TTS) system conv ...

) was successful a significant commercial success, repeated by ''Maupiti Island''. Another commercial success for Lankhor was the racing game ''

Vroom ''Vroom'' is an onomatopoeia that represents the sound of an revolutions per minute, engine revving up. It also describes the act of purposefully operating a motor vehicle at high speeds so as to create loud engine noises. The word is a common ...

'', simulating the competition during

Formula 1 Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

. ''Mortevielle'', ''Maupiti Island'' and ''Vroom'' were awarded Tilt d'Or statuettes, awarded by the industry magazine

Tilt Tilt may refer to: Music * Tilt (American band), a punk rock group, formed in 1992 * Tilt (British band), an electronic music group, formed in 1993 * Tilt (Polish band), a rock band, formed in 1979 Albums * ''Tilt'' (Cozy Powell album), 1981 ...

. From 1994, the company abandoned its publishing activities to devote itself solely to development. At the beginning of 1996, Daniel Macré having joined Jean-Luc Langlois in the company management, signed a development contract for

games under FIA license with the British publisher

Eidos Interactive Eidos Interactive Limited (formerly Domark Limited) was a British video game publisher based in Wimbledon, London. Among its franchises were '' Championship Manager'', '' Deus Ex'', ''Hitman'', '' Thief'' and ''Tomb Raider''. Domark was founded ...

. In 2000, Lankhor was developing video games for

Microïds Microids (formerly Microïds) is a French video game developer and publisher based in Paris. Founded in 1985 by Elliot Grassiano, it attained early success with games published through Loriciel in France and other partners (including Activisio ...

including ''Ski Park Manager'' which was released in 2002. The company however experienced a difficult financial situation which started at the end of the same year; this situation led the company to cancel its contract with Video System, a Japanese video game distribution house. At the end of 2001, Lankhor announced its closure which came to pass on October 3, 2002.

Games

References

Bibliography

External links

lankhor.net
an unofficial tribute site {{Authority control Defunct video game companies of France Video game companies established in 1987 Video game companies disestablished in 2001 Video game development companies Video game publishers