Editing Cavedog Entertainment

{{short description|Defunct video game company}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Cavedog Entertainment
| logo = Cavedog Entertainment Logo.jpg
| type = [[Division (business)|Division]]
| industry = [[Video game industry|Video games]]
| fate = [[Dissolution (law)|Dissolved]]
| founded = {{Start date and age|1995}}
| founders = {{Unbulleted list|[[Shelley Day]]|[[Ron Gilbert]]}}
| defunct = {{End date and age|2000|02|11}}<ref name="Eurogamer: Obituary" />
| hq_location_city = [[Bothell, Washington]]
| hq_location_country = US
| key_people = Ron Gilbert ([[creative director]])<br />[[Chris Taylor (video game designer)|Chris Taylor]] (TA's creator)
| num_employees = ≈20<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gameslice.com/interview/ta/ta-team.html |title=TA-Team |accessdate=March 26, 2011 |publisher=gameslice.com |first=Geoff |last=Keighley |date=June 9, 1997 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/19980121165535/http://www.gameslice.com/interview/ta/ta-team.html |archivedate=January 21, 1998}}</ref>
| num_employees_year = 1997
| products = ''[[Total Annihilation]]'' series<br />''[[Total Annihilation: Kingdoms]]'' series
| parent = [[Humongous Entertainment]]
}}

'''Cavedog Entertainment''' was a [[video game developer|PC game developer]] and publisher based in [[Bothell, Washington]]. Founded in 1995 as a [[Division (business)|division]] of [[edutainment]] game developer [[Humongous Entertainment]], Cavedog was known for the 1997 release of ''[[Total Annihilation]]''—which won several accolades, such as multiple ''[[List of Game of the Year awards|Game of the Year]]'' honors<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/awards97/game.html |title=Game of the Year |work=Best & Worst Awards 1997 |publisher=GameSpot |date=January 31, 1998 |accessdate=June 22, 2010}}</ref>—considered one of the "greatest games of all time" in 2004 by ''[[GameSpot]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/greatestgames/p-43.html |title=Armed to the Core: Total Annihilation |first=Greg |last=Kasavin |work=The Greatest Games of All Time |publisher=GameSpot |date=March 26, 2004 |accessdate=June 22, 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130308095557/http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/greatestgames/p-43.html |archivedate=March 8, 2013}}</ref>

== History ==

=== Early days ===
Cavedog Entertainment was a label created in 1995<ref name="Eurogamer: Obituary">{{cite web |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/cavedog_rip |title=Let Sleeping Dogs Die |author=Gestalt |date=February 28, 2000 |website=[[Eurogamer]]}}</ref> by [[Humongous Entertainment]], a developer of children's video games founded by [[Ron Gilbert]] and [[Shelley Day]], to pursue the creation of mainstream games.<ref>{{cite web |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070807085133/http://www.gamespot.com/features/totalstory/ |archivedate=August 7, 2007 |year=2007 |accessdate=January 8, 2011 |url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/totalstory/ |publisher=gamespot.com |first=Geoffrey |last=Keighley |title=The Total Annihilation: The Story So Far}}</ref> Humongous Entertainment was originally independent, but was purchased in 1996 by [[GT Interactive]].<ref>{{cite web |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/19970530194653/http://www.cavedog.com/press/release1.html |title=GT INTERACTIVE LAUNCHES CAVEDOG ENTERTAINMENT, A NEW INTERNAL SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT STUDIO |archivedate=May 30, 1997 |date=February 5, 1997 |accessdate=January 7, 2011 |url=http://www.cavedog.com/press/release1.html |publisher=gtinteractive.com |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In the same year [[Square (video game company)|Squaresoft]] closed its office in [[Redmond, Washington|Redmond]], many of their former developers were hired for Cavedog, notably game [[music composer]] [[Jeremy Soule]] and [[Graphic designer|graphics designer]] Clayton Kauzlaric, who created the [[logo]] for Cavedog.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://archive.gamespy.com/legacy/articles/cavedog_a.shtm |accessdate=March 31, 2011 |publisher=GameSpy |first=John |last=Keefer III |title=Cavedog: Annihilation, Aggravation and Anticipation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100310174040/http://archive.gamespy.com/legacy/articles/cavedog_a.shtm |archive-date=March 10, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://ton-of-clay.blogspot.com/2006/10/by-spring-of-1997-total-annihilation.html |title=TA-ncient History #4: Dogs, Yaks & Boron |first=Clayton |last=Kauzlaric |date=October 2, 2006 |accessdate=March 26, 2011 |publisher=Ton of Clay}}</ref> After two years of development on Cavedog's first product, ''Total Annihilation'', it was presented at the 1997 [[Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3]] in Atlanta, and published on September 30, 1997.

=== After ''Total Annihilation'' ===
''Total Annihilation's'' creator, [[Chris Taylor (game designer)|Chris Taylor]], left the company shortly before the release of the ''[[Total Annihilation: Core Contingency|Core Contingency]]'' [[expansion pack]] to found his own development house, [[Gas Powered Games]]. Cavedog released one more expansion pack, ''[[Total Annihilation: Battle Tactics|Battle Tactics]]'', as well as many freely downloadable enhancements and [[patch (computing)|patch]]es, and built strong community support with their own online service, Boneyards (now shut down), that matched opponents and provided a continuing game campaign.

In 1999, Cavedog released ''[[Total Annihilation: Kingdoms]],'' largely reusing the ''Total Annihilation'' [[game engine]],{{Citation needed|date=October 2008}} but replacing the [[Science fiction|science-fiction]] theme with a [[fantasy]] one. ''Kingdoms'' did not resonate as well with critics or fans of the original title. One expansion pack was released, ''The Iron Plague''.

=== Closure ===
The closure of Cavedog came as the [[Video game industry|game industry]] began to experience a downturn in sales, to which parent company [[GT Interactive]] was affected. Besides the ''Total Annihilation'' franchise, Cavedog had three other ambitious<ref>{{cite web |last=Bye |first=John |title=The Death Of the Celebrity Studio |publisher=[[Eurogamer]] |date=June 25, 2001 |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/a_studiodeath |accessdate=November 27, 2007 |quote=''One by one their other projects were cancelled as it became obvious that the games were simply far too ambitious, until in February 2000 the company was closed down entirely and its remaining staff absorbed into parent company Humongous.''}}</ref> games in development, but only ''Total Annihilation'' and the related ''Kingdoms'' made it to store shelves, and their sales were much smaller than their user base.{{citation needed|date=October 2012}}

The unfinished projects were: ''[[Amen: The Awakening]]'', a [[first-person shooter]]; ''Elysium'', a fantasy [[adventure game|adventure]] title; and ''Good & Evil'', an adventure title from [[Ron Gilbert]]. With GT Interactive spiraling into debt and no ship dates in sight, all three were discontinued by the fall of 1999.

GT Interactive was purchased by [[Infogrames]] and the Cavedog label was discarded by [[Humongous Entertainment]] in 2000, which renewed its focus on children's games. Cavedog declared bankruptcy in 2000. Humongous Entertainment was shut down in 2005 by Infogrames (now called Atari). Cavedog's developers have played significant roles at [[Gas Powered Games]] and [[Beep Industries]].

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Total Annihilation series}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Defunct companies based in Bothell, Washington]]
[[Category:Video game companies established in 1995]]
[[Category:Video game companies disestablished in 2000]]
[[Category:Defunct video game companies of the United States]]
[[Category:Video game development companies]]
[[Category:Video game publishers]]
[[Category:1995 establishments in Washington (state)]]
[[Category:2000 disestablishments in Washington (state)]]