IllFonic
| File:Illfonic.png | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video game industry |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Founder |
|
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Chuck Brungardt (CEO) |
| Website | illfonic |
IllFonic LLC (/ˌɪlfəˈnɪk/, stylized as illfonic) is an American independent video game developer founded in 2007 by Raphael Saadiq, Chuck Brungardt, and Kedhrin Gonzalez. It is based in Denver, Colorado.
IllFonic was founded by Brungradt to produce records with Saadiq, but Gonzalez joined as they started development of video games. In 2010, they acquired the rights to Nexuiz and released it in 2012, but the servers were taken down in early 2013 due to THQ's liquidation and bankruptcy. In 2015, they started work on a video game, titled in-development Slasher Vol. 1: Summer Camp, but Friday the 13th producer Sean S. Cunningham approached them with the video game license that would transform the game into Friday the 13th: The Game. Eventually, Gun Media approached them to publish the game, with release slated for late-2016.
IllFonic, as reported by news outlets, were skilled at the CryEngine game engine. However, Gonzalez has confirmed that the team will now use Unreal Engine 4 instead of CryEngine.
History
IllFonic was founded in 2007 by Chuck Brungardt to work with close friend and entrepreneur Raphael Saadiq to produce R&B records.[1] Eventually, Kedhrin Gonzalez was brought in and IllFonic was founded to develop video games.
In 2010, IllFonic acquired the rights to Nexuiz and distributed it to THQ, but its liquidation and eventual Chapter 11 bankruptcy led the company to its defunct state, with its servers taken down in February 2013 following closure.[2] The game was polarized by critics.
In March, a cannabis dispensary next to IllFonic's studio was robbed, with the developer's studio being wrongly noted as the robbers. They were in custody for 5 minutes before a dispatch was sent to notify them that the address was incorrect. IllFonic stated on their media:
"The alarm to the marijuana dispensary next door was going off, the cops came to... investigate. They got the addresses wrong. This is the result. WE ARE NOT COMPLAINING ABOUT THE POLICE. If anything, we applaud them for their rapid response to an alarm going off, even if they had the wrong address."[3]
In June 2013, AMD approached IllFonic to render a test demo for their Ruby mascot using the CryEngine 3 game engine to showcase for GDC 2013.[4]
In July, IllFonic reported development of an online MMORPG called Revival.[5]
On February 2015, IGN reported a new game entitled Slasher Vol. 1: Summer Camp, which was under development with IllFonic at Gun Media, with release slated for that month.
In August, after the development and support for Star Citizen, IllFonic laid off 6 employees, of which 3 were in direct involvement with development.[6]
On December 6, Gonzalez posted on the Unreal Engine forum that IllFonic was looking for an off-site level designer with pay for the development of an upcoming video game, codenamed Project Advena. Along with this, Gonzalez responded to a reply stating that Unreal Engine 4 will instead be used for development instead of CryEngine.[7] Art Bully Productions, who designed characters for Nexuiz and Call of Duty: Black Ops III, will design characters for Advena.[8]
In early 2016, IllFonic and Gun Media announced that Slasher Vol. 1 would become Friday the 13th: The Game, an asymmetrical multiplayer to produced with Sean S. Cunningham and composed by the original composer of the 1980 film, Harry Manfredini, with both campaigns from Backerkit and Kickstarter created by Gun executive Randy Greenback collecting approximately $1.10 million in crowdfunding.[9][10] Kane Hodder, who portrayed Jason Voorhees in the original films, returned for motion capture. The game is expected to be released in October.
In March, a developer from IllFonic posted on the official forum that Revival was to be put on hold.[11] Developer Sniperhunter stated:
"We're going to have to figure some new way to make Revival happen, but we're not going to lie to you while we do and that's what this is about. So, is Revival dead? I really don't know, but whatever happens, it won't be moving ahead the way we'd planned its current form at IllFonic."[11]
Games developed
| Year | Title | Genre(s) | Platform(s) | Co-developer(s) | Publisher(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Nexuiz | First-person shooter | — | THQ | |
| 2014 | Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric | Wii U | Big Red Button | Sega | |
| 2016 | Moving Hazard | First-person shooter | Microsoft Windows | Pysop Games | Pysop Games |
| Star Citizen | Cloud Imperium Games | ||||
| 2017 | Friday the 13th: The Game | Survival horror | Gun Media | Gun Media | |
| TBA | Armored Warfare | Tactical shooter | Microsoft Windows | Obsidian Entertainment | My.com |
| Project: Advena[12] | TBA | TBA | TBA | Pysop Games |
References
- ^ "IllFonic pivots to work for hire to complement game development". Confluence Denver. August 16, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
- ^ Tach, Dave (February 27, 2013). "Nexuiz Xbox 360 servers taken offline". Polygon. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
- ^ Fisher, Ian (March 6, 2010). "IllFonic developers handcuffed due to police error". Shotgun Gamer. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
- ^ "CryENGINE licensees IllFonic still marching to their own beat". Crytek. June 3, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
- ^ Sarkar, Samit (July 29, 2016). "With Revival, IllFonic aims to 'revive the MMORPG'". Polygon. Retrieved August 13, 2016 – via Vox Media.
- ^ Sinclair, Brendan (August 17, 2015). "Illfonic sees layoffs". Gameindustry.biz. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
- ^ Gonzalez, Kedhrin (December 8, 2015). "Contract / Paid Off-Site Level Project Advena Designer". Unreal Engine. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
- ^ "Art Bully Productions LLC - Game and Cinematic Art Services". Art Bully Productions. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
- ^ "Friday the 13th: The Game - BackerKit". BackerKit. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
- ^ "Friday the 13th: The Game by Randy Greenback - Gun Media - Kickstarter". Kickstarter. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
- ^ a b "Revival". IllFonic. March 24, 2016. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
- ^ "IllFonic - Project: Advena". IllFonic. Retrieved August 16, 2016.