Editing Factor 5

{{Short description|German-American video game developer}}
{{About|the software company|the blood coagulation protein|Factor V}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Infobox company
|name = Factor 5 GmbH<br />Factor 5, Inc. (US branch)
|logo = Factor 5 Logo.png
|logo_size = 250px
|type = [[Privately owned company|Private]]
|foundation = 1987
|defunct = 2011
|fate =
|location = Cologne, Germany<br />San Rafael, California, U.S.
|key_people = Achim Moller, CEO<br />[[Julian Eggebrecht]], President (U.S. branch)
|industry = [[Video game industry|Video games]]
|products = ''[[Lair (video game)|Lair]]''<br />[[Star Wars: Rogue Squadron (series)|''Rogue Squadron'' series]]<br />''[[Turrican]]'' series<br />MusyX: Dolby Sound Tools<br />[[DivX|DivX For Games SDK]]
|revenue =
|operating_income =
|net_income =
|num_employees =
|homepage = {{Official website | http://www.factor5.com/}}
}}

'''Factor 5 GmbH''' was a German-American [[Independent business|independent]] [[software]] and [[video game developer]]. The company was co-founded by five former [[Rainbow Arts]] employees in 1987 in [[Cologne]], Germany, which served as the inspiration behind the studio's name.

In order to have a stronger relationship with Factor 5's North American partners like [[LucasArts]], '''Factor 5, Inc.''' was established in the United States in May 1996 with legal support from LucasArts, and in late 1996 the core of the development team in Germany was relocated to the North American company headquarters in [[San Rafael, California|San Rafael]], [[California]].<ref name="FACTOR 5">{{Cite web|url=http://www.factor5.de/index.php?page=chome|title=FACTOR 5|website=www.factor5.de}}</ref><ref name="Postmortem: Factor 5's Star Wars Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/2993/postmortem_factor_5s_star_wars_.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071220041014/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/2993/postmortem_factor_5s_star_wars_.php|url-status=dead|archive-date=20 December 2007|title=Postmortem: Factor 5's Star Wars Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II|author=Thomas Engel|publisher=Gamasutra}}</ref> [[Julian Eggebrecht]], one of the five initial co-founders, served as President of Factor 5's U.S. branch.

The U.S. company closed in May 2009, following the closure of [[Brash Entertainment]], with which the company had multiple contracts.<ref name="Factor 5 Closed">{{cite web |url=http://www.next-gen.biz/news/lair-dev-factor-5-closes |title=Lair Dev Factor 5 Closes |author=Tom Ivan |publisher=Edge |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110323014023/http://www.next-gen.biz/news/lair-dev-factor-5-closes |archive-date=2011-03-23 }}</ref> The original German company, headed by CEO Achim Moller, remained active due to its unrelated business policy and operations with the North American company.<ref name="Factor 5 Shuts Down">{{cite web|url=http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/982/982870p1.html|title=Factor 5 Shuts Down|author=Matt Casamassina|date=14 May 2009|publisher=IGN}}</ref><ref name="Factor 5 Germany Confirms U.S. Studio Closure">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=23625|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090517063024/http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=23625|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 May 2009|title=Factor 5 Germany Confirms U.S. Studio Closure|author=Leigh Alexander|publisher=Gamasutra}}</ref>

However, in January 2011, Moller liquidated Factor 5 GmbH, and all game licenses were transferred to "Eggebrecht, Engel, Schmidt GbR".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=451147|title=Factor 5 now completely dead &#124; NeoGAF|accessdate=30 November 2023}}</ref>

On March 15, 2017, Factor 5 co-founder Julian Eggebrecht had announced that the company has returned and re-acquired the rights to the ''Turrican'' franchise.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://gonintendo.com/stories/276107-factor-5-rises-from-the-ashes-reacquires-turrican-license-gives|title = Factor 5 rises from the ashes, reacquires Turrican license, gives insight into Switch development|date = 15 March 2017}}</ref>

