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{{Short description|American video game developer}}
{{Infobox Company |
{{Infobox company
company_name = Pandemic Studios |
| name = Pandemic Studios, LLC
company_logo = [[Image:pandemic.jpg|154px]] |
| logo = Pandemic Studios logo.svg
company_type = [[Subsidiary]] of [[Electronic Arts]]|
| type = [[Subsidiary]]
company_slogan = N/A |
| industry = [[Video game industry|Video games]]
foundation = [[Santa Monica, California]] (1998) |
| founded = {{Start date and age|1998}}
defunct = 2009|
| founders = {{Unbulleted list|Andrew Goldman|Josh Resnick}}
location = [[Los Angeles, California]]|
| defunct = {{End date|2009|11|17}}
key_people = [[Andrew Goldman]], [[Chief Executive Officer|CEO]]<br/>[[Josh Resnick]], [[President]] |
| fate = [[Dissolution (law)|Dissolved]]
industry = [[Software & Programming]]|
| hq_location_city = [[Westwood, Los Angeles]]
products = ''[[Full Spectrum Warrior]]''<br>''[[Star Wars: Battlefront (series)|Star Wars: Battlefront]] ([[Star Wars: Battlefront|I]] & [[Star Wars: Battlefront II |II]])''<br>[[Destroy All Humans! (series)|Destroy All Humans!]] ([[Destroy All Humans! |1]] & [[Destroy All Humans! 2 |2]])''<br>''[[Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction|Mercenaries]] series''<br>([[#Games|See complete products listing]]) |
| hq_location_country = US
homepage = [http://www.pandemicstudios.com/ www.pandemicstudios.com]
| key_people = {{Unbulleted list|Andrew Goldman ([[Chief executive officer|CEO]])|Josh Resnick ([[President (corporate title)|president]])}}
| products = {{Unbulleted list|''[[Full Spectrum Warrior]]'' series|''[[Star Wars: Battlefront]]'' series|''[[Destroy All Humans!]]'' series|''[[Mercenaries (series)|Mercenaries]]'' series}}
| num_employees = 200+
| num_employees_year = 2009
| parent = {{Unbulleted list|[[VG Holding Corp.]] (2005–2007)|[[Electronic Arts]] (2007–2009)}}
}}
}}


'''Pandemic''' was an [[United States|American]] [[video game developer]] with offices in [[Los Angeles]], [[California]]. The studio is notable for featuring fully-destructible environments in its games. Notable titles include ''[[Full Spectrum Warrior]]'', ''[[Star Wars: Battlefront]]'', ''[[Destroy All Humans!]]'' and ''[[Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction]]''.
'''Pandemic Studios, LLC''' was an American [[video game developer]] based in [[Westwood, Los Angeles]]. Andrew Goldman and Josh Resnick founded the studio in 1998 after leaving [[Activision]]. Pandemic Studios, alongside [[BioWare]], was acquired in 2005 by [[Elevation Partners]] and placed under [[VG Holding Corp.]], which in 2007 was sold to [[Electronic Arts]] (EA). EA closed Pandemic Studios in 2009. Pandemic Studios is known for a variety of titles, including ''[[Full Spectrum Warrior]]'', ''[[Star Wars: Battlefront]]'', ''[[Dark Reign 2]]'', ''[[Destroy All Humans!]]'', ''[[Mercenaries (series)|Mercenaries]]'', and ''[[The Saboteur]]''.


