Red 5 Studios
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| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer and video game industry |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Headquarters | Irvine, CA |
| Key people | Mark Kern Scott Youngblood |
| Employees | 43 |
| Website | http://www.red5studios.com/ |
Red 5 Studios is a computer game company currently most known for their high ratio of former employees of Blizzard Entertainment. The founders previously worked on World of Warcraft.[1] Mark Kern was Team Lead, William Petras was Art Director, and Taewon Yun was part of the company's Korean operation which oversaw the launch of World of Warcraft in Asia. The company will be focusing on creating Massively Multiplayer Online Entertainment. They are currently developing Firefall.
In March 2010 it was revealed that Chinese company The9 has acquired a majority stake in Red5.[2]
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[edit] Recruiting
In early 2007, Red 5 Studios launched a campaign to increase the size of the organization by recruiting the top game developers in the industry. Citing a lack of success using conventional recruiting methods, Red 5 turned to San Francisco-based Pool and Orange County-based Airbag Industries, to help them send a personalized recruiting pitch to each of the 100 prospective hires.
In early February, the project was completed, and each of the "dream hires" was delivered a package containing 5 nested art boxes, with an iPod Shuffle containing a personalized message in the center. As of June 2007, three of the candidates had joined Red 5, and a fourth was being interviewed.[3]
[edit] Recent history
On April 23, 2009, Red 5 Studios announced the closing of their Shanghai office.[4]
In January 2010 Red 5 laid off about 30 people.[5]
In March 2010 an announcement revealed that Chinese company The9 acquired majority shares in Red 5.[2]
On September 8, 2010, Red 5 Studios revealed Firefall at PAX Prime in Seattle, Washington.
On September 30, 2011 it was announced that Red 5 Singapore, a wholly owned subsidiary of The9, would substitute Webzen for publishing in all of the countries worldwide other than the United States, Canada and European countries.[6]
On October 21, 2011 Chinese company The9 establishes Red 5 Singapore to handle game operations in Asia.[7]
[edit] Game Development
At Pax Prime 2010 Red 5 Studios announced that Webzen will be publishing a tactical, team-based shooter game called Firefall that uses the Offset Engine.[8]
[edit] References
- ^ Interview with Mark Kern (Red 5 Studios), Game Tycoon
- ^ a b The9 Limited Announces Acquisition of Majority Interest in Red 5 Studios, Red 5 Studios
- ^ Covel, Simona, "Start-Up Lures Talent with Creative Pitch", Wall Street Journal, June 4, 2007. accessed September 20, 2007
- ^ http://www.red5studios.com/en/news/2009/04/23/red-5-to-focus-growth-in-us-office/ The Tribe Grows
- ^ http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/26960/Source_Red_5_Studios_Lays_Off_Workers.php Source: Red 5 Studios Lays Off Workers
- ^ [1]. The9 substitutes Webzen for Asian Publishing
- ^ [2], Red 5 Singapore
- ^ WEBZEN Signs Exclusive Worldwide Publishing Deal With Red 5, Red 5 Studios press release
- Red 5 Studios Aims To Be Pixar of Online Gaming, Techcrunch, December 11, 2006
[edit] External links
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