Danger Close Games (formerly DreamWorks Interactive LLC and EA Los Angeles) was an American
video game developer
A video game developer is a broad term for a software developer specializing in video game development – the process and related disciplines of creating video games. A game developer can range from one person who undertakes all tasks to a large ...
based in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. The company was founded in March 1995 as
joint venture
A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acces ...
between
DreamWorks SKG DreamWorks may refer to:
* DreamWorks Pictures, an American film production company of Amblin
** DreamWorks Television, an American television production company and division of the film studio
** DreamWorks Records, an American record label and ...
and
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...
(later moved to
Microsoft Games
Xbox Game Studios (formerly Microsoft Games, Microsoft Game Studios and Microsoft Studios) is an American video game publisher that acts as a division of technology company Microsoft. The division was created in March 2000 and replaced Microsoft' ...
) under the name DreamWorks Interactive, with studios in
Redmond, Washington
Redmond is a city in King County, Washington, United States, located east of Seattle. The population was 73,256 at the 2020 census, up from 54,144 in 2010.
Redmond is best known as the home of Microsoft and Nintendo of America.
With an an ...
, and Los Angeles.
In February 2000, the Los Angeles studio of DreamWorks Interactive was acquired by
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted the d ...
and renamed EA Los Angeles, and to Danger Close Games in 2010. The studio's sole responsibility after 2010 was to develop games in the ''
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...
'' franchise. When the series was put on hold in January 2013, Danger Close was shut down, with some staff moving on to
DICE LA
EA Digital Illusions CE AB (trade name: DICE) is a Swedish video game developer based in Stockholm. The company was founded in 1992 and has been a subsidiary of Electronic Arts since 2006. Its releases include the ''Battlefield'', '' Mirror's Ed ...
(now Ripple Effect Studios), a Los Angeles studio of
DICE
Dice (singular die or dice) are small, throwable objects with marked sides that can rest in multiple positions. They are used for generating random values, commonly as part of tabletop games, including dice games, board games, role-playing g ...
, another subsidiary of Electronic Arts.
History
As DreamWorks Interactive (1995–2000)
DreamWorks SKG DreamWorks may refer to:
* DreamWorks Pictures, an American film production company of Amblin
** DreamWorks Television, an American television production company and division of the film studio
** DreamWorks Records, an American record label and ...
and
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...
announced on March 22, 1995, that they were establishing a
videogame development company, DreamWorks Interactive LLC, as a
joint venture
A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acces ...
following a Microsoft investment that acquired a minority stake in DreamWorks SKG as a whole. The studio's operations were to be set up in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, with a smaller group near Microsoft headquarters in
Redmond, Washington
Redmond is a city in King County, Washington, United States, located east of Seattle. The population was 73,256 at the 2020 census, up from 54,144 in 2010.
Redmond is best known as the home of Microsoft and Nintendo of America.
With an an ...
. Both Microsoft and DreamWorks initially invested $30 million in the studio, which would soon be employing 75 people.
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...
was primarily responsible for negotiations with Microsoft to establish DreamWorks Interactive, which secured funding for the studio.
To manage DreamWorks Interactive, Microsoft relocated one of its
executive game producers, Alan Hartman,
while film industry veteran Glenn Entis served as the studio's
CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
following DreamWorks' acquisition of Pacific Data Images. John A. S. Skeel, one of the founders of DreamWorks Interactive, led the Redmond studio, primarily responsible for publishing games developed by independent studios.
On June 1, 1995, DreamWorks SKG and
Silicon Graphics
Silicon Graphics, Inc. (stylized as SiliconGraphics before 1999, later rebranded SGI, historically known as Silicon Graphics Computer Systems or SGCS) was an American high-performance computing manufacturer, producing computer hardware and soft ...
formed a $50 million agreement to create a new
computer animation
Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating animations. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both static scenes (still images) and dynamic images (moving images), while computer animation refe ...
system using hardware and software. Initially focused on the movie industry, the alliance between the companies was also connected with the creation of DreamWorks Interactive, which, adding to Microsoft's financing and technologies, would also be used in video games.
According to Leslie Helm of the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'', the company's initial computer game titles were relatively unsuccessful. Its biggest hit by August 1997 was ''
Goosebumps: Escape from Horrorland'', with sales of 130,000 units, according to
PC Data
PC Data was an American market research and point of sale tracking firm founded in 1991 and based in Reston, Virginia. Its founder, Ann Stephens, had worked previously as the head researcher for the Software Publishers Association. Initially, t ...
. Helm called this "a modest success". In 1996, Microsoft moved DreamWorks SKG art director Matt Hall to DreamWorks Interactive with the goal of creating a new first-person shooter game franchise based on the Spielberg concept.
In 1999, the studio saw its most successful release with
first-person shooter
First-person shooter (FPS) is a sub-genre of shooter video games centered on gun and other weapon-based combat in a first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action through the eyes of the protagonist and controlling the pl ...
video game ''
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...
'', published by
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted the d ...
on October 31, 1999 for
PlayStation
is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...
. ''Medal of Honor'' laid the groundwork for historic war-based combat games, ultimately leading to
Activision
Activision Publishing, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica, California. It serves as the publishing business for its parent company, Activision Blizzard, and consists of several subsidiary studios. Activision is one o ...
's ''
Call of Duty
''Call of Duty'' is a first-person shooter video game Media franchise, franchise published by Activision. Starting out in 2003, it first focused on games set in World War II. Over time, the series has seen games set in the midst of the Cold W ...