==History==
==History==
Pandemic was formed in 1998 by president [[Josh Resnick]] and [[Chief executive officer|CEO]] Andrew Goldman, both formerly of [[Activision]], along with most of the original team members that worked on ''[[Battlezone (1998 video game)|Battlezone]]'' and ''[[Dark Reign: The Future of War]]''.<ref name= "Gamespy">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespy.com/articles/697/697083p6.html |title=GameSpy Retro: Developer Origins, Page 6 of 19 |first=John |last=Keefer |date=March 31, 2006 |website=[[GameSpy]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070609133126/http://www.gamespy.com/articles/697/697083p6.html |archive-date=June 9, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The studio was founded with an undisclosed equity investment by Activision.<ref>{{cite web|first=Bill|last=Meyer|url=http://www.gamecenter.com/News/Item/0,3,0-1863,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991010000107/http://www.gamecenter.com/News/Item/0,3,0-1863,00.html|title=Activision Invests: Pandemic Studios|website=gamecenter.com|archive-date=October 10, 1999|date=June 12, 1998|access-date=July 12, 2019}}</ref> The company name was narrowed down from around six choices, including ''Seismic.''<ref name= "Gamespy"/> In the end, ''Pandemic'' was chosen as the name.<ref name= "Gamespy"/> Pandemic's first two games, ''[[Battlezone II: Combat Commander|Battlezone II]]'' and ''[[Dark Reign 2]]'', were both sequels to the aforementioned games for Activision.
The company's president is [[Josh Resnick]] and its [[CEO]] is ''Andrew Goldman'' &mdash; both formerly worked at [[Activision]], and Pandemic was founded with an [[equity investment]] by Activision in 1998. Pandemic's first two games, ''[[Battlezone II: Combat Commander|Battlezone II]]'' and ''[[Dark Reign 2]]'', were both sequels to Activision games.


In 2000, Pandemic opened a satellite studio in the Brisbane suburb of [[Fortitude Valley]]. The first project was ''[[Army Men RTS]]'', a console [[real-time strategy|RTS]] game using the ''Dark Reign 2'' engine. This studio would later develop ''Destroy All Humans!''.
In 2000, Pandemic opened a development studio in [[Brisbane]], Australia, within the suburb of [[Fortitude Valley]], whose first project was ''[[Army Men: RTS]]'', a [[real-time strategy]] console game using the ''Dark Reign 2'' engine. ''Destroy All Humans!'' was the studio's next game. In 2003, the Los Angeles studio moved from its founding location at [[Santa Monica]] to a high-rise building in Westwood.


In November 2005, a partnership was announced between Pandemic and Canada's [[BioWare]], with private equity fund [[Elevation Partners]] investing in the partnership. Both companies retained their brands and identities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tgnforums.stardock.com/?ForumID=141&AID=91131|title=Bioware & Pandemic Merge|publisher=[[TotalGaming.net]]|format=News|date=November 3, 2005|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929110349/http://tgnforums.stardock.com/?ForumID=141&AID=91131|archive-date=September 29, 2007}}</ref> On October 11, 2007, it was announced that [[VG Holding Corp.]], BioWare and Pandemic's owner, would be acquired by [[Electronic Arts]] as of January 2008, subject to [[Federal Trade Commission|FTC]] approval.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20071011006083/en/EA-Acquire-BioWare-Corp.-Pandemic-Studios|title=EA To Acquire BioWare Corp. and Pandemic Studios|website=[[Business Wire]]|publisher=[[Berkshire Hathaway]]|date=October 11, 2007|access-date=July 12, 2019}}</ref>
In 2003, the Los Angeles studio moved from its founding location at [[Santa Monica]] to a high-rise building in Westwood.


In February 2009, the Brisbane office was shut down.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ausgamers.com/news/read/2707354|title=Pandemic Brisbane Shut Down |date=February 11, 2009|access-date=February 12, 2009|publisher=Ausgamers.com}}</ref> Nine months later, in November, EA cut a total of 1,500 jobs, which affected various studios, including Pandemic. On November 17, EA officially confirmed Pandemic's closure, laying off 228 employees. The company absorbed 35 Pandemic employees into its [[EA Los Angeles]] studio to support ''The Saboteur'' and an unannounced project which was later revealed to be ''Mercs Inc'', a sequel to the ''Mercenaries'' series.<ref name="Mercs Inc">{{cite web |url=http://kotaku.com/5412103/ea-makes-mercs-inc-a-new-pandemic-game-official-[update |title=EA Makes Mercs Inc, A New "Pandemic" Game, Official [UPDATE] |author=Stephen Totilo |date=November 24, 2009 |publisher=[[Kotaku]] |access-date=November 21, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://kotaku.com/5406830/confirmed-ea-closes-pandemic-studios-says-brand-will-live-on |title=Confirmed: EA Closes Pandemic Studios, Says Brand Will Live On |author=Brian Crecente |date=November 17, 2009 |publisher=[[Kotaku]] |access-date=November 17, 2009 }}</ref> In response, four former employees of the studio created an [[Office Space]]-style video, where they are shown smashing their office printer.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kotaku.com/5410999/pandemic-studios-says-goodbye-geek-gangsta-style |title=Pandemic Studios Says Goodbye Geek Gangsta Style |author=Kotaku |date=November 23, 2009 |publisher=[[Kotaku]] |access-date=November 23, 2009 }}</ref>
In November 2005, it was announced that Pandemic and [[BioWare]] would be joining forces, with private equity fund [[Elevation Partners]] investing in the partnership. However, both companies will retain their brands and identities<ref>''[http://tgnforums.stardock.com/?ForumID=141&AID=91131 Bioware & Pandemic Merge]'' - [[TotalGaming.net]] news, [[3 November]], [[2005]]</ref>.


