Left Field Productions, Inc. was an American independent

video game development studio 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 ...

located in

Ventura, California Ventura, officially named San Buenaventura (Spanish for "Saint Bonaventure"), is a city on the Southern Coast of California and the county seat of Ventura County. The population was 110,763 at the 2020 census. Ventura is a popular tourist des ...

. Founded in 1994 by industry veterans John Brandwood, Jeff Godfrey and Mike Lamb, Left Field is probably best known for their time spent as a Nintendo

third-party 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 ...

, during which they designed the critically acclaimed

Nintendo 64 The (N64) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo. The successor to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, it was released on June 23, 1996, in Japan, on September 29, 1996, in North America, and on March 1, 1997, in Europe and ...

game '' Excitebike 64''. On April 23, 1998, Nintendo announced the purchase of a minority interest in Left Field Productions, allowing them to expand operations and ensuring a steady flow of exclusive content from the developer. In September 2002, after months of speculation, Left Field bought out Nintendo's stake in the company, once again becoming a fully independent third-party developer. The studio closed in 2011, shortly after releasing '' Mayhem'' to mixed reviews.

Games developed

*1995: '' Slam 'N' Jam `95'' ( 3DO) *1996: ''Slam 'N' Jam `96 Featuring Magic & Kareem'' ( PlayStation, Sega Saturn) *1996: ''Slam 'N' Jam'' ( PC) *1998: ''

Kobe Bryant in NBA Courtside ''Kobe Bryant in NBA Courtside'', sometimes mislabeled as ''Kobe Bryant's NBA Courtside'', is a basketball simulation video game developed by Left Field Productions and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64 in 1998. At the time of the ga ...

'' (

) *1999: '' Disney's Beauty and the Beast: A Board Game Adventure'' ( Game Boy Color) *1999: ''NBA 3 on 3 featuring Kobe Bryant'' (Game Boy Color) *1999: '' NBA Courtside 2: Featuring Kobe Bryant'' (

) *2000: '' 3-D Ultra Pinball: Thrillride'' (Game Boy Color) *2000: '' Disney's The Little Mermaid II: Pinball Frenzy'' (Game Boy Color) *2000: '' Excitebike 64'' (

Nintendo iQue The iQue Player (, stylised as iQue ''PLAYER'') is a handheld TV game version of the Nintendo 64 console that was manufactured by iQue, a joint venture between Nintendo and Taiwanese-American scientist Wei Yen after China had banned the sale ...

) *2002: '' Backyard Football'' ( GameCube) *2002: ''

NBA Courtside 2002 ''NBA Courtside 2002'' is a basketball video game developed by Left Field Productions and published by Nintendo for the GameCube in 2002. It is the third and final installment in the ''NBA Courtside'' series and the sequel to '' NBA Courtside 2: ...

'' (GameCube) *2004: '' MTX Mototrax'' ( PlayStation 2,

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 ...

, PC, Mac) *2005: ''

World Series of Poker The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is a series of poker tournaments held annually in Paradise, Nevada and, since 2004, sponsored by Caesars Entertainment. It dates its origins to 1970, when Benny Binion invited seven of the best-known poker p ...

'' ( GameCube, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable,

) *2006: '' MTX Mototrax'' ( PlayStation Portable) *2006: '' World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions'' ( PlayStation 2,

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generati ...

, PlayStation Portable, Wii) *2006: '' Dave Mirra BMX Challenge'' ( PlayStation Portable) *2007: '' Dave Mirra BMX Challenge'' ( Wii) *2007: '' World Series of Poker: Battle for the Bracelets'' (

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on November 11, 2006, in Japan, November ...

, PlayStation 2,

, PlayStation Portable) *2007: '' Nitrobike'' ( Wii, PlayStation 2) *2008: ''

SCORE International Baja 1000 The Baja 1000 is an annual Mexican off-road motorsport race held on the Baja California Peninsula. It is one of the most prestigious off-road races in the world, having attracted competitors from six continents. The race was founded by Ed Pea ...

'' (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Wii) *2011: '' Mayhem'' (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

Canceled and unreleased projects

A GameCube version of ''MTX Mototrax'' was in the works but was later canceled as publisher

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 ...

scaled back support for the platform. A sequel to the Nintendo 64 game ''

1080° Snowboarding is a snowboarding video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64 in 1998. In the game, the player controls one of five snowboarders from a third-person perspective, using a combination of buttons to jump and perform tricks ...

'' was in development at Left Field at one time. Development originated on the Nintendo 64 platform but was later shifted to the GameCube once Nintendo began phasing out the Nintendo 64. When Left Field separated with Nintendo in early 2002,

Nintendo Software Technology Nintendo Software Technology Corporation, doing business as Nintendo Software Technology (NST), is an American video game developer. NST was created by Nintendo as a first-party developer to create games for the North American market, though the ...

took over development of the game, releasing ''

1080° Avalanche ''1080° Avalanche'' is a snowboarding video game for the GameCube, developed by Nintendo's in-house development studio, Nintendo Software Technology, and published by Nintendo. It was released in 2003 in Europe and North America, and in Japa ...

'' on December 1, 2003. It is unknown how far into production the game was when Left Field left the project, or just how much, if any, of Left Field's work is present in the final game. It has been speculated that Left Field's version of the game had a much more arcade-like feel than its successor.

Awards

*Best Extreme Sports Game – ''MTX Mototrax'' (2004, Play Magazine) *IGN Editor's Choice Award – ''Excitebike 64'' (2000, IGN) *IGN Editor's Choice Award – ''MTX Mototrax'' (2004, IGN) *IGN Editor's Choice Award – ''NBA Courtside 2: Featuring Kobe Bryant'' (1999, IGN)

References

External links

Left Field Productions website
(archive) {{Nintendo developers Video game companies of the United States Video game development companies Video game companies established in 1994 Video game companies disestablished in 2011 Companies based in Ventura County, California