Bullfrog Productions

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Bullfrog Productions Limited was a British video game developer based in Guildford, England. Founded in 1987 by Peter Molyneux and Les Edgar, the company gained recognition in 1989 for their third release, Populous, and is also well known for titles such as Theme Park, Theme Hospital, Magic Carpet, Syndicate and Dungeon Keeper. Bullfrog's name was derived from an ornament in the offices of Edgar's and Molyneux's other enterprise, Taurus Impact Systems, Bullfrog's precursor where Molyneux and Edgar were developing business software. Bullfrog Productions was founded as a separate entity after Commodore mistook Taurus for a similarly named company.

Electronic Arts, Bullfrog's publisher, acquired the studio in January 1995. Molyneux had become an Electronic Arts vice-president and consultant in 1994, after EA purchased a significant share of Bullfrog. Molyneux's last project with Bullfrog was Dungeon Keeper, and as a result of his dissatisfaction of the corporate aspects of his position, he left the company in July 1997 to found Lionhead Studios. Others would follow him to Lionhead, and some founded their own companies, such as Mucky Foot Productions. After Molyneux's departure, Electronic Arts' control over Bullfrog caused several projects to be cancelled. Bullfrog was merged into EA UK in 2001 and ceased to exist as a separate entity. Bullfrog titles have been looked upon as a standard for comparison and have spawned numerous spiritual sequels.

History

Background, founding, and early years (1982–1989)

File:Peter Molyneux - Game Developers Conference 2010 (2).jpg

Peter Molyneux, co-founder of Bullfrog Productions, in 2010

In 1982, entrepreneur Peter Molyneux met Les Edgar at an audio electronics shop called PJ Hi-Fi.<ref name="ChairPM">Template:Cite magazine</ref> When Molyneux left the company where he was working, Edgar suggested that they start a new one,<ref name="ChairPM"/><ref name="Legend">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> which would later develop business software for the Commodore 64 as Taurus Impact Systems (also known as Taurus Software).<ref name="Progress"/><ref name="Legend"/> The new company was named after Molyneux and Edgar's shared astrological sign, the Taurus.<ref name="Progress"/> At some point, Molyneux accepted a deal to export money systems to Switzerland and baked beans to the Middle East.<ref name="ChairPM"/>

One day, Taurus received a call from the head of Commodore Europe, wanting to discuss the future of the Amiga and Taurus' software's suitability for the system.<ref name="ChairPM" /><ref name="Legend"/> Molyneux was invited to Commodore Europe's headquarters, where he was offered several Amiga systems and a space at a show in Germany.<ref name="ChairPM"/><ref name="Legend"/> When Molyneux was told that they were anticipating getting his network running on the Amiga, he realised that they had mistaken his company for one called Torus, a producer of networking systems.<ref name="ChairPM" /><ref name="Legend"/> Molyneux wanted the Amiga systems, so he did not inform Commodore of this error.<ref name="Legend"/> He received them and began writing a database program called Acquisition.<ref name="ChairPM"/> Commodore kept asking about the database, and Molyneux gave them excuses because they were threatening to shut Taurus down.<ref name="ChairPM"/> When Acquisition was finished, it was shown at the exhibition in Germany, and won product of the year. 2,000 copies were sold to a company in the United States, giving Molyneux and Edgar funds to sustain Taurus.<ref name="ChairPM"/>

Another program Taurus wrote was a computer-aided design (CAD) package called X-CAD.<ref name="Progress">Template:Cite magazine</ref> They knew the Amiga was becoming a gaming machine, and a friend of Molyneux's asked him to convert Druid II: Enlightenment from the Commodore 64 to the Amiga.<ref name="ChairPM" /> According to Edgar, it was around this time Bullfrog was founded in preparation for the day when Acquisition was no longer important and they could focus on games.<ref name="History">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Bullfrog was originally a brand of Taurus; Molyneux explained that this was because they wanted to avoid confusion over business software and money-making opportunities.<ref name="ChairPM" />

The name came from an ornament of a bullfrog located in the office:<ref name="Progress"/> when asked by Joystick why the name "Bullfrog" was chosen, Molyneux stated that they wanted "an idiotic name" without having to find one, and there happened to be a sculpture of a colourful frog on a pedestal labelled "Bull Frog by Leonardo" on the table.<ref name="JSBullfrog">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Afterwards, Molyneux and Edgar were running out of money, and Edgar suggested they close the company down.<ref name="ChairPM"/> It was at this point when Molyneux came up with the idea of Populous.<ref name="ChairPM"/> The conversion of Druid II: Enlightenment, Populous, and a shoot 'em up game called Fusion were the first games developed under the Bullfrog brand.<ref name="History"/>