Over a dozen former Pandemic developers are now employed at [[343 Industries]] having worked on ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary]]'' and ''[[Halo 4]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://gamer.blorge.com/2010/11/21/microsoft-hires-ex-pandemic-members-for-new-halo-game/ |title=Microsoft hires ex-Pandemic members for new Halo game |publisher=gamer.blorge.com |date=November 21, 2010 |access-date=June 2, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708073222/http://gamer.blorge.com/2010/11/21/microsoft-hires-ex-pandemic-members-for-new-halo-game/ |archive-date=July 8, 2011 }}</ref> Other former employees have gone to work for [[Infinity Ward]], [[Treyarch]], [[Respawn Entertainment]] (who EA would later acquire in 2017), [[Blendo Games]] and many others.
On October 11, 2007, it was announced that VG Holding Corp, the owners of [[Bioware]] and Pandemic Studios, would be acquired by [[Electronic Arts]] as of January 2008, subject to [[Federal Trade Commission|FTC]] approval.<ref>''[http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20071011006083&newsLang=en EA To Acquire BioWare Corp. and Pandemic Studios]''</ref>


== Technology ==
In February 2009, their office in [[Brisbane]], [[Australia]] was shut down.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ausgamers.com/news/read/2707354|title=Pandemic Brisbane Shut Down |date=2009-02-11|accessdate=2009-02-12|publisher=Ausgamers.com}}</ref>
Zero<ref name="swtcw makingof">''Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' "making of" video</ref> is the common name for the evolution of the proprietary [[game engine]] created by Pandemic Studios. It was used first in the game ''[[Battlezone II: Combat Commander]]'' and later used in several ''[[Star Wars]]'' games including the popular [[Star Wars Battlefront (series)|''Battlefront'' series]]. ''Battlezone II: Combat Commander'' and ''[[Dark Reign 2]]'' both feature an in-engine editor accessible via commands.<ref name="ign pandemic">{{Cite web |last=Fahs |first=Travis |date=December 17, 2009 |title=IGN Presents the History of Pandemic |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/12/07/ign-presents-the-history-of-pandemic |accessdate=December 20, 2022 |publisher=[[IGN]]}}</ref> It was given additional 3D functionality with ''Dark Reign 2'',<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kasavin |first=Greg |date=February 2, 2012 |title=Dark Reign 2 Impressions |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/dark-reign-2-impressions/1100-2446514/ |accessdate=December 20, 2022 |publisher=[[GameSpot]]}}</ref> which was further improved upon for ''[[Army Men: RTS]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Walker |first=Trey |date=November 9, 2011 |title=Hands-on Army Men: RTS |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/hands-onarmy-men-rts/1100-2823856/ |accessdate=December 20, 2022 |publisher=[[GameSpot]]}}</ref>


