Fox Interactive was an American
video game publisher
A video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that have been developed either internally by the publisher or externally by a video game developer.
They often finance the development, sometimes by paying a video game developer ( ...
based in
Los Angeles, California
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 published games based on
20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
properties, yet also published several original titles, such as ''
Croc: Legend of the Gobbos''.
History
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (1994–2003)
Fox Interactive was formed in May 1994, and was led by former
Time Warner Interactive
Time Warner Interactive (Group) (TWI) was a studio within Time Warner and a predecessor of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. It was formed in 1993 after Time Warner bought a controlling interest in Atari Games, and was active until 1996 w ...
executive Ted Hoff, the company was a division of
FoxVideo, the home media distribution part of 20th Century Fox, and also distributed their titles. The first two games published by the new division were ''
The Tick
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'', based on the
Fox Kids cartoon series of the same name, and ''
The Pagemaster
''The Pagemaster'' is a 1994 American live-action/animated fantasy adventure film starring Macaulay Culkin, Christopher Lloyd, Whoopi Goldberg, Patrick Stewart, Leonard Nimoy, Frank Welker, Ed Begley Jr., and Mel Harris. The film was produced ...
'', based on the
film of the same name.
On January 5, 1996, the company announced the release of ''
Die Hard Trilogy
''Die Hard Trilogy'' is an action video game based on the first three installments of the ''Die Hard'' series of action movies. ''Die Hard Trilogy'' features three games in one, each based on a movie installment and featuring a different genre ...
'' for a August–September 1996 release window. The company would attend their first
Electronic Entertainment Expo
E3 (short for Electronic Entertainment Expo or Electronic Entertainment Experience in 2021) is a trade event for the video game industry. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) organizes and presents E3, which many developers, publisher ...
in
1996, and announced six mainstream titles during the event: ''
The Simpsons Cartoon Studio
''The Simpsons: Cartoon Studio'' is a computer program based on the animated television series ''The Simpsons'' that was released for PC and Mac computers in 1996 by Fox Interactive. It allows users to create their own ''Simpsons'' cartoons, usin ...
'', ''
The Simpsons: Virtual Springfield'' and ''
The X-Files
''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation ...
'' for Windows and Macintosh, ''
Aliens Versus Predator'' and ''
Independence Day'' for PlayStation, Sega Saturn and Windows, and ''
The Tick
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' for PlayStation and Sega Saturn, alongside the already announced ''
Die Hard Trilogy
''Die Hard Trilogy'' is an action video game based on the first three installments of the ''Die Hard'' series of action movies. ''Die Hard Trilogy'' features three games in one, each based on a movie installment and featuring a different genre ...
''. The company also announced the launch of the Fox Toons Interactive label, consisting of educational games for Windows and Macintosh based on licensed properties, with the first five titles: ''
Baby Felix'', ''
Hello Kitty Big Fun'', ''
Eekstravaganza'', ''
The Tick
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' and ''Keroppi'' being released within a Fall release window. Around this time,
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 ...
began distributing Fox Interactive's titles outside North America. In November 1996, the company announced the release of a CD-ROM based on ''
Romeo + Juliet
Romeo Montague () is the male protagonist of William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. The son of Lord Montague and his wife, Lady Montague, he secretly loves and marries Juliet, a member of the rival House of Capulet, through a pries ...
'' for December.
In February 1997, the company announced a ''
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
'' based on ''
Alien Resurrection
''Alien Resurrection'' is a 1997 American science fiction horror film, directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, written by Joss Whedon, and starring Sigourney Weaver and Winona Ryder. It is the fourth installment of the ''Alien'' franchise, and wa ...
'' for the PlayStation, Sega Saturn and PC, and two CD-ROM tie-in titles - ''
The X-Files: Data Files'', and ''
Anastasia
Anastasia (from el, Ἀναστασία, translit=Anastasía) is a feminine given name of Greek origin, derived from the Greek word (), meaning "resurrection". It is a popular name in Eastern Europe, particularly in Russia, where it was the most ...
