Gray Matter Interactive Studios, Inc. (Gray Matter Studios; formerly Xatrix Entertainment, Inc.) was an American video game developer based in Los Angeles.
 | |
| Formerly | Xatrix Entertainment, Inc. (1993–1999) |
|---|---|
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | March 1993 |
| Founders |
|
| Defunct | 2005 |
| Fate | Merged into Treyarch |
| Headquarters | , US |
Key people | Drew Markham (creative director) |
Number of employees | 18–20 (2001) |
| Parent | Activision (2002–2005) |
History
editDrew Markham and his business partner Barry Dempsey founded Xatrix Entertainment in March 1993. The studio's first release was Cyberia in 1994.[1] Among its later projects was Quake II Mission Pack: The Reckoning, for which it worked with publisher Activision.[2] Around 1999, some of the original business partners sought to exit the company. To handle this efficiently, Xatrix was transferred to a new corporation under Markham as creative director.[3] With the assistance of Activision, Gray Matter Studios was established on June 17, 1999, and took over most of the former employees.[4][5] Activision initially owned 40% of the studio.[6] It bought the remaining 60% in January 2002, after the successful release of Return to Castle Wolfenstein.[2][7] The publisher paid 133,690 shares of common stock, at the time worth around US$3.2 million.[7] Post-acquisition, the studio was put to work on the Call of Duty: United Offensive expansion.[8] It also worked on Trinity: The Shatter Effect, which was announced and then canceled in late 2003.[9][10] In 2005, during the development of Call of Duty 2: Big Red One, Gray Matter Studios was merged into Activision's Treyarch studio. As part of Treyarch, the former Gray Matter Studios team worked on Call of Duty 3.[8][11]
Games developed
editAs Xatrix Entertainment
edit| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1994 | Cyberia |
| 1995 | Cyberia 2: Resurrection |
| 1997 | Redneck Rampage |
| 1998 | Redneck Rampage Rides Again |
| Redneck Deer Huntin' | |
| Quake II Mission Pack: The Reckoning | |
| 1999 | Kingpin: Life of Crime |
As Gray Matter Studios
edit| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2001 | Return to Castle Wolfenstein |
| 2004 | Call of Duty: United Offensive |
Canceled
edit- Trinity: The Shatter Effect
References
edit- ^ "Corporate Profile". Xatrix Entertainment. Archived from the original on October 13, 1999.
- ^ a b "Activision Buys Gray Matter". IGN. January 15, 2002. Archived from the original on September 16, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
- ^ Presley, Paul (January 2001). "The World According to... Drew Markham". PC Zone. No. 98. Dennis Publishing. p. 158. Retrieved September 16, 2022 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Story". Gray Matter Studios. Archived from the original on February 5, 2002.
- ^ "News". Gray Matter Studios. Archived from the original on November 11, 2001.
- ^ "Return to Castle Wolfenstein". PC Player (in German). Future Verlag. April 2000. p. 18. Retrieved September 16, 2022 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ a b "Activision Acquires Rest Of Gray Matter Interactive". The Wall Street Journal. January 14, 2022. Archived from the original on September 16, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
- ^ a b Hall, Charlie (May 8, 2018). "Meet the studio behind Call of Duty: Black Ops and Zombies mode". Polygon. Archived from the original on September 16, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
- ^ Bramwell, Tom (November 7, 2003). "Activision cans Trinity and other titles". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ Bramwell, Tom (January 23, 2004). "Gray Matter still pulsing". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on September 16, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
- ^ Peel, Jeremy (February 15, 2021). "How Treyarch escaped Infinity Ward's shadow". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on September 16, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2022.