The engine was revamped for ''[[Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2002 video game)|Star Wars: The Clone Wars]]'' to accommodate consoles and third person gameplay.<ref name="swtcw makingof" /> The engine was again retooled for ''[[Star Wars: Battlefront]]'' and the level editor was made a separate entity from the game engine. A set of modding tools including ZeroEdit, the new level creation tool, were released for use with ''Star Wars: Battlefront'' on December 23, 2004. An updated version of the tools were released on February 2, 2006 for ''[[Star Wars: Battlefront II (2005 video game)|Star Wars: Battlefront II]]''. Pandemic used Zero as their primary engine for several of their games developed in their [[Los Angeles, California]] studio. [[Havok (game engine)|Havok]] physics engine capabilities were integrated with ''Zero'' for ''[[Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kasavin |first=Greg |date=May 12, 2004 |title=Mercenaries E3 2004 Preshow Impressions |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/mercenaries-e3-2004-preshow-impressions/1100-6097405/ |accessdate=December 20, 2022 |publisher=[[GameSpot]]}}</ref> A new engine was built for 2008's ''Mercenaries 2: World in Flames''.<ref name="ign pandemic" />
In November 2009, the owner of Pandemic Studios, Electronic Arts, cut a total of 1500 jobs which affected various studios. Rumors have said that Pandemic Studios will be closed as part of the cost cutting measures by Electronic Arts and that some of their current projects such as [[The Saboteur]] will be passed on to Electronic Arts Los Angeles. <ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.videogamer.com/news/ea_closes_pandemic_studios.html
| title = EA closes Pandemic Studios
| accessdate = 2009-11-18
| author = James Orry
}}
</ref>

On November 17, 2009, EA officially confirmed Pandemic Studios will be closed, laying off 228 employees. EA will absorb 35 Pandemic employees to support The Saboteur & an unannounced project rumored to be Project X from their website.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kotaku.com/5406830/confirmed-ea-closes-pandemic-studios-says-brand-will-live-on |title=Confirmed: EA Closes Pandemic Studios, Says Brand Will Live On |author=Brian Crecente |date=November 17, 2009 |work= |publisher=[[Kotaku]] |accessdate=November 17, 2009 }}</ref>

==Teams==
At the time of closing, several development teams existed inside Pandemic:
* [[Full Spectrum Warrior]] team, responsible for the original game as well as its sequel, ''[[Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers]]''.
* [[Star Wars]] team, who developed the ''[[Star Wars: Battlefront]]'' series,
* [[Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction|Mercenaries]] team, has recently finished production on ''[[Mercenaries 2: World in Flames]]'', which was released on August 31st 2008, published by [[EA Games]].
* ''[[The Saboteur (2009 video game)|The Saboteur]]'' team, who are currently developing the game ''[[The Saboteur (2009 video game)|The Saboteur]]'' which is a game chronicling the adventures of a French resistance fighter during WWII.

===Defunct Teams===
* The [[Brisbane]] Team was working on many projects, including Projects B and Q, ''[[The Dark Knight (video game)|The Dark Knight]]'' video game, and ''The Next Big Thing'' (an episodic Wii game), when their branch was closed. All the games they had in production were canceled.

==Games==
===Completed games===
*''[[Battlezone II]]'' (1999)
*''[[Dark Reign 2]]'' (2000)
*''Triple Play 2002'' (2002)
*''[[Army Men RTS]]'' (2002)
*''[[Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2002 video game)|Star Wars: The Clone Wars]]'' (2002)
*''[[Full Spectrum Warrior]]'' (2004)
*''[[Star Wars: Battlefront]]'' (2004)
*''[[Star Wars: Battlefront II]]'' (2005)
*''[[Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction]]'' (2005)
*''[[Destroy All Humans!]]'' (2005)
*''[[Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers]]'' (2006)
*''[[Destroy All Humans! 2]]'' (2006)
*''[[Mercenaries 2: World in Flames]]'' (2008)
*''[[The Lord of the Rings: Conquest]]'' (2009)

===Games in development===
Pandemic currently has one announced game, Saboteur, in production and two unannounced games known simply as Project X and Y which are listed on Pandemic's Official Site. Project X has been listed since 2007 while Project Y was recently listed in 2009. Both projects are rumored to be based on the Mercenaries franchise.
*''[[The Saboteur (2009 video game)|The Saboteur]]'' (2009)
* An untitled project simply entitled "Project X"<ref name="Secret Projects">[http://www.pandemicstudios.com/proj_x.php Secret Projects]</ref> (initially rumored to be [[Star Wars: Battlefront III]], but later debunked<ref>[http://www.pandemicstudios.com/community/viewtopic.php?pid=603741#p603741 Pandemic Studios Forums Post]</ref> <ref>[http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=210196 Article later posted]</ref>)
* An untitled project entitled Project Y.[http://www.pandemicstudios.com/corp/proj_x.php]<ref>Project Y Site:http://www.pandemicstudios.com/corp/currentprojects </ref>


