HB Studios
HB Studios Multimedia Limited is a Canadian video game developer based in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. It is best known for its rugby and cricket games.
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | July 2000 |
| Headquarters | , Canada |
Key people |
|
| Parent | 2K (2021–present) |
| Website | hb-studios.com |
History edit
HB Studios was founded in early July 2000 by Jeremy Wellard in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.[1] The company started with nine employees and developed Cricket 2002 for Electronic Arts.[2] The studio entered a multi-project deal with EA Canada in 2004 to continue developing sports games for the EA Sports label, including further games in the Rugby and Cricket series, FIFA Street 2 for the PlayStation Portable as well as co-development on Madden 07 for the Wii. This exclusivity deal ended in 2007.[3]
In 2008, HB Studios opened a second studio in Halifax, Nova Scotia. At the time, the company had 130 employees.[4] The Halifax studio was closed at the end of July 2012 with all development moved to the headquarters in Lunenberg. The last games developed by the satellite studio were NBA Baller Beats for Xbox 360 and Medal Bound for iOS.[5] A publishing label, HB Arcade, was formed in 2009 with the goal of self-publishing downloadable titles on WiiWare, PlayStation Network, and Xbox Live Arcade. Games released under this label included HB Arcade Cards and HB Arcade Disc Golf, both for WiiWare, as well as Jam Space for DSiWare.[6]
Wellard stepped down as president of the company in February 2015 and was to be replaced by Alan Bunker, the chief operating officer.[7] In August 2018, 2K Sports took over the publishing of The Golf Club 2019 featuring PGA Tour which was released on August 28, 2018.[8] Bunker departed the company in November 2019, with James Seaboyer taking over as chief executive officer. Dave McFarland, previously the technical director, became the chief technology officer, while Craig Heffler remained the chief financial officer.[9]
HB Studios was acquired by 2K in March 2021 and will continue to work on PGA Tour games. 2K also secured a long-term contract with Tiger Woods to use his likeness for these games as well as to serve as executive producer and consultant for the series.[10]
Games developed edit
| Year | Title | Publisher | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Cricket 2002 | EA Sports | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2 |
| 2003 | Cricket 2004 | ||
| Rugby 2004 | |||
| 2005 | Rugby 2005 | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox | |
| Cricket 2005 | |||
| 2006 | Rugby 06 | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2 | |
| FIFA Street 2 | PlayStation Portable | ||
| Madden NFL 07 | Wii | ||
| Cricket 07 | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2 | ||
| 2007 | UEFA Champions League 2006–2007 | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable | |
| Rugby 08 | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2 | ||
| NHL 08 | |||
| NBA Live 08 | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii | ||
| 2008 | UEFA Euro 2008 | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable | |
| Big Beach Sports | THQ | Wii | |
| NHL 09 | EA Sports | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2 | |
| FIFA 09 | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable | ||
| NBA Live 09 | PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii | ||
| 2009 | Rock Revolution | Konami | Nintendo DS, Wii |
| Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 | EA Sports | PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable | |
| Football Academy | Nintendo DS | ||
| HB Arcade Cards | HB Arcade | Wii | |
| FIFA 10 | EA Sports | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable | |
| NBA Live 10 | PlayStation Portable | ||
| 2010 | 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa | PlayStation Portable, Wii | |
| FIFA 11 Ultimate Team | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | ||
| Backyard Sports: Sandlot Sluggers | Atari | Microsoft Windows, Wii, Xbox 360 | |
| FIFA 11 | EA Sports | Android, iOS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable | |
| HB Arcade Disc Golf | HB Arcade | Wii | |
| Backyard Sports: Rookie Rush | Atari | Microsoft Windows, Wii, Xbox 360 | |
| HB Arcade Jam Space | HB Arcade | Nintendo DSi | |
| 2011 | Rugby World Cup 2011 | 505 Games | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 |
| Fight Night Champion | EA Sports | iOS | |
| Madden NFL 12 | PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii | ||
| HB Rugby: Fixture Challenge | HB Studios | iOS | |
| 2012 | Medal Bound | HB Studios | iOS |
| NBA Baller Beats | Majesco Entertainment | Xbox 360 | |
| Maze Adventures | HB Studios | iOS | |
| Ace Geographer: Canada | |||
| 2013 | MLB.com Home Run Derby | MLB.com | Android, iOS |
| MLB.com Franchise MVP | |||
| 2014 | MLB.com Home Run Derby 2014 | ||
| The Golf Club | HB Studios | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | |
| Rugby 15 | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, Xbox One | ||
| 2015 | Rugby World Cup 2015 | ||
| RBI Baseball 2015 | MLB | Android, iOS, macOS, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | |
| 2016 | Mark McMorris Infinite Air | Maximum Games | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One |
| RBI Baseball 2016 | MLB | Android, iOS, macOS, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | |
| 2017 | The Golf Club VR | HB Studios | Microsoft Windows |
| The Golf Club 2 | Maximum Games | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | |
| 2018 | The Golf Club 2019 featuring PGA Tour | 2K Sports | |
| 2020 | PGA Tour 2K21 | Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Stadia, Xbox One | |
| 2022 | PGA Tour 2K23 | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S |
References edit
- ^ Caie, Martin (24 November 2017). "HB Studios announces new studio". Gameplanet. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
- ^ . Mediaroom.acoa-apeca.gc.ca. 2007-03-23. Archived from the original on October 9, 2011. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
- ^ . Archived from the original on 2008-03-04. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
- ^ . Archived from the original on 2008-12-24. Retrieved 2009-01-06.
- ^ "'NBA Baller Beats' developer closing Halifax studio". 25 July 2012.
- ^ . HB Arcade. Archived from the original on 2011-10-06. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
- ^ "HB Studios announces CEO's retirement".
- ^ "2K Hits the Links as Publisher of the Golf Club 2019 Featuring PGA TOUR®". 28 August 2018.
- ^ "History – HB Studios".
- ^ Fahey, Mike (March 16, 2021). "2K Signs Tiger Woods, Buys The Studio Behind PGA Tour 2K21". Kotaku. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
External links edit
- Official website