Left Field Productions, Inc. was an American independent video game development studio located in Ventura, California. Founded in 1994 by industry veterans John Brandwood, Jeff Godfrey and Mike Lamb, Left Field is probably best known for their time spent as a

Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produce ...

third-party developer, during which they designed the critically acclaimed Nintendo 64 game ''

Excitebike 64 is a video game published by Nintendo and developed by Left Field Productions. It was released for the Nintendo 64 on April 30, 2000 in North America, June 23 in Japan, and June 8, 2001, in Europe. It is the second installment in the ''Excite'' ...

''. On April 23, 1998, Nintendo announced the purchase of a minority interest in Left Field Productions, allowing them to expand operations and ensuring a steady flow of exclusive content from the developer. In September 2002, after months of speculation, Left Field bought out Nintendo's stake in the company, once again becoming a fully independent third-party developer. The studio closed in 2011, shortly after releasing ''

Mayhem Mayhem most commonly refers to: * Mayhem (crime), a type of crime Mayhem may also refer to: People * Monica Mayhem (born 1978), Australian pornographic actress * Jason "Mayhem" Miller, American mixed martial arts fighter * Mayhem Miller (dra ...

'' to mixed reviews.

Games developed

*1995: '' Slam 'N' Jam `95'' ( 3DO) *1996: ''Slam 'N' Jam `96 Featuring Magic & Kareem'' (

PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a di ...

Sega Saturn The is a home video game console developed by Sega and released on November 22, 1994, in Japan, May 11, 1995, in North America, and July 8, 1995, in Europe. Part of the fifth generation of video game consoles, it was the successor to the succ ...

) *1996: ''Slam 'N' Jam'' ( PC) *1998: ''

Kobe Bryant in NBA Courtside ''Kobe Bryant in NBA Courtside'', sometimes mislabeled as ''Kobe Bryant's NBA Courtside'', is a basketball simulation video game developed by Left Field Productions and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64 in 1998. At the time of the game' ...

'' ( Nintendo 64) *1999: '' Disney's Beauty and the Beast: A Board Game Adventure'' (

Game Boy Color The (commonly abbreviated as GBC) is a handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on October 21, 1998 and to international markets that November. It is the successor to the Game Boy and is part of the Game ...

) *1999: ''NBA 3 on 3 featuring Kobe Bryant'' (Game Boy Color) *1999: '' NBA Courtside 2: Featuring Kobe Bryant'' ( Nintendo 64) *2000: '' 3-D Ultra Pinball: Thrillride'' (Game Boy Color) *2000: '' Disney's The Little Mermaid II: Pinball Frenzy'' (Game Boy Color) *2000: ''

'' ( Nintendo 64,

Nintendo iQue The iQue Player (, stylised as iQue ''PLAYER'') is a handheld TV game version of the Nintendo 64 console that was manufactured by iQue, a joint venture between Nintendo and Taiwanese in America, Taiwanese-American scientist Wei Yen after Chin ...

) *2002: ''

Backyard Football :''This article describes the video game. For the underlying sport, see Street football (American)''. ''Backyard Football'' is a series of video games for various systems. The series was developed by Humongous Entertainment and published by Inf ...

'' (

GameCube The is a home video game console developed and released by Nintendo in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, and in PAL territories in 2002. It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 (1996), and predecessor of the W ...

) *2002: ''

NBA Courtside 2002 ''NBA Courtside 2002'' is a basketball video game developed by Left Field Productions and published by Nintendo for the GameCube in 2002. It is the third and final installment in the ''NBA Courtside'' series and the sequel to '' NBA Courtside 2: ...

'' (GameCube) *2004: ''

MTX Mototrax ''MTX Mototrax'' is a racing video game developed by Left Field Productions and published by Activision for PlayStation 2 and Xbox in 2004. It was released for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X later that year developed by Beenox and published by A ...

'' ( PlayStation 2,

Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by th ...

, PC,

Mac Mac or MAC most commonly refers to: * Mac (computer), a family of personal computers made by Apple Inc. * Mackintosh, a raincoat made of rubberized cloth * A variant of the word macaroni, mostly used in the name of the dish mac and cheese * Mac, ...

) *2005: ''

World Series of Poker The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is a series of poker tournaments held annually in Paradise, Nevada and, since 2004, sponsored by Caesars Entertainment. It dates its origins to 1970, when Benny Binion invited seven of the best-known poker p ...

'' (

, PlayStation 2,

PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 200 ...

) *2006: ''

'' (

) *2006: '' World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions'' ( PlayStation 2,

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generati ...

Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, ...

) *2006: ''

Dave Mirra BMX Challenge ''Dave Mirra BMX Challenge'' is a racing video game by Crave Entertainment for the PlayStation Portable and later for the Nintendo Wii. It was the only entry in the ''Dave Mirra'' series released by Crave Entertainment after the previous publishe ...

'' (

) *2007: ''

'' (

) *2007: '' World Series of Poker: Battle for the Bracelets'' (

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...

, PlayStation 2,

, PlayStation Portable) *2007: ''

Nitrobike ''Nitrobike'' is a dirt-bike racing video game for the Wii and PlayStation 2. It is published by Ubisoft and was developed by Left Field Productions, the developer previously responsible for, among other games, ''Excitebike 64'', ''MTX Mototra ...

'' (

, PlayStation 2) *2008: ''

SCORE International Baja 1000 The Baja 1000 is an annual Mexican off-road motorsport race held on the Baja California Peninsula. It is one of the most prestigious off-road races in the world, having attracted competitors from six continents. The race was founded by Ed Pear ...

'' (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Wii) *2011: ''

'' (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

Canceled and unreleased projects

A GameCube version of ''MTX Mototrax'' was in the works but was later canceled as publisher

Activision Activision Publishing, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica, California. It serves as the publishing business for its parent company, Activision Blizzard, and consists of several subsidiary studios. Activision is one ...

scaled back support for the platform. A sequel to the Nintendo 64 game ''

1080° Snowboarding is a snowboarding video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64 in 1998. In the game, the player controls one of five snowboarders from a third-person perspective, using a combination of buttons to jump and perform tricks ...

'' was in development at Left Field at one time. Development originated on the Nintendo 64 platform but was later shifted to the GameCube once Nintendo began phasing out the Nintendo 64. When Left Field separated with Nintendo in early 2002,

Nintendo Software Technology Nintendo Software Technology Corporation, doing business as Nintendo Software Technology (NST), is an American video game developer. NST was created by Nintendo as a first-party developer to create games for the North American market, though the ...

took over development of the game, releasing ''

1080° Avalanche ''1080° Avalanche'' is a snowboarding video game for the GameCube, developed by Nintendo's in-house development studio, Nintendo Software Technology, and published by Nintendo. It was released in 2003 in Europe and North America, and in Japan ...

'' on December 1, 2003. It is unknown how far into production the game was when Left Field left the project, or just how much, if any, of Left Field's work is present in the final game. It has been speculated that Left Field's version of the game had a much more arcade-like feel than its successor.

Awards

*Best Extreme Sports Game – ''MTX Mototrax'' (2004, Play Magazine) *IGN Editor's Choice Award – ''Excitebike 64'' (2000,

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa dist ...

) *IGN Editor's Choice Award – ''MTX Mototrax'' (2004,

) *IGN Editor's Choice Award – ''NBA Courtside 2: Featuring Kobe Bryant'' (1999,

)

References

External links

Left Field Productions website
(archive) {{Nintendo developers Video game companies of the United States Video game development companies Video game companies established in 1994 Video game companies disestablished in 2011 Companies based in Ventura County, California