== Games developed ==
===Cancelled games===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
Pandemic currently has three cancelled games mainly due to the closure of its Brisbane Studio in which one announced game, The Dark Knight, and two unannounced games, Project B and Q, were in development at time of closure. The listings of Project B and Q disappeared from Pandemic's Official Site on the day of the Brisbane Studio's closure.
|-
*Project B
! Year !! Title !! Platform(s)
*Project Q
|-
* [[The Dark Knight (video game)|The Dark Knight]] (cancelled) <ref>http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/88736-Screwing-Up-Batman</ref>
| {{dts|1999|12|31|format=y}} || ''[[Battlezone II: Combat Commander]]'' || rowspan="2"| [[Microsoft Windows]]
|-
| {{dts|2000|06|30|format=y}} || ''[[Dark Reign 2]]''
|-
| {{dts|2002|03|11|format=y}} || ''[[Triple Play 2002]]'' || [[PlayStation 2]], [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]]
|-
| {{dts|2002|03|24|format=y}} || ''[[Army Men: RTS]]'' || Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, [[GameCube]]
|-
| {{dts|2002|10|28|format=y}} || ''[[Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2002 video game)|Star Wars: The Clone Wars]]'' || GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox
|-
| {{dts|2004|06|01|format=y}} || ''[[Full Spectrum Warrior]]'' || Xbox, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2
|-
| {{dts|2004|09|20|format=y}} || ''[[Star Wars: Battlefront (2004 video game)|Star Wars: Battlefront]]'' || Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox, [[macOS]]
|-
| {{dts|2005|01|10|format=y}} || ''[[Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction]]'' || rowspan="2"| PlayStation 2, Xbox
|-
| {{dts|2005|06|21|format=y}} || ''[[Destroy All Humans! (2005 video game)|Destroy All Humans!]]''
|-
| {{dts|2005|10|31|format=y}} || ''[[Star Wars: Battlefront II (2005 video game)|Star Wars: Battlefront II]]'' || Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Xbox
|-
| {{dts|2006|03|28|format=y}} || ''[[Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers]]'' || Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox
|-
| {{dts|2006|10|17|format=y}} || ''[[Destroy All Humans! 2]]'' || PlayStation 2, Xbox
|-
| {{dts|2008|08|31|format=y}} || ''[[Mercenaries 2: World in Flames]]'' || Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, [[PlayStation 3]], [[Xbox 360]]
|-
| {{dts|2009|01|13|format=y}} || ''[[The Lord of the Rings: Conquest]]'' || Microsoft Windows, [[Nintendo DS]], PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
|-
| {{dts|2009|12|03|format=y}} || ''[[The Saboteur]]'' || Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
|}


===Cancelled===
Either Project B or Q was ''The Next Big Thing'', previously titled ''No Limits Racing'', for the [[Wii]]. The project was supposed to utilize [[Mii]]'s and feature celebrity cameos like [[Mr. T]] and [[David Hasselhoff]].
* ''[[Batman: The Dark Knight (video game)|Batman: The Dark Knight]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/88736-Screwing-Up-Batman|title=Screwing Up ''Batman''|date=17 January 2009}}</ref>
* ''Mercenaries 3: No Limits''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kotaku.com/5690052/your-first-and-last-look-at-mercenaries-3 |title=Your First (And Last) Look At Mercenaries 3 |author=Luke Plunkett |date=November 15, 2010 |work=[[Kotaku]] |publisher=[[Gawker Media]] |access-date=November 14, 2010}}</ref>
* ''The Next Big Thing''/''No Limits Racing''<ref>{{cite web|first=Ben|last=Gilbert|url=https://www.engadget.com/2009/08/01/canceled-pandemic-wii-title-wanted-to-be-the-next-big-thing/|website=[[Engadget]]|publisher=[[Verizon Media]]|title=Canceled Pandemic Wii title wanted to be 'The Next Big Thing|date=January 8, 2009|access-date=May 21, 2019}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.pandemicstudios.com/ Official website]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090430013637/http://www.pandemicstudios.com/corp/index.php Official site]


