Wizarbox was a
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
Sèvres
Sèvres (, ) is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine department, Île-de-France region. The commune, which had a population of 23,251 as of 2018, is known for ...
, France, southwest of
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...
. They are notable for their
graphic adventure games developed by industry veterans, such as the ''
So Blonde
''So Blonde'', subtitled ''Lost in the Caribbean'' in Spanish and ''Blonde in Trouble'' in Russian and Polish, is a point-and-click adventure game released for the PC in 2008. Two spin-off games have been released: '' So Blonde: Back to the Isla ...
'' series by
Steve Ince (lead designer of ''
Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon'') and ''
Gray Matter
Grey matter is a major component of the central nervous system, consisting of neuronal cell bodies, neuropil (dendrites and unmyelinated axons), glial cells (astrocytes and oligodendrocytes), synapses, and capillaries. Grey matter is distingui ...
'' by
Jane Jensen
Jane Jensen (born Jane Elizabeth Smith; January 28, 1963 in Palmerton, Pennsylvania) is an American video game designer and author. She is mostly known as the creator of the '' Gabriel Knight'' series of adventure games, and also co-founded O ...
(lead designer of the
''Gabriel Knight'' series).
The company declared bankruptcy in December 2012 and was placed in
receivership
In law, receivership is a situation in which an institution or enterprise is held by a receiver—a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights"—especially in c ...
by a French court. Interaction-Games later acquired Wizarbox.
Background
Wizarbox had been porting video games by other companies to consoles since 2002's ''
Arx Fatalis
''Arx Fatalis'' is an action role-playing video game developed by Arkane Studios and released for Microsoft Windows in 2002 and Xbox in 2003. The game is played from a first-person perspective and is set on a world whose sun has failed, forcing t ...
''. In 2007, they released their first in-house developed video game, ''
So Blonde
''So Blonde'', subtitled ''Lost in the Caribbean'' in Spanish and ''Blonde in Trouble'' in Russian and Polish, is a point-and-click adventure game released for the PC in 2008. Two spin-off games have been released: '' So Blonde: Back to the Isla ...
'', written and designed by industry veteran Steve Ince. The success of ''So Blonde'' led to the development of ''
So Blonde: Back to the Island'', an
alternate reality scenario set during the events of the original game, and the spin-off ''
Captain Morgane and the Golden Turtle''. After the troubled development of ''
Gray Matter
Grey matter is a major component of the central nervous system, consisting of neuronal cell bodies, neuropil (dendrites and unmyelinated axons), glial cells (astrocytes and oligodendrocytes), synapses, and capillaries. Grey matter is distingui ...
'' by Jane Jensen, they took over development of the title and released it in 2010.
Recognition
''So Blonde'' was nominated for "best video game script" at the 2008
Writers' Guild of Great Britain
The Writers' Guild of Great Britain (WGGB), established in 1959, is a trade union for professional writers. It is affiliated with both the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the International Affiliation of Writers Guilds (IAWG).
History
The ...
Awards.
Games
*2003 ''
CT Special Forces: Back to Hell'' (
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 ...
port)
*2003 ''
Arx Fatalis
''Arx Fatalis'' is an action role-playing video game developed by Arkane Studios and released for Microsoft Windows in 2002 and Xbox in 2003. The game is played from a first-person perspective and is set on a world whose sun has failed, forcing t ...
'' (
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 ...
port)
*2003 ''Football Generation'' (
PlayStation 2 (2006) and
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 ...
(2012) ports of Windows version)
*2006 ''
Panzer Elite Action: Fields of Glory'' (
PlayStation 2 port)
*2006 ''
Azur and Asmar''
*2007 ''
Scrabble 2007 Edition
''Scrabble 2007 Edition'' is a puzzle video game for the Nintendo DS and Windows. It was published by Ubisoft and developed by Wizarbox. It was released on September 7, 2007. The rules are the same as the board game of the same name, involving p ...
''
*2008 ''
So Blonde
''So Blonde'', subtitled ''Lost in the Caribbean'' in Spanish and ''Blonde in Trouble'' in Russian and Polish, is a point-and-click adventure game released for the PC in 2008. Two spin-off games have been released: '' So Blonde: Back to the Isla ...
''
*2009 ''
Imagine: Family Doctor''
*2009 ''
Risen'' (
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 ...
port)
*2009 ''
Venetica (
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 ...
port)
*2010 ''
So Blonde: Back to the Island''
*2010 ''
Gray Matter
Grey matter is a major component of the central nervous system, consisting of neuronal cell bodies, neuropil (dendrites and unmyelinated axons), glial cells (astrocytes and oligodendrocytes), synapses, and capillaries. Grey matter is distingui ...
''
*2012 ''
Captain Morgane and the Golden Turtle''
*2012 ''
Risen 2: Dark Waters'' (Xbox 360 and
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 ...
ports)
*2012 ''R.A.W: Realms of Ancient War''
References
External links
Official website
{{Authority control
Companies based in Île-de-France
Defunct video game companies of France
French companies established in 2003
Video game companies established in 2003
Video game companies disestablished in 2012
Video game development companies