==History==
The programming group which would eventually become Factor 5 had originally formed in the 1980s, in what cofounder [[Julian Eggebrecht]] described as a culture of [[Hacker (programmer subculture)|hacking]] and multimedia programming on the local [[demoscene|demo scene]].  Eggebrecht attended the Filmhochschule in Munich to become a movie director{{Citation needed|date=May 2017}}, and all the other members studied [[computer science]].<ref name="F5 Interview Pt1"/>

While its founders were still university students, Factor 5 started out in game development as a part-time activity under partnership with [[Rainbow Arts]] for the [[Amiga]] computer. There, they had their earliest moderate success with ''[[Katakis]]'', an ''[[R-Type]]'' clone of impressive technical performance.{{citation needed|date=January 2015}}  Due to the game's obvious similarity to ''R-Type'', rights holder Activision Europe delivered an ultimatum: either Factor 5 accept a contract to perform the official ''R-Type'' conversion for the [[Amiga]] home computer, or receive a lawsuit for rights infringement.  According to Julian Eggebrecht, this was because "Activision couldn't find any programmers" however the opportunity was "a dream come true".<ref name="F5 Interview Pt1">{{cite interview | title=Factor 5 Interview (Part I) | date=February 23, 1998 |first=Julian | last=Eggebrecht | subject-link=Julian Eggebrecht | interviewer=Peer Schneider | url=http://www.ign.com/articles/1998/02/24/factor-5-interview-part-i | access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref>

Their first important success, however, came with ''[[Turrican]]'',<ref name="F5 Interview Pt1"/> a game designed by Rainbow Arts designer [[Manfred Trenz]]. Factor 5 handled the Amiga and [[Atari ST]] versions of the game; and together with the original [[Commodore 64]] version and several others, ''Turrican'' was a major hit across Europe in 1990.{{citation needed|date=May 2017}}

In 1991, faced with the prospect of corporate formalities imposed by the video game console industry, the company founders quit school in favor of full-time corporate careers. Eggebrecht explained, "[t]he moment you go into console programming, you won't get a development system from Nintendo unless you have a reputable company."<ref name="F5 Interview Pt1"/> After they finished work on ''[[Turrican II: The Final Fight]]'' for the Amiga and Atari ST in 1991, Factor 5 built their own development kits and software environments for the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]] and [[Sega Genesis|Sega Mega Drive/Genesis]], codenamed Pegasus SNES and Pegasus Mega Drive. Subsequently, they decided to focus their efforts towards console game development in 1992 with several projects for the SNES and Mega Drive/Genesis, including new ''Turrican'' games and other titles contracted by companies like [[LucasArts]], [[Hudson Soft]] and [[Konami]], the latter of which had also [[Game Boy]] development contracts with them. In 1993, Factor 5 produced their last Amiga effort, an Amiga conversion of ''[[Mega Turrican]]'' handled with programming support from fellow company Neon Studios. They would develop games for the SNES, Mega Drive/Genesis, and Game Boy until 1996, when they switched their efforts to the [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]].

With the development of PlayStation games for LucasArts, the personnel located in Germany experienced communication difficulties in working with their North American partner due to the distance between both countries and the Internet speeds of that time being insufficient for the requirements of console development. This, together with legal assistance offered by LucasArts, resulted in a new Factor 5 branch in California.  There, the core of the development team from Germany was established after they finished work on their PlayStation games in late 1996.

For a long time, the North American branch of Factor 5 was an exclusive, prominent development partner with both LucasArts and [[Nintendo]], developing both game titles for the former and [[Game Middleware|middleware]] tools for the latter. During that time, the studio gained considerable critical and commercial praise for its technical proficiency{{citation needed|date=May 2017}}, producing what are often cited as some of the most visually advanced titles on the [[Nintendo 64]] and [[GameCube]], all based on LucasArts properties. Two high-profile middleware tools were also developed by the company for Nintendo: MusyX, a sound system produced in cooperation with [[Dolby Laboratories]]; and the [[DivX|DivX For Games SDK]], integrating the functionality of the popular video codec into Nintendo's development tools.