'', based on the
1997 movie. In the same month, the company announced major marketing plans for ''
Independence Day'' before the game's release on March 11 in the United States, including a multi-million dollar ad campaign. In April, the Fox Toons Interactive division announced the release of four more titles: ''
Baby Felix Creativity Center'', ''
Hello Kitty Creativity Center'', ''
Danny and the Dinosaur
''Danny and the Dinosaur'' is a children's picture book by Syd Hoff, first published by Harper & Brothers in 1958. It has sold over ten million copies and has been translated into a dozen languages. The book inspired six other sequels by Syd Hoff. ...
'' and ''
Frog and Toad are Friends
''Frog and Toad Are Friends'' is an American children's picture book, written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel and published by Harper & Row in 1970. It inaugurated the Frog and Toad series, whose four books each comprises five easy-to-read short ...
'', the latter two based on children's books. In May, Fox Interactive announced the acquisition of the publishing rights to
Argonaut Software
Argonaut Games PLC was a British video game developer founded in 1982, most notable for the development of the Super NES video game ''Star Fox'' and its supporting Super FX hardware, as well as for developing '' Croc: Legend of the Gobbos'' an ...
's ''
Croc: Legend of the Gobbos'', and announced to showcase it at E3 1997. During E3 in June, in addition to the previously announced titles, the ''Aliens Versus Predator'' title was announced for an Early 1998 release. The only newly announced title at E3 that year for the publisher was ''
Aliens Online
''Aliens Online'' was a 1998 massively multiplayer first-person shooter video game released for Microsoft Windows. It was based on the science fiction horror film ''Aliens''.
Gameplay
''Aliens Online'' included asymmetric teams, teams consisting ...
'', developed by then-fellow News Corporation subsidiary
Kesmai
Kesmai was a pioneering game developer and online game publisher, founded in 1981 by Kelton Flinn and John Taylor. The company was best known for the combat flight sim '' Air Warrior'' on the GEnie online service, one of the first graphical MM ...
. On December 15, 1997, Fox Interactive formed a joint-venture with News Corporation's
Fox Sports
Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world.
The ''Fox Sports'' name has since been used for other sports media assets. These assets are held mainly by the Fo ...
division and formed Fox Sports Interactive, which would be used to publish sports titles for consoles and computers. The company signed a long-term North American development agreement with
Gremlin Interactive
Gremlin Graphics Software Limited, later Gremlin Interactive Limited and ultimately Infogrames Studios Limited was a British software house based in Sheffield, working mostly in the home computer market. Like many software houses established in ...
to re-name and publish some of the latter's
Actua Sports
''Actua Sports'' is a sports video game series published by Gremlin Interactive which competed with Electronic Arts EA Sports label during the second half of the 1990s, until Gremlin was acquired by Infogrames. The term "Actua" is a (seemingly ma ...
titles for the North American market.
On April 15, 1998, the company announced to publish Gremlin's ''
N20: Nitrous Oxide'' for the US market for a June 1998 release. The first two republished Actua Sports titles were also announced for the same release window - ''
Fox Sports Soccer '99'' and ''
Fox Sports Golf '99''. During E3 1998, the company acquired the rights to two more Gremlin titles - ''
Team Losi: RC Racer'' and ''
Motorhead'', as well as also announcing ''
Croc 2
''Croc 2'' is a platform game developed by Argonaut Software and published by Fox Interactive. The sequel to '' Croc: Legend of the Gobbos'', it revolves around the title character going on a quest to search for his missing parents, as well as sa ...
'' for PlayStation and Windows, and ''
Virtual K'Nex'' for CD-ROM. Other titles showcased included ''Aliens Versus Predator'' and several Fox Sports titles. In August, the company announced the CD-ROM title ''James Cameron's Titanic Explorer'', based on the movie. In November 1998, the company delayed the releases of ''Alien Resurrection'' and ''Croc 2'' to Mid-1999.
In May 1999, during E3, the company announced
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 ...
as the exclusive worldwide distributor of Fox Sports Interactive titles in Europe, Asia and Africa, excluding Japan. Fox would continue to distribute and publish the titles in North America and Japan, and would not affect Electronic Arts' existing worldwide distribution deal with Fox's non-Sports titles. During the event, the company announced ''
Die Hard Trilogy 2
''Die Hard Trilogy 2: Viva Las Vegas'' is a video game developed by n-Space and published by Fox Interactive for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation in 2000. It is a sequel to ''Die Hard Trilogy'', which was based on the ''Die Hard'' series of ac ...
