| Titus Interactive | |
| Fate: | Bankruptcy and dissolution; assets now owned by Interplay Entertainment |
| Foundation: | (as Titus France SA) |
| Location: | Lagny-sur-Marne, France |
| Revenue: | € 73.2 million (2002) |
| Founders: | Eric Caen, Hervé Caen |
| Industry: | Video games |
| Homepage: | www.titus-interactive.com (archived) |
| Divisions: | Digital Integration Ltd. BlueSky Software |
| Subsid: | Titus Interactive Studio Titus Software Corporation Titus Japan K.K. Titus Software UK Limited PronostiX S.A. Sofra Jeux EyeOne A/S Interplay Europe Avalon Interactive Avalon France |
Titus Interactive SA,[1] known as Titus France SA until March 1999,[2] [3] was a French software publisher that produced and published video games for various platforms. Its head office was located in Parc de l'Esplanade in Lagny sur Marne in Greater Paris.[1] At one time, it was instead located in Montfermeil, also in Greater Paris.[2]
The company's mascot was Titus, the title character of Titus the Fox.
The company was founded by brothers Eric Caen and Hervé Caen in France in 1985.[4]
In 1991, Titus purchased Palace Software, the gaming division of the Palace Group.[5]
In 1998, the company purchased the developers BlueSky Software[6] and Digital Integration Ltd.
In late 1999, the company acquired shares in struggling publisher Interplay Entertainment, including a stake in publisher/distributor Virgin Interactive.
Throughout the next few years, Titus signed North American distribution deals with smaller publishers. They signed a deal with Cryo Interactive in March 2000,[7] with Rage Software in September 2000,[8] and Microids in May 2001.[9] [10] In 2002, Titus Japan K.K. signed a similar distribution deal with Konami for Japan.[11]
In August 2000, they signed a deal with Viacom Consumer Products to publish games based on the Top Gun franchise.[12]
In August 2001, Titus took the control of Interplay.[13] However prior to this, Titus took over distributing their own titles in the North American market as well as Virgin's from them.[14]
In June 2004, Titus filed for bankruptcy, declaring an unseeable future for Interplay.[15] On January 9, 2005, a French district commercial court declared Titus bankrupt with a €33 million (US$43.8 million) debt.[16] [17] Titus' French subsidiaries were later closed down, while their assets were soon purchased by Interplay.
Titus began releasing titles for home computers such as the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, and IBM PC compatibles before moving on to consoles like the Master System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, and Game Boy Color, PlayStation, Dreamcast and Nintendo 64, followed by games for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox.
Titus designed games such as Virtual Kasparov, Automobili Lamborghini, Virtual Chess 64, Roadsters (the Nintendo 64 version), Incredible Crisis (developed by Polygon Magic), Prehistorik Man and Lamborghini American Challenge, that were given positive reviews. Titus however was also involved in the creation of games that were notable due to their negative reception. Superman for the Nintendo 64 was notorious for its negative status among gamers. GameTrailers called it the worst game of all time.[18] As of 2018, it holds a score of 23% at GameRankings.[19] Similarly, the 2003 game RoboCop also received negative reviews. GameSpot gave it 2.2/10 saying "RoboCop has a bevy of horrible problems that render the game practically unplayable".[20]
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| Year | Title | Platform(s) | Developer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Worms World Party | Team17 | ||
| Virtual Kasparov | Titus Interactive Studio | ||
| Exhibition of Speed | Player 1 | ||
| Hands of Time | Mirage | ||
| Fluid Studios | |||
| Xena: Warrior Princess | Titus Interactive Studio | ||
| Hercules: The Legendary Journeys | |||
| RoboCop | |||
| Prehistorik Man | Titus Interactive Studio | ||
| Digital Integration | |||
| Stunt GP | Team17 | ||
| Planet Monsters | Planet Interactive | ||
| Kao the Kangaroo | Titus Interactive Studio | ||
| Original War | Altar Interactive | ||
| GSC Game World | |||
| Screamer 4x4 | Clever's Games | ||
| Nightstone | New Horizon Studios | ||
| Virtual Kasparov | Titus Interactive Studio | ||
| Tir et But: Edition Champions du Monde | |||
| Barbarian | Saffire | ||
| Downforce | Smart Dog | ||
| Digital Integration | |||
| Top Gun: Firestorm Advance | Fluid Studios | ||
| Downforce | Karma Studios | ||
| Barbarian | Saffire | ||
| Digital Integration | |||
| RoboCop | Titus Interactive Studio | ||
| RoboCop | GameCube | ||
| Game Boy Advance |
Titus had several subsidiaries. The United States subsidiary, Titus Software Corporation, had its head office in Chatsworth, Los Angeles. The Japanese subsidiary, Titus Japan K.K., had its head office on the eighth floor of the Kotubuki Dogenzaka Building in Dōgenzaka (JA), Shibuya, Tokyo.[1] The UK subsidiary, Titus Software UK Limited, had its head office in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire.[21]