Fox Interactive

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Fox Interactive
Type
IndustryVideo games
Founded1994
Defunct2003
FateConsolidated
SuccessorVivendi Universal Games
HeadquartersLos Angeles, California,
US
Products
BrandsFox Sports Interactive
Fox Arcade
OwnerNews Corporation (1994-2003)
Vivendi Universal (2003)
Parent20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (1994–2003)
Vivendi Universal Games (2003)

Fox Interactive was an American video game publisher based in Los Angeles, California. The company published titles based on 20th Century Fox properties.

History[edit]

As a subsidiary of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (1994–2003)[edit]

Fox Interactive was formed in May 1994, and was led by former Time Warner Interactive executive Ted Hoff, the company was a division of Fox Video (now 20th Century Studios Home Entertainment), the home media distribution part of 20th Century Fox.[1] The company published games based on 20th Century Fox properties, yet also published several original titles, such as, Croc: Legend of the Gobbos. 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment handled distribution of the company's products in North America, while Electronic Arts handled distribution elsewhere.[2]

The company released the titles, The Tick, based on the Fox Kids cartoon series of the same name, and The Pagemaster, based on the film of the same name, as their first releases. The company then released several arcade games, including, Die Hard Arcade and The Simpsons Bowling respectively with Sega and Konami.

In 1998, the company introduced the Fox Sports Interactive label, and signed a North American deal with Gremlin Interactive to release some of their Actua Sports titles under the banner.[3]

In August 1999, the company was announced to be publishing two titles from Monolith Productions: Sanity: Aiken's Artifact, and The Operative: No One Lives Forever.[4]

In August 2000, Unique Development Studios signed a deal to co-publish a Futurama title with Fox for a 2002 release.[5]

In 2001, Fox Interactive signed two publishing agreement deals. The first being with Electronic Arts for Aliens: Colonial Marines, The Simpsons: Road Rage, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer ,[6] and the other with Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing for Die Hard: Nakatomi Plaza and Die Hard: Vendetta, Cops, the PlayStation 2 port of The Operative: No One Lives Forever and its sequel.[7]

Label of Vivendi Universal Games (2003–2006)[edit]

In March 2003, 20th Century Fox sold the division to Vivendi Universal Games for an undisclosed amount.[8] After being purchased, the name was reduced to solely being a label for 20th Century Fox games published by Vivendi Universal Games. The label would be phased out by 2006.

As of 2021, video games based on 20th Century properties have been licensed out to third-party publishers on console and mobile devices.

Games[edit]

Year Title Platform(s) Developer(s) Publisher(s)
1994 The Tick SNES, Sega Genesis Software Creations Fox Interactive
The Pagemaster SNES, Sega Genesis, Game Boy Probe Software
1995 Icebreaker Microsoft Windows Magnet Interactive Studios
1996 Alien Trilogy PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Microsoft Windows Probe Entertainment Acclaim Entertainment
The Simpsons: Cartoon Studio Microsoft Windows, Mac OS Big Top Productions Fox Interactive
Die Hard Trilogy PlayStation, Microsoft Windows, Sega Saturn Probe Entertainment
1997 Die Hard Arcade Arcade, Sega Saturn Sega AM1 Sega
Independence Day Microsoft Windows, PlayStation, Sega Saturn Radical Entertainment Fox Interactive
The Simpsons: Virtual Springfield Microsoft Windows, Mac OS Digital Evolution
Croc: Legend of the Gobbos PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Microsoft Windows Argonaut Software
Anastasia: Adventures with Pooka and Bartok Microsoft Windows, Mac OS Motion Works
1998 Aliens Online Microsoft Windows Mythic Entertainment/Kesmai
Fox Sports Golf '99 PlayStation, Microsoft Windows Gremlin Interactive Fox Sports Interactive
Fox Sports Soccer '99
The X-Files Game Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, PlayStation HyperBole Studios Fox Interactive
N2O: Nitrous Oxide PlayStation Gremlin Interactive
Team LOSI RC Racer
Fox Sports College Hoops '99 Nintendo 64 Z-Axis Fox Sports Interactive
Motorhead PlayStation, Microsoft Windows Gremlin Interactive Fox Interactive
1999 Sci-Fi Pinball Microsoft Windows, Mac OS Gigawatt Studios Fox Arcade
Aliens Versus Predator Microsoft Windows, OS X Rebellion Developments Fox Interactive
Croc 2 PlayStation, Microsoft Windows Argonaut Software
NHL Championship 2000 Radical Entertainment Fox Sports Interactive
NBA Basketball 2000
2000 Die Hard Trilogy 2: Viva Las Vegas N-Space Fox Interactive
Croc Game Boy Color Virtucraft THQ
Sanity: Aiken's Artifact Microsoft Windows Monolith Productions Fox Interactive
Alien Resurrection PlayStation Argonaut Games
The Operative: No One Lives Forever Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, OS X Monolith Productions
King of the Hill Microsoft Windows, OS X Flying Tiger Development
The Simpsons Bowling Arcade Konami Konami
2001 Croc 2 Game Boy Color Natsume THQ
The Simpsons: Night of the Living Treehouse of Horror Creations
Aliens: Thanatos Encounter Crawfish Interactive
The Simpsons Wrestling PlayStation Big Ape Productions Activision
World's Scariest Police Chases Unique Development Studios
Planet of the Apes Microsoft Windows, Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Color, PlayStation Visiware/Torus Games Ubi Soft
Aliens Versus Predator 2 Microsoft Windows, OS X Monolith Productions Sierra Entertainment
The Simpsons: Road Rage PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube Radical Entertainment Electronic Arts
2002 Die Hard: Nakatomi Plaza Microsoft Windows Piranha Games Sierra Entertainment
No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.'s Way Microsoft Windows, OS X Monolith Productions
The Simpsons Skateboarding PlayStation 2 The Code Monkeys Electronic Arts
Ice Age Game Boy Advance Artificial Mind & Movement Ubi Soft
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Xbox The Collective Electronic Arts
Die Hard: Vendetta GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox Bits Studios Sierra Entertainment
2003 Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Rath of the Darkhul King Game Boy Advance Natsume THQ
The Simpsons: Road Rage Altron
Aliens Versus Predator: Extinction PlayStation 2, Xbox Zono Electronic Arts

References[edit]

  1. ^ Berniker, Mark (September 19, 1994). "Fox gets Interactive" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. Vol. 124, no. 38. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 8, 2021.
  2. ^ https://www.annualreports.com/HostedData/AnnualReportArchive/e/NASDAQ_ERTS_1999.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  3. ^ "Fox Starts Sports Label".
  4. ^ "Fox Interactive Pursue Sanity". November 2021.
  5. ^ "UDS Gets Futurama". 14 August 2000.
  6. ^ "EA signs publishing agreement with Fox".
  7. ^ Ahmed, Shahed (May 17, 2006). "Vivendi publishing Fox games". GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 3, 2021.
  8. ^ Pham, Alex (March 11, 2003). "Fox Sells Video Game Division to Vivendi". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 11, 2015.

External links[edit]