Asobo Studio Explained

Asobo Studio SAS
Type:Private
Founders:
  • Sébastien Wloch
  • David Dedeine
  • Ralph Musti
  • Martial Bossard
  • Nicolas Coquard
  • Cédric Rousseau
  • Frédéric Seiss
  • Franck Manon
  • Alain Guyet
  • Nicolas Becavin
  • Patrice Bourroncle
  • Andreas Nick
Hq Location City:Bordeaux
Hq Location Country:France
Revenue: (2014)
Num Employees:250[1]
Num Employees Year:2022
Industry:Video games

Asobo Studio SAS is a French video game developer based in Bordeaux and founded in 2002. The studio is most known for developing video game adaptations of several Pixar movies, , and the 2020 and 2024 versions of Microsoft Flight Simulator. To develop most of their games, they use their own game engine called Zouna, which was originally developed in the 1990s by some of their own employees who used to work at Kalisto Entertainment. It was later further developed by Asobo.[2] [3] The studio's name is derived from the Japanese word "asobō" (遊ぼう) that means "let's play".

History

In 2002, a group of twelve video game developers purchased the rights to the multiplayer PlayStation 2 video game Super Farm from their previous employer, Kalisto Entertainment and founded Asobo Studio. The game was published in 2003 by Ignition Entertainment as their debut title.[4] During the following years, the studio developed several games for various platforms, until being chosen by publisher THQ to create the video game adaptation of Pixar film Ratatouille.[5] Asobo started increasing its growth-speed, recruiting about 20% new employees a year, leading to two separate production lines. Asobo was selected to develop the video game adaptation of Pixar's following films WALL-E and Up.[6] [7]

During the 2008 Games Convention, the video game publisher Codemasters announced Fuel, a racing game developed by Asobo Studio. Fuel was released in 2009 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.[8] The studio worked on Kinect Rush: A Disney-Pixar Adventure for Xbox 360 Kinect between 2010 and 2012. The game features a scanning process, enabling the player to create their own Pixar avatar, looking like them. It features characters from Ratatouille, The Incredibles, Cars, Up and Toy Story. The game was published by Microsoft and Disney Interactive Studios in March 2012.[9]

In 2014, Asobo Studio partnered with Ubisoft to release Monopoly Family Fun pack on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One, including Monopoly Plus, My Monopoly and Monopoly Deal,[10] as well as The Crew for Xbox 360.[11] In 2016, Asobo Studio partnered with Microsoft again to release two games on HoloLens: Fragments and Young Conker.[12] Both games are available in the Development Edition, released on March 30, 2016.[13] Asobo Studio was the first independent developer in Holographic Entertainment and won the 2016 French Video Game Creator Prize awarded by Syntec Numérique EY and SNJV.[14] In 2017, the studio announced , an adventure game,[15] released for PC and consoles in 2019 and published by Focus Home Interactive.[16] They also worked with Engine Software to develop Monopoly for Nintendo Switch, which came out later that year. On August 18, 2020, their next game, Microsoft Flight Simulator, was released for Microsoft Windows.[17]

In 2021, Sagard NewGen purchased a stake of just over 30% for €20 million, valuing the company at approximately €65 million.[18]

In March 2021, Asobo's Microsoft Flight Simulator won the Pégase for Best French video game of the year.[19] This is the second consecutive year that the studio has been awarded after in 2020.[20] The sequel of , titled , was released on October 18, 2022.[21]

Games developed

YearGamePublisherPlatform(s)
PS2XboxWinMacNGCPSPWiiX360PS3PS4XOneNSPS5XSX
2003Super Farm Ignition Entertainment
2004Sitting DucksLSP
The Mummy: The Animated SeriesHIP Interactive
2005
2006Garfield: A Tail of Two KittiesThe Game Factory
2007RatatouilleTHQ
2008WALL-E
2009FuelCodemasters
UpTHQ
2010Racket Sports PartyUbisoft
Toy Story 3Disney Interactive Studios
Racket SportsUbisoft
2012Microsoft Studios
2014The CrewUbisoft
Monopoly Plus
2016Fragments – HoloLensMicrosoft Studios
Young Conker – HoloLens
ReCore
2017Disneyland Adventures
Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Ani­mal Collection
2018The Crew 2Ubisoft
2019Focus Home Interactive
2020Microsoft Flight Simulator[22] Xbox Game Studios
2022Focus Entertainment
2024Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024Xbox Game Studios