Early success (1989–1995)

Populous was difficult to publish at first due to a lack of recognition—the god genre was, according to Bullfrog, "misunderstood by everyone".<ref name="Gameology">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Despite this, Electronic Arts was willing to publish the game.<ref name="History"/> Molyneux did not expect it to be successful,<ref name="ChairPM"/> yet in 1989, the game received 10 awards, and another 12 the following year, with sales reaching one million copies.<ref name="Gameology"/> It ultimately sold four million copies.<ref name="History"/> Edgar took note of the game's success and gave developers such as Imagineer licences to create ports for platforms such as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) and Sega Mega Drive, which enabled the game to gain traction in Japan.<ref name="Profile">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

After Populous, Bullfrog moved into the Surrey Research Park in Guildford and had around 20 employees.<ref name="History"/> Bullfrog was starting to gain a reputation, so people started to want to work for the company.<ref name="ChairPM"/> Molyneux searched for staff himself, and employed artists and programmers.<ref name="ChairPM" /> He travelled to universities, including Cambridge, where he offered computer scientists and banks the chance to come to the gaming industry.<ref name="ChairPM"/>

Bullfrog's Powermonger was developed as a result of pressure from Electronic Arts for a follow-up to Populous. and was released in 1990.<ref name="History" /><ref name="Legacy" /> The game won multiple Best Strategy Game awards,<ref name="Gameology" /> including one from Computer Gaming World (as did Populous).<ref name="Legend" /> The direct sequel to Populous, Populous II: Trials of the Olympian Gods, was released the following year and sold over a million copies.<ref name="History" /><ref name="Legacy" /> In late 1993, Bullfrog worked with researchers from the University of Surrey, who were nearby their offices, to study the movement and behaviour of underwater life so Bullfrog could reproduce it in the game Creation.<ref name="JSBullfrog"/>

By the mid-1990s, Bullfrog had become well known for innovation and quality.<ref name="FunTime">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="Bullfrog95"/> A 1995 article in GamePro stated that "Bullfrog's work has been termed some of the most innovative by industry leaders, and it's pioneered different genres of software."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The same year, Next Generation similarly asserted that "Bullfrog has earned a reputation as one of the most consistently innovative and imaginative development teams in the world."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In July 1995, Edge stated that Bullfrog had "an unparalleled reputation for quality and innovation",<ref name="Bullfrog95"/> and by that year, Bullfrog were "rightly considered one of the most innovative in the world", according to GamesTM.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

In 1994, three games were in development: Creation, Theme Park, and Magic Carpet. Bullfrog focused on implementing multiplayer in all three games; Molyneux believed that multiplayer was more important than the compact disc (CD) format.<ref name="FunTime"/> Theme Park and Magic Carpet were released that year,<ref name="Gameology"/> the latter being the best-selling CD game that Christmas and winning Game of the Year awards in the United Kingdom and Germany.<ref name="Gameology"/> Theme Park proved popular in Japan and was a best-seller in Europe.<ref name="Legend"/><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> During the development of Theme Park, artist Gary Carr left Bullfrog following a disagreement with Molyneux on the game: Molyneux wanted gaily coloured graphics that would appeal to the Japanese market, but Carr disapproved, believing it would not work.<ref name="Legacy" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Carr joined The Bitmap Brothers, returning to Bullfrog in 1995 to work on Dungeon Keeper, although he ended up working as the lead artist on Theme Hospital instead.<ref name="THMaking">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

In November 1994, Bullfrog began development for Dungeon Keeper.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> By then, the company had been approached many times to develop games around film licences.<ref name="Audience94">Template:Cite magazine</ref> McDonald's approached Bullfrog at some point for a joint game venture.<ref name="Audience94" /> By mid-1995, Bullfrog was focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and had a dedicated AI team working at its offices.<ref name="Bullfrog95" /> Two AI techniques, Personality Mapping and Skeletal Mapping, were developed.<ref name="Bullfrog95" />

Acquisition by Electronic Arts and Molyneux's departure (1995–1998)