In late December 2008, several online media outlets reported that [[Brash Entertainment]] (Factor 5's publisher of their current project) would close at the end of the month after encountering financial problems.  This sudden interruption in funding left Factor 5 with their own funding difficulties, eventually causing its closure in May 2009.<ref name="Factor 5 Closed" />

Factor 5 had been involved in litigation with its former employees in the defunct North American Factor 5 company. The suit alleges that Factor 5 did not pay its employees for work during November and December, that employees were laid off without the required notice by law, that employees did not receive their vacation pay, and that the company misled the employees.<ref>{{cite web | title=Ex-Factor 5 Employees Cry Fraud | date=June 17, 2009 | first=Mike | last=Fahey | url=https://kotaku.com/ex-factor-5-employees-cry-fraud-5293867 | access-date=June 15, 2009}}</ref> The suit was filed in Marin Superior Court.{{citation needed|date=September 2013}}

==Games==
===Factor 5 GmbH===
====Amiga====
*1988: ''[[Katakis]]''
*1989: ''[[R-Type]]''
*1990: ''[[Turrican]]''
*1990: ''[[Masterblazer]]'' (intro only)
*1991: ''[[Turrican II: The Final Fight]]''
*1991: ''[[The Adventures of Quik & Silva]]'' (under the pseudonym ''New Bits on the RAM'')
*1992: ''Metal Law'' (under the pseudonym ''New Bits on the RAM'')
*1992: ''[[BC Kid]]''
*1993: ''[[Mega Turrican|Turrican 3]]'' (conversion program by Neon Studios)
*1994: ''Tony & Friends in Kellogg's Land''

====Atari ST====
*1990: ''[[Turrican]]''
*1991: ''[[Turrican II: The Final Fight]]''
*1991: ''[[The Adventures of Quik & Silva]]'' (under the pseudonym ''New Bits on the RAM''; port of Amiga version)

====Super Nintendo Entertainment System====
*1993: ''[[Super Turrican (1993 video game)|Super Turrican]]''
*1994: ''[[Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures]]''
*1995: ''[[Super Turrican 2]]''

====Sega Mega Drive/Genesis====
*1993: ''[[Mega Turrican]]'' (released in 1994)
*1994: ''[[Bomberman '94#Factor 5 tech demo|Mega Bomberman 8-players]]'' (unpublished demo)
*1996: ''[[International Superstar Soccer Deluxe]]''

====Game Boy====
*1994: ''[[Contra III: The Alien Wars|Contra: The Alien Wars]]''
*1995: ''[[Animaniacs (video game)|Animaniacs]]''

====MS-DOS====
*1994: ''Tony & Friends in Kellogg's Land''<ref name="TheLegacy">[http://www.thelegacy.de/Museum/5690/ TheLegacy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303182629/http://www.thelegacy.de/Museum/5690/ |date=2016-03-03 }}, Retrieved October 30, 2008.</ref>

====PlayStation====
*1996: ''[[Star Wars: Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire]]''
*1997: ''[[Ballblazer Champions]]''

====Cancelled games====
*''[[Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures]]'' (completed but unreleased) ([[Sega Genesis|Sega Mega Drive/Genesis]])

===Factor 5, Inc.===
====Nintendo 64====
*1998: ''[[Star Wars: Rogue Squadron]]''
*1999: ''[[Pokémon Stadium]]'' (Sound Compression Technology)
*1999: ''[[Resident Evil 2]]'' (Sound Compression Technology)
*1999: ''[[Elmo's Letter Adventure]]'' (Sound Compression Technology)
*2000: ''[[San Francisco Rush 2049]]'' (Sound Compression Technology)
*2000: ''[[Star Wars: Episode I: Battle for Naboo]]''
*2000: ''[[Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine]]''
*2000: ''[[Pokémon Stadium 2]]'' (Sound Compression Technology)

====Microsoft Windows====
*1999: ''[[Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 3D]]''
*2001: ''[[Star Wars Episode I: Battle for Naboo]]''

====GameCube====
*2001: ''[[Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader]]''
*2003: ''[[Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike]]''

====PlayStation 3====
*2007: ''[[Lair (video game)|Lair]]''