{{Pandemic Studios}}
[[Category:Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences members]]
{{Electronic Arts}}
[[Category:Companies established in 1998]]
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Defunct video game companies]]
[[Category:Electronic Arts]]
[[Category:Video game companies of the United States]]
[[Category:Video game developers]]
[[Category:Companies disestablished in 2009]]


[[Category:Electronic Arts subsidiaries]]
[[de:Pandemic Studios]]
[[Category:Defunct video game companies of the United States]]
[[es:Pandemic Studios]]
[[Category:Video game companies established in 1998]]
[[fr:Pandemic Studios]]
[[Category:Video game companies disestablished in 2009]]
[[nl:Pandemic Studios]]
[[Category:2007 mergers and acquisitions]]
[[simple:Pandemic Studios]]
[[Category:Video game development companies]]
[[sv:Pandemic Studios]]
[[Category:Defunct companies based in Greater Los Angeles]]
[[category:1998 establishments in California]]
[[category:2009 disestablishments in California]]

Revision as of 17:27, 11 March 2024

Pandemic Studios, LLC
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryVideo games
Founded1998; 26 years ago (1998)
Founders
  • Andrew Goldman
  • Josh Resnick
DefunctNovember 17, 2009 (2009-11-17)
FateDissolved
Headquarters
Westwood, Los Angeles
,
US
Key people
Products
Number of employees
200+ (2009)
Parent

Pandemic Studios, LLC was an American video game developer based in Westwood, Los Angeles. Andrew Goldman and Josh Resnick founded the studio in 1998 after leaving Activision. Pandemic Studios, alongside BioWare, was acquired in 2005 by Elevation Partners and placed under VG Holding Corp., which in 2007 was sold to Electronic Arts (EA). EA closed Pandemic Studios in 2009. Pandemic Studios is known for a variety of titles, including Full Spectrum Warrior, Star Wars: Battlefront, Dark Reign 2, Destroy All Humans!, Mercenaries, and The Saboteur.

History

Pandemic was formed in 1998 by president Josh Resnick and CEO Andrew Goldman, both formerly of Activision, along with most of the original team members that worked on Battlezone and Dark Reign: The Future of War.[1] The studio was founded with an undisclosed equity investment by Activision.[2] The company name was narrowed down from around six choices, including Seismic.[1] In the end, Pandemic was chosen as the name.[1] Pandemic's first two games, Battlezone II and Dark Reign 2, were both sequels to the aforementioned games for Activision.

In 2000, Pandemic opened a development studio in Brisbane, Australia, within the suburb of Fortitude Valley, whose first project was Army Men: RTS, a real-time strategy console game using the Dark Reign 2 engine. Destroy All Humans! was the studio's next game. In 2003, the Los Angeles studio moved from its founding location at Santa Monica to a high-rise building in Westwood.

In November 2005, a partnership was announced between Pandemic and Canada's BioWare, with private equity fund Elevation Partners investing in the partnership. Both companies retained their brands and identities.[3] On October 11, 2007, it was announced that VG Holding Corp., BioWare and Pandemic's owner, would be acquired by Electronic Arts as of January 2008, subject to FTC approval.[4]

In February 2009, the Brisbane office was shut down.[5] Nine months later, in November, EA cut a total of 1,500 jobs, which affected various studios, including Pandemic. On November 17, EA officially confirmed Pandemic's closure, laying off 228 employees. The company absorbed 35 Pandemic employees into its EA Los Angeles studio to support The Saboteur and an unannounced project which was later revealed to be Mercs Inc, a sequel to the Mercenaries series.[6][7] In response, four former employees of the studio created an Office Space-style video, where they are shown smashing their office printer.[8]

Over a dozen former Pandemic developers are now employed at 343 Industries having worked on Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary and Halo 4.[9] Other former employees have gone to work for Infinity Ward, Treyarch, Respawn Entertainment (who EA would later acquire in 2017), Blendo Games and many others.

