Virtuos
File:Virtuos Logo.png | |
Company type | Private |
---|---|
Industry | Digital entertainment |
Founded | December 2004 |
Headquarters | |
Number of locations | 12 offices (2018) |
Key people | Gilles Langourieux (CEO) Andrey Supryaga (managing director, art division) Christophe Gandon (managing director, games division) ELijah Freeman (vice-president, games division)[1] |
Number of employees | 1500+[2] |
Subsidiaries | Black Shamrock (2017-)[3] |
Website | www.virtuosgames.com |
Virtuos Holdings Pte. Ltd. is a Singaporean video game developer and a provider of digital entertainment production services for the game and movie industries, founded in 2004. Virtuos has its headquarter and R&D center in Singapore as well as seven development centers located in Shanghai, Chengdu, Xi'an, Ho Chi Minh City, Paris and in Dublin. Virtuos has offices also in Vancouver, San Francisco, Tokyo and Seoul.
With over 1,500 full-time professionals, Virtuos specializes in game development and AAA art production for consoles, mobile and VR titles. As a video game developer, Virtuos creates both parts of games as well as full game “co-development”, which includes porting and adaptations.[4] Virtuos is a licensed developer on PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. Virtuos' clients include 18 of the top 20 digital entertainment publishers.[5] Its clients include Activision, Electronic Arts, LucasArts, Microsoft, Sony, Square Enix, Ubisoft and Zynga.
In September 2011, Virtuos acquired Sparx Animation Studios and added a Saigon development center dedicated to 3D animation, digital production for film and TV and game cinematics.[6]
In March 2018 Virtuos has announced the successful completion of a USD 15 million funding round, plus the set-up of a new headquarters and R&D center in Singapore.
Games co-developed by Virtuos
Game Title | Platform/Operating system | Publisher |
---|---|---|
XCOM 2 Collection | Nintendo Switch | Take-Two Interactive |
Bioshock: The Collection | Nintendo Switch | Take-Two Interactive |
The Outer Worlds | Nintendo Switch | Private Division |
Spyro: Reignited Trilogy | PS4, PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch | Activision |
Assassin's Creed Liberation Remastered | PS4, PC, Xbox One | Ubisoft |
Starlink: Battle for Atlas | Nintendo Switch | Ubisoft |
Dark Souls Remastered | Nintendo Switch | Bandai Namco, From Software |
Battlefield 1 | PS4, PC, Xbox One | Electronic Arts |
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End | PS4 | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
Knack 2 | PS4 | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 | PS4, PC, Xbox One | Activision |
Jurassic World Evolution | PS4, PC, Xbox One | Frontier Developments |
Horizon Zero Dawn | PS4 | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
Gravity Rush 2 | PS4 | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
Watch Dogs 2 | PS4, PC, Xbox One | Ubisoft |
Shadow of the Tomb Raider | PS4, PC, Xbox One | Square Enix |
Battlefield V | PS4, PC, Xbox One | Electronic Arts |
L.A. Noire | PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch | Rockstar Games |
Assassin's Creed : The Ezio Collection | PS4, Xbox One | Ubisoft |
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age | PS4, PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch | Square Enix |
Batman: Return to Arkham | PS4, Xbox One | Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment |
Heavy Rain | PS4 | Sony Computer Entertainment |
Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster | PS3, PS Vita, PS4, PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch | Square Enix |
The Last of Us: Remastered | PS4 | Sony Computer Entertainment |
Fable Anniversary | Xbox 360 | Microsoft Game studio |
Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection | PS4 | Sony Computer Entertainment |
Injustice: Gods Among Us | Android | Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment |
Rise of the Tomb Raider | PS4, PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Square Enix |
JackpotJoy | Android | Gamesys |
XCOM: Enemy Unknown | iOS | 2K Games |
NBA 2K14 | iOS/Android/FireOs | 2K Sports |
Bubble Safari | iOS, Android | Zynga |
NBA 2K13 | Android, Wii, PSP, PS2 | 2K Sports |
The Last of Us | PS3 | Sony Computer Entertainment |
Might & Magic Heroes VI (Shades of Darkness expansion) | PC | Ubisoft |
The Enchanted Library | GSN | |
The Game of Life | PC, Mac | EA Popcap |
Civilization Revolution | WP7 | 2K Games |
The Price is Right Decades | Xbox 360 | Ubisoft |
Who Wants to be a Millionaire 2012 Edition | Xbox 360 | Ubisoft |
Hollywood Squares | PSN | Ubisoft |
Family Feud Decades | PSN | Ubisoft |
DreamWorks Super Star Kartz | Nintendo DS | Activision |
Hasbro Family Game Night Value Pack | Nintendo Wii | Electronic Arts |
Monopoly Collection | Wii | Electronic Arts |
Generator Rex: Agent of Providence | PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, 3DS, NDS | Activision |
