Double Helix Games Explained

Double Helix Games
Type:Subsidiary
Industry:Video games
Fate:Merged into Amazon Game Studios Orange County
Successor:Amazon Games Orange County
Hq Location City:Irvine, California
Hq Location Country:US
Num Employees:75
Num Employees Year:2014

Double Helix Games was an American video game developer based in Irvine, California, founded in October 2007 through the merger of The Collective and Shiny Entertainment, two studios owned by Foundation 9 Entertainment. Double Helix was acquired by Amazon and integrated into Amazon Game Studios in February 2014.

History

Double Helix Games was formed as the result of a merger between The Collective and Shiny Entertainment, two video game developers owned by Foundation 9 Entertainment. Shiny had been acquired by Foundation 9 in October 2006 under the terms that it would co-locate with the already owned The Collective.[1] On October 9, 2007, it was announced that both studios had relocated to new 60000square feet offices in Irvine, California, and were being merged, expected to not result in any job losses.[2] The amalgam, led by Michael Persson, received the name "Double Helix Games" in March 2008.[3]

In July 2009, as part of a round of consolidations within Foundation 9, Double Helix suffered an undisclosed number of staff cuts.[4] On February 5, 2014, Double Helix announced that it had been acquired by retailing company Amazon. The studio was integrated into the Irvine location of the retailer's Amazon Game Studios division, which had been established in 2012.[5] [6] Microsoft Studios, the publisher of Double Helix's Killer Instinct, stated that it would be working with a new development partner to continue development on the game.

Games developed

YearTitlePlatform(s)Publisher(s)
2008Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360Konami Digital Entertainment
2009G.I. Joe: The Rise of CobraPlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Xbox 360Electronic Arts
2010Front Mission EvolvedMicrosoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360Square Enix
2011PlayStation 3, Xbox 360Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
2012BattleshipPlayStation 3, Xbox 360Activision
2013Killer Instinct (season 1)Xbox OneMicrosoft Studios
2014StriderMicrosoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox OneCapcom
UFOs Love CowsAndroidAmazon Game Studios

Canceled

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Foundation 9 Acquires Shiny From Atari . Jason . Dobson . October 2, 2006 . . April 14, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180131024303/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/102045/Foundation_9_Acquires_Shiny_From_Atari.php . January 31, 2018 . live.
  2. Web site: Shiny, Collective Merged into Mega Studio . Daemon . Hatfield . October 9, 2007 . . April 28, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190428194013/https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/10/09/shiny-collective-merged-into-mega-studio . April 28, 2019 . live.
  3. Web site: Double Helix is new Foundation 9 studio . Mark . Androvich . March 27, 2008 . . April 14, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180625103920/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/double-helix-is-new-foundation-9-studio . June 25, 2018 . live.
  4. Web site: Foundation 9 Confirms Staff Cuts, Merges Studios . Kris . Graft . July 29, 2009 . . April 14, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131113164437/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/115562/Foundation_9_Confirms_Staff_Cuts_Merges_Studios.php . November 13, 2013 . live.
  5. Web site: Double Helix Games acquired by Amazon (update) . Megan . Farokhmanesh . February 5, 2014 . . April 14, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190408035434/https://www.polygon.com/2014/2/5/5384672/report-double-helix-games-acquired-by-amazon . April 8, 2019 . live.
  6. Web site: Amazon Acquires Video Gaming Studio Double Helix Games . Sarah . Perez . Colleen . Taylor . February 6, 2014 . . June 25, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170704105652/https://techcrunch.com/2014/02/05/amazon-acquires-video-gaming-studio-double-helix-games/ . July 4, 2017 . live.
  7. Web site: Harker On Hold . Ryan . Clements . April 22, 2008 . . April 14, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190414204023/https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/04/22/harker-on-hold . April 14, 2019 . live.