'' and a video game based on ''
Planet of the Apes
''Planet of the Apes'' is an American science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a world in which humans and intelligent apes clash for control. The franchise is based on Frenc ...
''., in addition to ''Croc 2'' and Fox Sports Interactive title ''Fox Sports Pro Baseball 2000'' . In July, a
Game Boy Color
The (commonly abbreviated as GBC) is a handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on October 21, 1998 and to international markets that November. It is the successor to the Game Boy and is part of the Game ...
version of ''
Croc
Croc or CROC may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming
* Croc (game designer), a French video game designer
* '' Croc: Legend of the Gobbos'', a 3D platform video game
** ''Croc'' (2000 video game), a 2D sidescrolling port of the abov ...
'' was announced for a Winter 1999 release window. In August 1999, the company was announced to be publishing two titles from
Monolith Productions
Monolith Productions, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Kirkland, Washington. The company has been a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment since August 2004.
History
Monolith Productions was founded on October ...
: ''
Sanity: Aiken's Artifact'', and ''
The Operative: No One Lives Forever''. On the same day, the company announced plans to release games for the
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...
. In September 1999, the company announced to support the
Dreamcast
The is a home video game console released by Sega on November 27, 1998, in Japan; September 9, 1999, in North America; and October 14, 1999, in Europe. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, preceding Sony's PlayStation 2, N ...
, announcing versions of ''
Croc 2
''Croc 2'' is a platform game developed by Argonaut Software and published by Fox Interactive. The sequel to '' Croc: Legend of the Gobbos'', it revolves around the title character going on a quest to search for his missing parents, as well as sa ...
'' and ''
Planet of the Apes
''Planet of the Apes'' is an American science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a world in which humans and intelligent apes clash for control. The franchise is based on Frenc ...
'' for the system, and a game based on ''
World's Scariest Police Chases'' tentatively titled ''World's Scariest Police Chases: Deadly Pursuit''.
On March 16, 2000, it was announced that
THQ
THQ Inc. was an American video game company based in Agoura Hills, California. It was founded in April 1990 by Jack Friedman, originally in Calabasas, and became a public company the following year through a reverse merger takeover. Initi ...
would publish the Game Boy Color version of ''Croc'' under license from Fox. In April, the company's Dreamcast games would be released at the end of 2000. and within the same month announced a full worldwide publishing deal with THQ for the company's Game Boy Color titles, with the additions of games based on ''The Simpsons'', ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', ''Aliens'' and ''Croc 2'' in addition to the already announced ''Croc'' title. At E3 2000, in addition to several previously announced titles, the company announced ''
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. It is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film of the same name, also written by W ...
'' and ''
World's Scariest Police Chases'' for the PlayStation, Dreamcast and Windows, and ''
The Simpsons Wrestling'' and ''
Titan AE'' for PlayStation. Dreamcast ports of ''Alien Resurrection'' and ''Sanity: Aiken's Artifact'' were announced, alongside the company's first PlayStation 2 projects, a port of ''The Operative: No One Lives Forever'' and ''
Aliens: Colonial Marines''. In July 2000, the company announced a
sequel
A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...
to ''Aliens Versus Predator'' as part of their deal with Monolith Productions. In August 2000, the company announced that the Dreamcast port of ''Croc 2'' would be cancelled. In the same month, Unique Development Studios signed a deal to co-publish and develop a ''
Futurama
''Futurama'' is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of the professional slacker Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically preserved for 1000 years a ...
'' title with Fox for a 2002 release. In November 2000, the company announced a ''
King of the Hill
''King of the Hill'' is an American animated sitcom created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It aired its original non-syndicated run from January 12, 1997, to September 13, 2009, and centers on the Hills, an Am ...
'' game that was released for Windows and Macintosh.
In January 2001, Fox Interactive announced they would start to focus more on development and would begin to co-publish their titles with a selection of well-known companies from then-on. Activision became the first of these publishing partners, acquiring US rights to ''The Simpsons Wrestling'' on March 13, and worldwide rights to ''World's Scariest Police Chases'' on April 20. The company also announced a reevaluation of their Dreamcast titles following Sega's announcement to discontinue the system., Eventually, the company canceled the Dreamcast versions of ''Alien Resurrection'' and ''World's Scariest Police Chases'', and left ''Planet of the Apes'' and ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' in limbo. In April 2001, the company announced their plans for the
Xbox
Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the na ...