Notes and References

  1. Web site: A Plague Tale Requiem Presentation: Tribeca Games Spotlight 2022. Tribeca Games Spotlight. June 11, 2022. June 12, 2022.
  2. Web site: Engine:Zouna - PCGamingWiki PCGW . 2024-01-22 . www.pcgamingwiki.com.
  3. Web site: Game Engine: Zouna . 2024-01-22 . MobyGames . en.
  4. Web site: César . Nicolas . January 22, 2013 . Asobo, le studio de jeux vidéo français qui a séduit Microsoft . https://web.archive.org/web/20220912124459/https://www.latribune.fr/regions/aquitaine/20130121trib000743842/asobo-le-studio-de-jeux-video-francais-qui-a-seduit-microsoft.html . September 12, 2022 . September 12, 2022 . . french.
  5. Web site: Casamassina . Matt . July 31, 2007 . Ratatouille Review . https://web.archive.org/web/20210628151321/https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/07/31/ratatouille-review-6 . June 28, 2021 . September 12, 2022 . . en.
  6. Web site: Disney•Pixar WALL-E on Steam . https://web.archive.org/web/20220219162836/https://store.steampowered.com/app/331750/DisneyPixar_WALLE/ . February 19, 2022 . September 12, 2022 . store.steampowered.com . en.
  7. Web site: Clayman . David . July 24, 2009 . Up Review . https://web.archive.org/web/20180328103401/https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/06/24/up-review-2 . March 28, 2018 . September 12, 2022 . . en.
  8. Web site: VanOrd . Kevin . June 10, 2009 . Fuel Review . https://web.archive.org/web/20220912135631/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/fuel-review/1900-6211794/ . September 12, 2022 . September 12, 2022 . GameSpot . en-US.
  9. News: Whitehead . Dan . April 6, 2012 . Kinect Rush Review . en-gb . Eurogamer.net . September 12, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220912135859/https://www.eurogamer.net/kinect-rush-review . September 12, 2022.
  10. Web site: Wright . James . December 12, 2014 . Monopoly Family Fun Pack XBox One Review - Impulse Gamer . https://web.archive.org/web/20190428040015/https://www.impulsegamer.com/monopoly-family-fun-pack-xbox-one-review/ . April 28, 2019 . September 12, 2022 . www.impulsegamer.com . en-US.
  11. Web site: The Crew . https://web.archive.org/web/20220912204449/https://www.ign.com/games/the-crew . September 12, 2022 . September 12, 2022 . IGN . en.
  12. Web site: Saed . Sherif . March 1, 2016 . Fragments sounds like the most exciting game for HoloLens . https://web.archive.org/web/20220912204840/https://www.vg247.com/hololens-game-fragments . September 12, 2022 . September 12, 2022 . VG247 . en.
  13. Web site: Martin . Matt . 2016-02-29 . Microsoft HoloLens dev kit costs $3,000, Young Conker revealed in new video . https://web.archive.org/web/20220912205535/https://www.vg247.com/microsoft-hololens-dev-kit-costs-3000-comes-with-young-conker . September 12, 2022 . 2022-09-12 . VG247 . en.
  14. Web site: 6ème édition du Top 250 des éditeurs et créateurs de logiciels français | Numeum . 2022-06-27 . 2021-08-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210801095942/https://syntec-numerique.fr/editeurs-logiciels/top-250/2016 . live .
  15. Web site: Foxell . Sam . 7 January 2017 . Focus Home Interactive and Asobo Studios collaborate on new adventure game, The Plague . https://web.archive.org/web/20210808132245/https://www.pcgamesn.com/the-plague/the-plague-announcement . August 8, 2021 . 14 May 2019 . PCGamesN.
  16. Reiner . Andrew . 24 January 2019 . A Plague Tale: Innocence Launches This May . . https://web.archive.org/web/20210808132247/https://www.gameinformer.com/2019/01/24/a-plague-tale-innocence-launches-this-may . August 8, 2021 . 14 May 2019.
  17. Web site: 2020-06-13. Microsoft Flight Simulator Set for Launch on August 18 for PC, also with Xbox Game Pass for PC (Beta). July 13, 2020. Microsoft Flight Simulator. en-US. 2020-07-13. https://web.archive.org/web/20200713132829/https://www.flightsimulator.com/microsoft-flight-simulator-set-for-launch-on-august-18-for-pc-also-with-xbox-game-pass-for-pc-beta/. live.
  18. Web site: Jeux vidéo : la pépite française Asobo valorisée 65 millions d'euros. Les Echos. fr. 2021-01-21. 2021-01-24. 2021-01-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20210121180655/https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/hightech/jeux-video-la-pepite-francaise-asobo-valorisee-65-millions-deuros-par-sa-premiere-levee-de-fonds-1283123. live.
  19. Web site: Pégase 2021 : «Flight Simulator» sacré jeu vidéo français de l'année. LA VDN. fr. 2021-03-17. 2021-03-18.
  20. Web site: Flight Simulator, du studio bordelais Asobo, sacré jeu vidéo français de l'année. LEFIGARO. 17 March 2021. fr. 2021-03-18. 2023-08-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20230828234300/https://www.lefigaro.fr/secteur/high-tech/flight-simulator-du-studio-bordelais-asobo-sacre-jeu-video-francais-de-l-annee-20210317. live.
  21. Web site: Stewart . Marcus . June 23, 2022 . A Plague Tale: Requiem Gets October Release Date And 10-Minute Gameplay Demo . https://web.archive.org/web/20220714013731/https://www.gameinformer.com/2022/06/23/a-plague-tale-requiem-gets-october-release-date-and-10-minute-gameplay-demo . July 14, 2022 . 2022-09-12 . Game Informer . en.
  22. Web site: Microsoft Flight Simulator | Asobo Studio. 2019-09-30. 2019-09-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20190930121126/https://www.asobostudio.com/news/microsoft-flight-simulator. live.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Asobo Studio".

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