Technology

Zero[10] is the common name for the evolution of the proprietary game engine created by Pandemic Studios. It was used first in the game Battlezone II: Combat Commander and later used in several Star Wars games including the popular Battlefront series. Battlezone II: Combat Commander and Dark Reign 2 both feature an in-engine editor accessible via commands.[11] It was given additional 3D functionality with Dark Reign 2,[12] which was further improved upon for Army Men: RTS.[13]

The engine was revamped for Star Wars: The Clone Wars to accommodate consoles and third person gameplay.[10] The engine was again retooled for Star Wars: Battlefront and the level editor was made a separate entity from the game engine. A set of modding tools including ZeroEdit, the new level creation tool, were released for use with Star Wars: Battlefront on December 23, 2004. An updated version of the tools were released on February 2, 2006 for Star Wars: Battlefront II. Pandemic used Zero as their primary engine for several of their games developed in their Los Angeles, California studio. Havok physics engine capabilities were integrated with Zero for Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction.[14] A new engine was built for 2008's Mercenaries 2: World in Flames.[11]

Games developed

Year Title Platform(s)
1999 Battlezone II: Combat Commander Microsoft Windows
2000 Dark Reign 2
2002 Triple Play 2002 PlayStation 2, Xbox
2002 Army Men: RTS Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, GameCube
2002 Star Wars: The Clone Wars GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox
2004 Full Spectrum Warrior Xbox, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2
2004 Star Wars: Battlefront Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox, macOS
2005 Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction PlayStation 2, Xbox
2005 Destroy All Humans!
2005 Star Wars: Battlefront II Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Xbox
2006 Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox
2006 Destroy All Humans! 2 PlayStation 2, Xbox
2008 Mercenaries 2: World in Flames Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
2009 The Lord of the Rings: Conquest Microsoft Windows, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
2009 The Saboteur Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Cancelled

References

  1. ^ a b c Keefer, John (March 31, 2006). "GameSpy Retro: Developer Origins, Page 6 of 19". GameSpy. Archived from the original on June 9, 2007.
  2. ^ Meyer, Bill (June 12, 1998). "Activision Invests: Pandemic Studios". gamecenter.com. Archived from the original on October 10, 1999. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  3. ^ "Bioware & Pandemic Merge". TotalGaming.net. November 3, 2005. Archived from the original (News) on September 29, 2007.
  4. ^ "EA To Acquire BioWare Corp. and Pandemic Studios". Business Wire. Berkshire Hathaway. October 11, 2007. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  5. ^ "Pandemic Brisbane Shut Down". Ausgamers.com. February 11, 2009. Retrieved February 12, 2009.
  6. ^ Stephen Totilo (November 24, 2009). "EA Makes Mercs Inc, A New "Pandemic" Game, Official [UPDATE]". Kotaku. Retrieved November 21, 2009.
  7. ^ Brian Crecente (November 17, 2009). "Confirmed: EA Closes Pandemic Studios, Says Brand Will Live On". Kotaku. Retrieved November 17, 2009.
  8. ^ Kotaku (November 23, 2009). "Pandemic Studios Says Goodbye Geek Gangsta Style". Kotaku. Retrieved November 23, 2009.
  9. ^ "Microsoft hires ex-Pandemic members for new Halo game". gamer.blorge.com. November 21, 2010. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
  10. ^ a b Star Wars: The Clone Wars "making of" video
  11. ^ a b Fahs, Travis (December 17, 2009). "IGN Presents the History of Pandemic". IGN. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  12. ^ Kasavin, Greg (February 2, 2012). "Dark Reign 2 Impressions". GameSpot. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  13. ^ Walker, Trey (November 9, 2011). "Hands-on Army Men: RTS". GameSpot. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  14. ^ Kasavin, Greg (May 12, 2004). "Mercenaries E3 2004 Preshow Impressions". GameSpot. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  15. ^ "Screwing Up Batman". 17 January 2009.
  16. ^ Luke Plunkett (November 15, 2010). "Your First (And Last) Look At Mercenaries 3". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Retrieved November 14, 2010.
  17. ^ Gilbert, Ben (January 8, 2009). "Canceled Pandemic Wii title wanted to be 'The Next Big Thing". Engadget. Verizon Media. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
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