Rockstar Toronto
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Rockstar Toronto (Rockstar Games Toronto ULC; formerly Imagexcel, Alternative Reality Technologies, and Rockstar Canada) is a Canadian video game developer and a studio of Rockstar Games based in Oakville, Ontario. The company was established as Imagexcel in the early 1980s and developed more than fifteen games under that name, including Quarantine, which was published by GameTek in 1994. The publisher bought the studio's assets through its Alternative Reality Technologies subsidiary in March 1995 and then sold Alternative Reality Technologies to Take-Two Interactive in July 1997. The studio became part of Take-Two's Rockstar Games label as Rockstar Canada in 1999 and was renamed Rockstar Toronto in 2002 when Take-Two acquired Rockstar Vancouver. Under Rockstar Games, the studio developed the 2005 game The Warriors, based on the 1979 film of the same name, as well as several ports, including the Windows versions of Grand Theft Auto IV, Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City, Max Payne 3, and Grand Theft Auto V. In July 2012, Rockstar Vancouver was merged into Rockstar Toronto, which then moved into larger offices.
HistoryEdit
Rockstar Toronto was established as Imagexcel in the early 1980s, "before the time of He-Man".<ref name="The Free Library: GameTek" /><ref name="Rockstar Canada" /> The studio developed roughly fifteen games across multiple systems until 1995.<ref name="The Free Library: GameTek" /> It began developing a proprietary game engine in 1993, as well as a complementary game in collaboration with GameTek in December that year. Rod Humble, as GameTek's executive producer, initially wrote a script titled Bloods that revolved around gang warfare. When the company sent a revision thereof to Imagexcel, the studio reworked the concept into what became Quarantine. Humble considered the new version a "far superior game".<ref name="PC Zone: Quarantine" /> In October 1994, Imagexcel comprised programmer and managing partner Kevin Hoare, programmers Ed Zolnieryk and Andy Brownbill, and artists Greg Bick and Ray Larabie.<ref name="The Free Library: GameTek" /><ref name="PC Zone: Quarantine" /> GameTek released the game in the same month.<ref name="PC Zone: Quarantine" /> On 9 March 1995, the publisher announced its acquisition of Imagexcel's assets through a newly founded subsidiary, Alternative Reality Technologies. The transaction included QuarantineTemplate:'s engine, which GameTek intended to use in other games. Hoare, Zolnieryk, Bick, and Larabie formed the core of GameTek's Canadian development operations.<ref name="The Free Library: GameTek" /><ref name="South Florida Sun Sentinel: GameTek" /> After the acquisition, the studio was also referred to as GameTek Canada.<ref name="Consoles +: GameTek Canada" />
Take-Two Interactive bought several assets from GameTek in July 1997, including Alternative Reality Technologies, GameTek's European offices, and distribution rights for games including Dark Colony.<ref name="GameSpot: Take-Two" /> The Alternative Reality Technologies team became part of Take-Two's Rockstar Games label in 1999 as Rockstar Canada.<ref name="Rockstar Toronto" /> The studio then created two expansion packs for the 1997 game Grand Theft Auto: London 1969 and London 1961, both released in 1999.<ref name="Kotaku: GTA expansions" /> It developed ports of Rockstar Games' Oni and Max Payne for the PlayStation 2 that were released in 2001.<ref name="NYTimes: Oni" /><ref name="Eurogamer: Max Payne" /> When Take-Two acquired Barking Dog Studios and renamed it Rockstar Vancouver in August 2002, Rockstar Canada was renamed Rockstar Toronto to avert confusion between the two.<ref name="Gamasutra: Rockstar Toronto" /> At the same time, Take-Two announced that Rockstar Toronto was working on a video game adaptation of the 1979 film The Warriors.<ref name="IGN: The Warriors announcement" /> The eponymous game was first shown at E3 2005 before being released in October that year.<ref name="IGN: The Warriors E3" /><ref name="GamesRadar+: The Warriors release" /> A spiritual successor, internally known as We Are the Mods, was planned at the time.<ref name="Kotaku: The Warriors successor" /><ref name="Engadget: The Warriors successor" /> After The Warriors, Rockstar Toronto developed further ports: It brought Manhunt 2 and Bully: Scholarship Edition to the Wii,<ref name="Ars Technica: Manhunt 2" /><ref name="GameSpot: Bully" /> and Grand Theft Auto IV, Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City, and Max Payne 3 to Windows.<ref name="IGN: GTA IV/EFLC" /><ref name="PC Gamer: Max Payne 3" />
In July 2012, Rockstar Games announced Rockstar Toronto would be moving into larger, custom-built offices within Oakville, Ontario. Rockstar Vancouver was merged into Rockstar Toronto and the former's thirty-five employees were given the option to relocate to Rockstar Toronto or any other Rockstar Games studio.<ref name="Polygon: Merger" /><ref name="Engadget: Merger" /> The Government of Ontario contributed Template:CAD to this expansion.<ref name="CBC: Merger" /> Jennifer Kolbe, Rockstar Games' vice-president of publishing and operations, stated creating a single Canadian team that would "make for a powerful creative force on future projects" while making room for fifty new positions at the studio.<ref name="GIbiz: Merger" /><ref name="Eurogamer: Merger" /> In November 2012, Rockstar Toronto's legal entity, Rockstar Toronto Inc., was transitioned from Ontario to British Columbia as Rockstar Games Toronto Inc. and then transformed to Rockstar Games Toronto ULC, an unlimited liability corporation.<ref name="BC Laws 1" /><ref name="BC Laws 2" />
Rockstar Toronto later ported Grand Theft Auto V to Windows. This version was initially scheduled to be released alongside the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions in 2014. The port was delayed to April 2015, which the studio attributed to optimizations and the integration of a built-in video editor, which is exclusive to this release. Rockstar Games referred to the Windows port as the game's "ultimate" edition.<ref name="PCGamesN: GTA V" /><ref name="GameSpot: GTA V" /> On 24 December 2020, Template:CAD worth of newly delivered computer equipment and accessories were stolen from Rockstar Toronto's offices. The incident was the first in a string of robberies in Oakville that continued until 23 January 2021. The suspect, a 30-year-old woman, was arrested on 25 January.<ref name="Global News: Theft" /><ref name="TheGamer: Theft" />
Games developedEdit
CancelledEdit
- We Are the Mods
ReferencesEdit
Template:Rockstar Games Template:Take-Two Interactive Template:Authority control