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Empire Interactive

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Empire Interactive
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryVideo games
Founded1987; 39 years ago (1987)
Founders
  • Ian Higgins
  • Simon Jeffrey
Defunct1 May 2009 (2009-05-01)
FateAdministration
Headquarters
London
,
England
Area served
Europe
Key people
Ian Higgins (CEO; 1987–2008)
Number of employees
55 (2009)
ParentSilverstar Holdings (2006–2009)

Empire Interactive was a British video game developer and publisher based in London. Founded in 1987 by Ian Higgins and Simon Jeffrey, it was acquired by Silverstar Holdings in 2006 and collapsed in 2009.

History

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Empire Interactive was founded by Ian Higgins (chief executive officer) and Simon Jeffrey (managing director) in 1987.[1][2] In November 2000, the company acquired development studio Razorworks.[3]

As well as full priced titles, Empire also had a budget range of titles, Xplosiv, for PC and PS2.[4] Initially launched for PC in January 2000, Xplosiv also published titles in Europe from third parties such as Sega and Microsoft.[5][6] Later, in 2003, Empire began launching titles for PS2.[7]

In March 2002 Empire acquired music creation software eJay.[4][8] The company sold internal development studio Strangelite, responsible for Starship Troopers (2005) and various PC ports of Sega games, to Rebellion Developments on 1 June 2006.[9]

Silverstar Holdings, a U.S. public company listed on NASDAQ, offered a deal to acquire Empire Interactive in late October 2006.[10] The deal was accepted by 90% of Empire Interactive's shareholders by late November, and so Silverstar Holdings acquired 85% of Empire Interactive's shares. The deal was valued at approximately £4.5 million. Admissions of further Empire Interactive shares on the Alternative Investments Market of the London Stock Exchange, were expected to be cancelled, effective by 20 December.[1][11] Higgins stepped down from his position in May 2008.[2][12] In July, Empire Interactive reduced its staff count by 30%, with the intent to sell Razorworks.[13] Razorworks was sold to and absorbed by Rebellion Developments a few days later.[14] Two months after Silverstar Holdings was delisted from NASDAQ in March 2009, Empire Interactive was placed into administration on 1 May 2009, with KPMG Restructuring appointed as administrator. Subsequently, 49 out of 55 employees were laid off, with the remaining six staying to aiding KPMG Restructuring in the winding-down of the company. Empire Interactive's intellectual property was sold to U.S.-based company New World IP.[15][16] Shortly thereafter, U.S. publisher Zoo Publishing acquired an exclusive licence for the publishing and distribution of Empire Interactive from New World IP.[17][18]

In late June 2026, Işık Şekercigil, a British–Turkish dual citizen with a background in mobile gaming, claimed to have acquired the Empire Interactive trademark and established a company by that name. Unter this brand, Şekercigil further said to have obtained the brand for the defunct 3DO console and the intellectual property for some games by the 3DO Company with plans to revive the console and remaster the games.[19][20] The former was to include a retro console and a licensable console ecosystem, akin to the original 3DO.[21] Throwback Entertainment, which had previously acquired the 3DO's trademark, refuted these claims and said it had never transferred its ownership. Josh Fairhurst, the CEO of Limited Run Games, corroborated that the ownership had not changed hands and branded the revival announcement "not legitimate".[19][20] In early July, Şekercigil claimed that he had obtained the trademark for "The 3DO Company" instead of the console's "3DO" brand.[22] He further announced the abandonment of his plans for the 3DO revival, citing ownership claims raised over both games and hardware, as well as the fear of prolonged legal issues. Instead, he sought to develop original games under the Empire Interactive banner.[22][23][24]

Games

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References

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  1. 1 2 Boyes, Emma (22 November 2006). "Empire Interactive accepts Silverstar takeover". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 20 June 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  2. 1 2 "Empire Interactive co-founder stands down". MCV. 1 May 2008. Archived from the original on 17 September 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  3. ↑ Walker, Trey (21 November 2000). "Empire Interactive Acquires Razorworks". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 31 October 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  4. 1 2 "Corporate". Empire Interactive. 2004. Archived from the original on 24 January 2005.
  5. ↑ "Empire signs exclusive budget deal with Sega Enterprises for its budget range, Xplosiv" (PDF). Empire Interactive. October 2000. Archived from the original on 25 August 2006.
  6. ↑ "Empire Adds Momentous Value to Xplosiv Range" (PDF). Empire Interactive. 20 September 2004. Archived from the original on 1 September 2006.
  7. ↑ "Empire's Xplosiv business expands into PlayStation 2" (PDF). Empire Interactive. 2 May 2003. Archived from the original on 13 November 2004.
  8. ↑ "Empire Acquires eJay" (PDF). Empire Interactive. 7 March 2002. Archived from the original on 2 September 2006.
  9. ↑ Jenkins, David (1 June 2006). "Rebellion Acquires Strangelite From Empire". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on 23 January 2025. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  10. ↑ Boyes, Emma (30 October 2006). "Silverstar to acquire Empire". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 20 June 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  11. ↑ Boyer, Brandon (4 December 2006). "Empire Accepts 90% Acquisition From Silverstar". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on 19 February 2025. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  12. ↑ Androvich, Mark (1 May 2008). "Empire CEO steps down". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 20 June 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  13. ↑ Jenkins, David (3 July 2008). "Empire Interactive Cuts Staff, Will Sell Studio". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on 22 January 2025. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  14. ↑ Elliott, Phil (19 July 2008). "Rebellion acquires Razorworks". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 23 May 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  15. ↑ "Confirmed: Empire goes into administration". MCV. 5 May 2009. Archived from the original on 27 November 2024. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  16. ↑ Martin, Matt (5 May 2009). "Empire IP rights sold as 49 staff made redundant". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 20 September 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  17. ↑ Graft, Kris (7 May 2009). "Zoo Publishing Picks Up Empire Slate". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on 2 May 2025. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  18. ↑ Nelson, Randy (7 May 2009). "Empire Interactive's catalog sold to Zoo". Engadget. Archived from the original on 25 January 2025. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  19. 1 2 Yarwood, Jack (29 June 2026). ""I'm Currently Of The Opinion That This Is Not Legitimate" – There's Something Weird Going On With 3DO Right Now". Time Extension. Archived from the original on 2 July 2026. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  20. 1 2 Hayton, Phil (1 July 2026). "33 years later, the 3DO could make an unexpected comeback, but the '90s console revival is already being branded as "not legitimate"". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 2 July 2026. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  21. ↑ McFerran, Damien (30 June 2026). "3DO's (Alleged) New Owner "Working Carefully Through Complexities" To Return To The Hardware Arena". Time Extension. Archived from the original on 2 July 2026. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  22. 1 2 Yarwood, Jack (2 July 2026). "Empire Interactive Withdraws From "3DO Project" Due To "Likelihood Of Prolonged Legal Disputes"". Time Extension. Archived from the original on 2 July 2026. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  23. ↑ Hayton, Phil (2 July 2026). "Plans to revive the 3DO are already dead, with the publisher claiming it "did not anticipate such fragmentation of rights"". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 2 July 2026. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  24. ↑ Cooper, Daniel (2 July 2026). "A strange attempt to revive the 3DO is already dead". Engadget. Archived from the original on 2 July 2026. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
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