| Pyro Mobile | |
| Type: | Private company |
| Defunct: | 2017 |
| Location City: | Alcobendas |
| Location Country: | Spain |
| Key People: | Carlos Gonzálvez (general director) |
| Industry: | Interactive entertainment |
| Products: | Commandos series |
| Owner: | Zed |
| Parent: | Zed Group |
Pyro Mobile was a video game developer based in Madrid, Spain, established in 2012 as a merger between Play Wireless and Pyro Studios and eventually ceasing operations in the second half of 2017.[1] It is mostly known for its real-time tactics games series, Commandos.
Pyro Studios was founded in 1996 with the purpose of developing quality video games. The result of this commitment was the development of , which was released in 1998 and became the decade's most successful Spanish game. Gonzo Suárez, who had previously worked at Opera Soft, conceived the real-time tactics series.[2] The success of this title led to the release of a disk containing new missions entitled .
In October 2001, the Microsoft Windows version of was launched, followed by its release on Microsoft Xbox and Sony PlayStation 2, in September 2002. was released in October 2003. In total, the Commandos series has sold more than 5 million copies worldwide.
Praetorians, a 3D strategy game for Windows set at the time of Julius Caesar's campaigns, was released in February 2003.
Imperial Glory was released at the beginning of 2005 and its latest offering, released during the first months of 2006, is far more similar to the Medal of Honor or Call of Duty games than to earlier entries of the series. The game was heavily criticized and sold poorly; this led to the split with the publisher Eidos Interactive.
In late 2008, the studio cancelled an Xbox 360 and PS3 game named Cops, laying off 30 employees.[3] [4] For its sister company's film Planet 51, Pyro developed the console version of the game, released in November 2009.[5] [6]
In 2012, Pyro Studios merged with Play Wireless, establishing Pyro Mobile, a company to develop applications for smartphones, tablets and social media.[7] Its first mobile game, The Moleys, was released in December 2012.[8]