According to Edgar, Bullfrog began merger talks with Electronic Arts in 1993.<ref name="History"/> To get the best deal, he believed Bullfrog should also talk with other companies such as Sony and Virgin.<ref name="History"/> He explained that Electronic Arts was the obvious choice as Bullfrog already had a positive relationship with them.<ref name="History"/> According to Molyneux, Bullfrog received numerous offers expressing interest in purchasing the company. The offers were not taken seriously until major companies, such as Electronic Arts and Philips, made contact; it was then thought that the acquisition by one of these companies would be inevitable.<ref name="ChairPM"/> Bullfrog was bought by Electronic Arts in early January 1995.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The rumored price of the acquisition was $44 million(£29 million).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> By this time, the studio's staff count had risen from 35 to 60 and the acquisition allowed it to grow to 150 people within months.<ref name="ChairPM"/> Molyneux became a vice-president of Electronic Arts and head of their European branch.<ref name="ChairPM"/><ref name="Kotaku">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Edgar became the vice-president of the European branch and Bullfrog's chairman.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He described Bullfrog becoming part of a multinational company as "a very big change" and worked for Electronic Arts to assist with the transition.<ref name="Audience99">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Although Molyneux had said that Bullfrog's products would not suffer as a result of Electronic Arts' purchase,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> the number of games in development meant that there was less time to refine them (despite the company's growth rate), affecting their quality.<ref name="Legend"/>

After the release of Magic Carpet in 1994, seven games were in development: Magic Carpet 2, Theme Hospital, The Indestructibles, Syndicate Wars, Gene Wars, Creation, and Dungeon Keeper.<ref name="Legend"/> After Electronic Arts' purchase, Molyneux was told to release a game, namely Magic Carpet 2 or Dungeon Keeper, within six weeks.<ref name="Legend"/> Neither was near completion, so to appease Electronic Arts, Hi-Octane was created.<ref name="Legend"/><ref name="Legacy">Template:Cite magazine</ref> It had a rushed development and no name by July 1995.<ref name="Legend"/><ref name="Legacy"/><ref name="Bullfrog95">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Molyneux explained that Bullfrog's games were normally original, and they were not concerned about them being copied, but the project was "a little derivative", which was why it was kept secret—even Edgar was not informed of the project at first.<ref name="Legend"/><ref name="Bullfrog95"/> Around this time, Bullfrog had a reputation for having largely ignored 16-bit game consoles, and Syndicate Wars was the company's first title originally developed for a console—the PlayStation.<ref name="Bullfrog95"/>

As Molyneux had been made vice-president of Electronic Arts, his corporate role and responsibility increased considerably and he began making frequent trips to San Francisco.<ref name="Kotaku"/><ref name="ChairPM"/> Over time, he grew increasingly frustrated with the position and wished to return to game development.<ref name="Legend"/> In July 1996, Molyneux decided to resign from Bullfrog to focus on game design, rather than become a mere employee.<ref name="Legend"/><ref name="House">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="Audience97">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In response, Electronic Arts banned him from its offices, forcing him to move development of Dungeon Keeper to his house.<ref name="DKMaking"/> Molyneux speculated that this was because Electronic Arts feared that he would take people with him.<ref name="ChairPM"/> He decided to leave as soon as Dungeon Keeper was finished and commented: "My last day will be the day that this game goes into final test. I'm very, very, very sad, but also very relieved."<ref name="House"/> He also said that Electronic Arts had been "unbelievably patient"<ref name="House"/> and thanked vice-president Mark Lewis for campaigning for Dungeon KeeperTemplate:'s completion.<ref name="Words">Template:Cite book</ref> Molyneux's planned departure was his motivation to make Dungeon Keeper good.<ref name="Words"/> He believed that he would enjoy being an executive but said that it was "an utter nightmare".<ref name="House"/> Shortly after his departure, Molyneux said he still had feelings for Bullfrog and wished them success.<ref name="House"/><ref name="Audience97" /> Despite his dissatisfaction with the corporate aspects of being vice-president, Molyneux said that he had learned "an enormous amount".<ref name="Drunk">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2017, he revealed that his resignation was the consequence of his, and technical director Tim Rance's, drunkenness. He said he would take his resignation email back if he could.<ref name="Drunk"/>

Around this time, as Electronic Arts increased control over Bullfrog.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Mark Healey (the lead artist for Dungeon Keeper)<ref name="DKMaking" /> stated that the company "felt more like a chicken factory" after Electronic Arts' takeover and compared it to being assimilated by the Borg.<ref name="History" /><ref name="ChairMH">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Glenn Corpes (an artist for Fusion and Populous)<ref name="Progress"/> stated that he was not surprised at Molyneux's departure.<ref name="ChairGC">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Another employee believed that working for Bullfrog had become "a job" and that the company had lost its innovation.<ref name="History"/> In 2008, Electronic Arts' president John Riccitiello corroborated these sentiments by admitting that their "dictatorial managerial approach" had suppressed Bullfrog's creativity.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Sean Cooper (the designer of Syndicate)<ref name="History"/> said that if he could travel back in time, he would probably force Molyneux to refrain from selling Bullfrog to Electronic Arts. He described the period of resignations following Molyneux's departure as "such a horrible time".<ref name="Destroy">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Molyneux believed that Electronic Arts had good intentions for Bullfrog, saying that "they just wanted to make it nicer" and putting the company's effects on Bullfrog down to "love abuse".<ref name="Destroy"/>