, including a game based on ''
Cops'' titled ''The Cops: Too Hot for TV'', and a racing game based on ''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
''. The already-announced ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' title was moved to the system as an exclusive, leaving the existing PlayStation and Dreamcast versions scrapped. During E3 2001, Fox Interactive announced four titles: ''
The Simpsons: Road Rage'', ''
Die Hard: Nakatomi Plaza'', ''
Die Hard: Vendetta'' and ''
No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.'s Way'', in addition to the previously announced ''Aliens: Colonial Marines'', ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', ''Cops: Too Hot for TV'' and the PlayStation 2 port of ''The Operative: No One Lives Forever''. During E3 2001 the company announced that
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 ...
would publish the ''Aliens'', ''The Simpsons'' and ''Buffy'' titles, in addition to
Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing
Vivendi Games was an American video game publisher and holding company based in Los Angeles. It was founded in 1996 as CUC Software, the publishing subsidiary of CUC International, after the latter acquired video game companies Davidson & Assoc ...
publishing the ''Die Hard'', ''Cops'' and the ''No One Lives Forever'' titles, which was announced a week prior to E3. In August 2001, the company and
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 ...
's consumer products division signed a 5-year publishing deal with
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 ...
for the publication on games based on ''
Minority Report
Minority Report may refer to:
* Minority report (Poor Law), published by the UK Royal Commission on the Poor Laws and Relief of Distress 1905–09
* "Minority Report", a 1949 science fiction short story by Theodore Sturgeon
* "The Minority Report ...
''.
At E3 2002, the company showcased three existing titles: ''No One Lives Forever 2'', ''Die Hard: Vendetta'' and ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', and announced two new titles: ''
The Simpsons Skateboarding
''The Simpsons Skateboarding'' is a sports video game based on the animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. It was released for the PlayStation 2 in North America on 12 November 2002 and Europe on 6 December 2002. The game was developed by The Code Mon ...
'' and a
game
A game is a structured form of play (activity), play, usually undertaken for enjoyment, entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator s ...
based on the ''
Dark Angel'' TV series. July 2002, the company signed another publishing deal with
THQ
THQ Inc. was an American video game company based in Agoura Hills, California. It was founded in April 1990 by Jack Friedman, originally in Calabasas, and became a public company the following year through a reverse merger takeover. Initi ...
to include
Game Boy Advance
The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, 2 ...
titles, with a ''
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. It is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film of the same name, also written by W ...
'' title and a port of ''
The Simpsons: Road Rage'' confirmed to be in development.
Vivendi Universal Games (2003–2006)
In March 2003, 20th Century Fox sold the division to Vivendi Universal Games for an undisclosed amount.
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, although Vivendi Universal continued to publish titles based on 20th Century Fox properties, with such examples including ''
Ice Age 2: The Meltdown'', ''
Eragon
''Eragon'' is the first book in ''The Inheritance Cycle'' by American fantasy writer Christopher Paolini. Paolini, born in 1983, began writing the novel after graduating from home school at the age of fifteen. After writing the first draft for a ...
'', and ''
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem''. 20th Century Fox would later partner with other publishers to create games based on their properties, something which continues on to this day.
As of 2022, most of Fox Interactive's game library, which was copyrighted to 20th Century Fox, is owned by
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
through
20th Century Studios
20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...
, while current video games based on 20th Century properties (which is owned by and operated under Disney since 2019) have been licensed out to third-party publishers on console and mobile devices.
Games
As a Publisher/Licensor
As a label of VU Games
Cancelled Titles
References
External links
*
*
{{Fox Entertainment Group
Video game development companies
Video game publishers
Defunct video game companies of the United States
The Walt Disney Company subsidiaries
Former Vivendi subsidiaries
Companies based in Los Angeles
Former News Corporation subsidiaries
Activision Blizzard
20th Century Studios
Video game companies disestablished in 1994
Video game companies disestablished in 2003
Companies based in Los Angeles County, California