====Cancelled games====
*''Animal Wars'' ([[PS3]])<ref name="unseen64.net">{{Cite web|url=http://www.unseen64.net/2011/11/10/animal-wars-ps3-cancelled/|title = Animal Wars &#91;PS3 - Cancelled&#93; - Unseen64|date = 10 November 2011}}</ref>
*''Icarus'' reboot of ''[[Kid Icarus]]'' ([[Wii]]) <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GF3cqKxfxaw|title = The Lost Kid Icarus Wii Game - Unseen64|website = [[YouTube]]}}</ref>
*''Untitled Pilotwings project'' ([[GameCube]]) <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMB-4WjrZyo|title = Pilotwings for Nintendo GameCube - Unseen64|website = [[YouTube]]}}</ref>
*''Star Wars Rogue Squadron: Rogue Leaders Wii'' (completed but unreleased) ([[Wii]])<ref>[http://hwcdn.libsyn.com/p/3/0/5/30564a64ae29bcd8/Nintendo_Voice_Chat__Factor_5s_Odyssey_to_Make_Star_Wars_Games.mp3?c_id=7727366&expiration=1412976079&hwt=59ce7c57f38ee6152d163b0662cbd34c Nintendo Voice Chat Factor 5's Odyssey to Make Star Wars Games] hwcdn.libsyn.com {{dead link|date=November 2023}}</ref>
*''[[List of Superman video games#Unreleased Superman games|Superman]]'' ([[PS3]], [[Xbox 360]], [[Wii]])<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.unseen64.net/2009/03/09/superman-factor-5-x360ps3-cancelled/|title = Superman (Factor 5) &#91;X360/PS3 - Cancelled&#93; - Unseen64|date = 9 March 2009}}</ref>
*''[[Turrican#Unreleased games|Thornado]]'' ([[Nintendo 64]])<ref name="thornado">{{Cite web|url=http://www.unseen64.net/2008/04/08/thornado-gc-cancelled/|title=Thornado &#91;N64 - Prototype&#93; - Unseen64|date=8 April 2008}}</ref>
*''[[Turrican#Unreleased games|Thornado]]'' ([[GameCube]])<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.unseen64.net/2009/04/08/thornado-n64-prototype/|title=Thornado &#91;GameCube - Cancelled&#93; - Unseen64|date=8 April 2008}}</ref>
*''[[Turrican#Unreleased games|Turrican: Cyclone]]'' ([[PS3]])<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.unseen64.net/2009/05/27/project-c-factor-5-ps3-cancelled/|title = Turrican: Cyclone (Factor 5) &#91;PS3 - Cancelled&#93; - Unseen64|date = 27 May 2009}}</ref>
*''Virus'' ([[PS3]])<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.unseen64.net/2011/04/04/virus-ps3-cancelled|title=Virus &#91;PS3 - Cancelled&#93; - Unseen64|date=4 April 2011}}</ref>
*''WeFly'' ([[Wii]])<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFVM5NVqQpM/|title = Pilotwings' Lost Open World Reboot (Nintendo Wii) - Unseen64|website = [[YouTube]]}}</ref>

==Technology==
*MusyX: Dolby Sound Tools - Developed for Nintendo 64, GameCube, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance<ref name="Raising the Speech Factor">{{cite web | title=Raising the Speech Factor | publisher=IGN | date=January 27, 1998 | url=http://www.ign.com/articles/1998/01/28/raising-the-speech-factor | access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref>
*[[DivX|DivX For Games SDK]] - Developed for GameCube

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Official website | http://www.factor5.com/}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070207024012/http://games.ign.com/objects/025/025137.html Factor 5] profile at [[IGN]]
*[http://www.gamespot.com/pages/company/index.php?company=10614&om_act=convert&om_clk=stats Factor 5] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930041542/http://www.gamespot.com/pages/company/index.php?company=10614&om_act=convert&om_clk=stats |date=2007-09-30 }} profile at [[GameSpot]]

{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Factor 5}}
[[Category:Video game companies of Germany]]
[[Category:Video game companies of the United States]]
[[Category:German companies established in 1987]]
[[Category:Video game companies established in 1987]]
[[Category:Video game companies established in 1996]]
[[Category:Video game companies disestablished in 2011]]
[[Category:Video game development companies]]
[[Category:Companies based in San Rafael, California]]
[[Category:Companies based in Cologne]]
[[Category:Re-established companies]]