'' series. However, the studio's reputation had been hampered by the 1998 release of ''
Trespasser
In the law of tort, property, and criminal law a trespasser is a person who commits the act of trespassing on a property, that is, without the permission of the owner. Being present on land as a trespasser thereto creates liability in the ...
'', a game based on the ''
Jurassic Park
''Jurassic Park'', later also referred to as ''Jurassic World'', is an American science fiction media franchise created by Michael Crichton and centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of cloned dinosaurs. It began in 1990 when ...
'' franchise. ''Trespasser'' had numerous technical flaws in attempting to create a realistic physics engine, and introduced mechanics that were considered awkward at the time of its release, such as the player having separate control of the player-character's limbs. The title sold only 50,000 units and is considered one of the
worst video games of all time, and left Steven Spielberg, one of the owners of DreamWorks, in doubt about continuing a video game company.
Under Electronic Arts (2000–2013)
With DreamWorks losing interest in maintaining a video game division, Electronic Arts
acquired the Los Angeles studio of DreamWorks Interactive from DreamWorks and Microsoft in February 24, 2000, acquiring the
intellectual property
Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...
and rights of the acclaimed series ''
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...
'' from Microsoft/DreamWorks. Analysts at ''
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'' estimate the purchase cost around $10 million. The company was renamed EA Los Angeles and focused on developing titles in the ''Medal of Honor'' series, releasing ''
Medal of Honor: Underground'' the same year. On August 6, 2003, EA Los Angeles moved from their offices in
Bel Air to a new campus in
Playa Vista
Playa Vista is a neighborhood in the Westside area of Los Angeles, California. The area was the headquarters of Hughes Aircraft Company from 1941 to 1985 and the site of the construction of the Hughes H-4 Hercules "Spruce Goose" aircraft. The ...
. On that campus, the studio was merged with
EA Pacific
EA Pacific (formerly known as Burst Studios and Westwood Pacific) was a developer formally owned by Virgin Interactive's North American operations, and was based in Irvine, California. Burst Studios was beset by production problems during its early ...
in 2003, and received some employees from previously closed
Westwood Studios
Westwood Studios, Inc. was an American video game developer, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was founded by Brett Sperry and Louis Castle in 1985 as Brelous Software, but got changed after 2 months into Westwood Associates and was renamed to Westw ...
, leading EA Los Angeles to start working in the ''
Command & Conquer
''Command & Conquer'' (''C&C'') is a real-time strategy (RTS) video game franchise, first developed by Westwood Studios. The first game was one of the earliest of the RTS genre, itself based on Westwood Studios' influential strategy game ''Dune I ...
'' series.
The Redmond studio's operations were consolidated within Microsoft, which at the time was founding its own in-house video game division,
Microsoft Games
Xbox Game Studios (formerly Microsoft Games, Microsoft Game Studios and Microsoft Studios) is an American video game publisher that acts as a division of technology company Microsoft. The division was created in March 2000 and replaced Microsoft' ...
. As a result, DreamWorks Interactive head Alan Hartman became
Digital Anvil
Digital Anvil, Inc. (formerly Digital Anvil Holdings, Inc.) was an American video game developer based in Austin, Texas owned by Microsoft Game Studios (MGS). It was founded in 1996 by brothers Chris and Erin Roberts along with Tony Zurovec, Mar ...
's
head of studio
Studio manager, studio director, or studio head is a job title in various media-related professions, including design, advertising, and broadcasting.
Design and advertising
A design or advertising studio manager's responsibilities will typically ...
,
with remaining DWI Redmond employees moving to the newly founded
Turn 10 Studios
Turn 10 Studios is an American video game developer based in Redmond, Washington. The company was established in 2001 under Microsoft Game Studios (now known as Xbox Game Studios) to develop the ''Forza Motorsport'' series for Xbox platform ...
.
In July 2010, EA Los Angeles was rebranded to Danger Close Games to focus on the development of ''Medal of Honor'' games. With the rebranding referencing a term from the ''Medal of Honor'' series, the studio would exclusively focus on the ''Medal of Honor'' games. Their first project was the 2010 ''
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...
'', which was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 on October 12, 2010. A follow-up, ''
Medal of Honor: Warfighter'', was released on October 23, 2012. In January 2013, Electronic Arts announced that the ''Medal of Honor'' series was taken 'out of rotation' and put on hold, following to the poor reception received by ''Warfighter''. With this move, Danger Close was effectively closed; some developers moved to other EA studios, while others left the Los Angeles area. Some senior staff of Danger Close formed the groundwork for DICE LA, a sub-studio of
EA DICE
EA Digital Illusions CE AB (trade name: DICE) is a Swedish video game developer based in Stockholm. The company was founded in 1992 and has been a subsidiary of Electronic Arts since 2006. Its releases include the ''Battlefield (video game serie ...
, which was formed in May 2013.
Games developed
As DreamWorks Interactive
As EA Los Angeles
As Danger Close Games
References
{{Medal of Honor series
American companies disestablished in 2013
American companies established in 1995
Electronic Arts
DreamWorks Pictures
1995 establishments in California
2000 mergers and acquisitions
2013 disestablishments in California
Companies based in Los Angeles
Defunct companies based in Greater Los Angeles
Playa Vista, Los Angeles
Video game companies based in California
Video game companies disestablished in 2013
Video game companies established in 1995
Defunct video game companies of the United States
Video game development companies
Former Microsoft subsidiaries