Hole in the Wall | Xbox 360 Kinect | Microsoft |
MLB 2K12 | PSP, PS2, NDS, Wii | 2K Sports |
NBA 2K12 | PS2 | 2K Sports |
MLB 2K11 | PSP, PS2, NDS | 2K Sports |
Monster Jam: Path of Destruction | PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS, PSP | Activision |
Sid Meier's Pirates! | Wii | 2K Games |
Ghost Recon Predator | PSP | Ubisoft |
Dora the Explorer | Explorer | Leapfrog |
Ben 10 Ultimate Alien | Explorer | Leapfrog |
Press Your Luck | PS3, iPad | Ubisoft |
Family Feud | PS3, iPad | Ubisoft |
The Price is Right | PS3, iPad | Ubisoft |
MotorStorm: Arctic Edge | PS2 | Sony Computer Entertainment Europe |
Pimp My Ride Street Racing | PS2, Nintendo DS | Activision |
Madagascar Kartz | Nintendo DS | Activision |
Hot Wheels Battle Force 5 | Nintendo DS | Activision |
Crash: Mind over Mutant | PSP | Activision |
Wolverine | DIDJ | Leapfrog |
Indiana Jones | DIDJ | Leapfrog |
Hannah Montana | DIDJ | Leapfrog |
Speed Racer | Nintendo DS | Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment |
Beowulf | PSP | Ubisoft |
Street Riders | PSP | Ubisoft |
Asphalt: Urban GT 2 | PSP, Nintendo DS | Gameloft |
History of Virtuos
- December 2004: Virtuos is established in Shanghai, China
- July 2005: Virtuos opens its European office in Paris: Gamesource
- June 2006: Virtuos receives investment from Legend Capital[7]
- November 2006: Virtuos opens its North-American office in Los Angeles
- January 2008: Virtuos opens in Chengdu[8]
- March 2009: Virtuos acquires BSP Audio Production Studios[9]
- May 2009: Terminator Salvation is released in theaters, featuring 3D art made by Virtuos
- December 2009: Virtuos enters Japan, signing partnership with Kyos
- March 2010: Virtuos reaches 500 employees[10]
- March 2010: Virtuos announces new-gen work-for-hire game development[11][12]
- May 2010: Virtuos ported The Price is Right to the PSN
- November 2010: Virtuos produces Monster Jam: Path of Destruction for PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, NDS and PSP
- January 2011: Virtuos receives China SME Entrepreneur Award 2010
- March 2011: Rango reaches the top box office spot, including 3D models from Virtuos
- August 2011: Virtuos reaches 800 Staff, and signs work-for-hire online game development agreement with Tencent
- September 2011: Virtuos acquires Sparx* 3D animation studio
- March 2012: Virtuos 900th employee is hired in Saigon for Sparx subsidiary.
- July 2012: Virtuos releases first fully developed Facebook game The Enchanted Library for GSN
- October 2012: Virtuos 1000th employee is hired.
- November 2012: Virtuos first Android game NBA 2013 released for client 2K Sports on Wii, NDS and PSP
- June 2013: Virtuos opens office in San Francisco
- October 2013: XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Virtuos developed the port from X360 to iOs of Enemy Unknown and 2K Games wins the 2013 Golden Joystick Award for best Mobile/Tablet Game of the Year
- December 2013: Virtuos developed Fangs Dash releases for China Mobile Game Entertainment on Chinese appstores[13]
- April 2014: Virtuos developed the adaptation of FINAL FANTASY X/X-2 HD for PS3 and PS Vita with 85% Metacritic score[14]
- July 2016: Batman: Return to Arkham. Virtuos ported the game from Xbox360 and PS3 to Xbox One and PS4
- March 2018: Virtuos raises$15M and sets up new HQ and R&D center in Singapore
Outsourcing controversy
As a prominent game outsourcing company, Virtuos has occasionally found itself at the center of the debate about outsourcing’s impact on game-industry jobs in the west. When asked about the issue by gaming industry website Gamasutra in 2006, Gilles Langourieux, the CEO of Virtuos pointed to the extra number of man-months required to produce titles on new-gen platforms and the larger number of platforms to cover as the main reasons for the rise of outsourced production, stating that he "doesn't think it's a disservice to the industry in the West."[15]
References
- ^ GamesIndustry Staff (24 September 2019). "Jobs roundup: Daniel Clough appointed general studio manager at Bossa". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
- ^ "Virtuos Reaches 1,000 Virtuosi Worldwide". PR Newswire.
- ^ "A VIRTUOS COMPANY". black-shamrock.com.
- ^ "Virtuos: Game Developers Increasingly Open To Code Outsourcing". Gamasutra.
- ^ "Virtuos: Clients Testimonials". Virtuos.
- ^ "Virtuos Acquires Sparx* 3D Animation Studio". Gamasutra.
- ^ "Legend Capital invests in leading video games outsourcing provider Virtuos". Legend Capital.
- ^ "Virtuos Opens New China Studio". GamesIndustry.biz.
- ^ "Outsourcing firm Virtuos acquires BSP audio studio". Develop-Online.
- ^ "Virtuos workforce hits new milestone". Develop-Online.
- ^ "China's Virtuos Gets Into Full-Scale Retail Game Development With 'Major Publisher'". Gamasutra.
- ^ "Virtuos Kickstarts Full Cross-Platform Development Project". GamesIndustry.biz.
- ^ "Fang Dash".
- ^ "Final Fantasy X / X-2 HD Remaster". Metacritic.
- ^ "Special: Inside China's Game Outsourcing Biz". Gamasutra.