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EA Bright Light

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EA Bright Light
FormerlyEA UK
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryVideo games
PredecessorBullfrog Productions
Founded1995; 29 years ago (1995)
Defunct2011; 13 years ago (2011)
HeadquartersGuildford, England, United Kingdom
Key people
Harvey Elliott (General Manager)[1]
ProductsThe F.A. Premier League Football Manager series (1997–2001)
Harry Potter series (2002–2011)
OwnerElectronic Arts
Number of employees
100[2]
ParentElectronic Arts

EA Bright Light (formerly known as EA UK) was a UK-based video game developer founded in 1995 by Electronic Arts. The studio was primarily known for its work on licensed franchises such as the video game adaptation of the Harry Potter series. As of 2019, a subsidiary known as EA UK exists, albeit being a publishing operation.

History

EA UK was founded in Chertsey, England, United Kingdom in 1995 by Electronic Arts. In 2001, Bullfrog Productions was merged into EA UK, making it to inherit franchises such as Populous, Dungeon Keeper, Syndicate, and Theme Park.[3]

Originally focusing on developing original IPs, the studio released several well-received titles such as Zubo, the first EA title exclusive to Nintendo DS, in 2008.[4] However, the title was a commercial failure, forcing the company to amend its policy and shift to develop casual games and games that were aiming for younger audience.[2] In later years, they also worked on licensed franchises, such as the video game adaptation of the Harry Potter series, which generally received mixed reviews from critics.[5] The company also worked on few Hasbro-related board game adaptations, such as Hasbro Family Game Night, which was released in 2008.[6]

EA UK was renamed to EA Bright Light in 2008, with its headquarter moved to Guildford, England, United Kingdom.[7] In 2011, after both the movie and the video game franchise of Harry Potter were ended, Electronic Arts began a consultation process to shut down EA Bright Light so as to "help centralise development on future projects, reduce development costs and will allow for better knowledge and talent sharing within the organization".[8] After their last title, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 was released, Electronic Arts silently shut down EA Bright Light by the end of 2011.[9] Most employees from Bright Light joined Criterion Games and Playfish, the remaining 2 subsidiaries of Electronic Arts in UK,[10] while others joined Jagex and Supermassive Games.[2]

Despite EA declaring that Bright Light would revive several IPs from Bullfrog, none of the titles were developed before the company's closure.[11] Before the company's closure, it is known that they were developing a Maxis-related title.[2]

Games developed

Year Title Platform(s)
as EA UK
1997 FIFA Soccer Manager Microsoft Windows
1998 The F.A. Premier League Football Manager 99 Microsoft Windows
1999 The F.A. Premier League Stars Microsoft Windows, PlayStation
1999 The F.A. Premier League Football Manager 2000 Microsoft Windows
2000 The F.A. Premier League Football Manager 2001 Microsoft Windows, PlayStation
2000 The F.A. Premier League Stars 2001 Microsoft Windows, PlayStation
2001 The F.A. Premier League Football Manager 2002 Microsoft Windows
2001 F1 2001 PlayStation 2, Xbox
2002 Shox PlayStation 2
2002 FIFA Football 2003 PlayStation
2002 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox
2003 Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup GameCube, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox
2004 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox
2004 Catwoman GameCube, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox
2005 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire GameCube, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox, PlayStation Portable
2007 Burnout Dominator PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 2
2007 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, macOS
2007 The Orange Box PlayStation 3
as EA Bright Light
2008 Zubo Nintendo DS
2008 Monopoly PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360
2008 Hasbro Family Game Night PlayStation 2, Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
2009 Trivial Pursuit PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360
2009 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Microsoft Windows, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Xbox 360, macOS
2009 Need for Speed: Shift PlayStation Portable
2009 Hasbro Family Game Night 2 Wii, Nintendo DS
2009 Foto Face: The Face Stealer Strikes[12] DSiWare
2010 Flips[12] Nintendo DS
2010 Hasbro Family Game Night 3 PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360
2010 Create PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, Wii, Mac
2010 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 Microsoft Windows, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii
2011 Spare Parts PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
2011 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 Microsoft Windows, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii

References

  1. ^ Daniel Emery. "Inside Games: EA Bright Light Studio". BBC. Retrieved 2015-02-22.
  2. ^ a b c d Rob Crossley (2012-01-05). "EA switches off Bright Light studio". Developer Online. Retrieved 2015-02-22.
  3. ^ "Bullfrog Productions: A History Of The Legendary UK Developer". NowGamer. 22 February 2012. Archived from the original on 6 July 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  4. ^ Michael French (2008-05-13). "Feature: How new IP Zubo has changed the way EA UK makes games". Developer Online. Retrieved 2015-02-22.
  5. ^ "EA and Warner Bros. Announce Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Videogame". IGN. 2010-06-01. Retrieved 2015-02-22.
  6. ^ "EA Makes Family Game Night Easier Than Ever". IGN. 2009-11-06. Retrieved 2015-02-22.
  7. ^ Michael French (2007-11-01). "EA to close Chertsey, UK base as part of revamp". Developer Online. Retrieved 2015-02-22.
  8. ^ Jonathan Downin (2011-10-14). "EA considering closure of Harry Potter developer". GameSpot. Retrieved 2015-02-22.
  9. ^ Tom Curtis (2012-01-05). "Report: EA shuts down Bright Light". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2015-02-22.
  10. ^ Henry Gilbert (2012-01-02). "EA quietly closed Harry Potter studio Bright Light late last year". GamesRadar. Retrieved 2015-02-22.
  11. ^ James Orry (2009-07-20). "There's hope that EA will revive classic Bullfrog IP". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved 2015-02-22.
  12. ^ a b Michael French (2009-11-30). "EA Bright Light launches DSiWare game". Developer Online. Retrieved 2015-02-22.
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