When Dungeon Keeper was nearing its completion in 1997, Molyneux, Rance, and Mark Webley (the project leader for Theme Hospital)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> founded a new company, Lionhead Studios, that July.<ref name="ChairPM" /><ref name="BWIntro">Template:Cite book</ref> By the time the studio's first game, Black & White, was released, Bullfrog employees such as Healey, Andy Bass (an artist who had worked on Theme Hospital),<ref name="BTSTH" /> Russell Shaw (the composer for various titles),<ref name="FunTime" /> James Leach (Bullfrog's script writer),<ref name="THMaking" /> Paul McLaughlin (who worked on Creation),<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and Jonty Barnes (a programmer who had worked on Dungeon Keeper)<ref name="Words"/> had joined Lionhead.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Healey stated that, because of his dissatisfaction at Bullfrog, he was happy to follow Molyneux and became Lionhead's first artist.<ref name="ChairMH"/> Also in 1997, Mike Diskett (the project leader, lead programmer, and lead designer of Syndicate Wars),<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="Finish">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Finn McGechie (the lead artist for Magic Carpet),<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and Guy Simmons left to found Mucky Foot Productions, with Carr joining them the following year.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Legacy" />

Other notable people at Bullfrog around the mid-1990s include Simon Carter (the lead programmer for Dungeon Keeper),<ref name="DKMaking" /> Richard Reed (the project leader for Gene Wars),<ref name="Finish" /> Mike Man (the lead artist for Syndicate Wars),<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Alan Wright (the project leader and lead programmer for Magic Carpet 2),<ref name="MC2">Template:Cite book</ref> and Eoin Rogan (the lead artist for Magic Carpet 2).<ref name="MC2" />

Post-Molyneux, final years, and closure (1998–2001)

In 1998, two games were released: Theme Aquarium, and Populous: The Beginning.<ref name="Legacy"/> Theme Aquarium was an attempt to "cross barriers" between the United Kingdom and Japan. Edgar explained that Bullfrog was more successful than most western game developers in Japan due to Populous and Theme Park, and wondered about the possibilities of having a game designed in the United Kingdom and implemented in Japan by Japanese development teams.<ref name="Audience99"/> A small group was set up to do this.<ref name="Audience99"/> Theme Aquarium was released as a Theme game in Japan only; western releases removed the Bullfrog branding.<ref name="Legacy"/> As of 2012, many ex-Bullfrog employees were unfamiliar with the game.<ref name="Legacy"/> Shortly before Molyneux's departure, Bullfrog announced that the games then in development may be the final ones released for MS-DOS. It was "quite likely" that all future games would be Windows-only.<ref name="Windows95">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The reason for the change in platform focus was so Bullfrog could create games with Windows in mind and use "powerful features" (such as 3D acceleration), which were difficult to use with MS-DOS.<ref name="Windows95"/>

In 1999, Theme Park World and Dungeon Keeper 2 were released.<ref name="Legacy"/> Most of Theme Park WorldTemplate:'s development team came from Mindscape—they were brought to Bullfrog wholesale.<ref name="Legacy"/> Bullfrog worked with its sister company Maxis to release Theme Park World in North America under their Sim brand as Sim Theme Park to further establish itself in the region.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Theme Resort, a Theme game based around holiday islands, was cancelled and its team reallocated to Theme Park World.<ref name="Legacy"/> Dungeon Keeper 2 had a new development team led by Nick Goldsworthy,<ref name="DKMaking"/> previously an assistant producer for Theme Park at Electronic Arts.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> During the development, Colin Robinson was interviewed for the role of Bullfrog's chief technical officer,<ref name="ChairGC"/> and helped the project succeed.<ref name="DKMaking"/> In 2016, Glenn Corpes speculated that Electronic Arts did not understand Molyneux's role at Bullfrog and thought he was in charge of everything and that Electronic Arts' response to his departure would be to install managers. In fact, he focused on one game at a time, and let others carry out their work.<ref name="ChairGC"/>

In mid-1999, Edgar stepped down as chairman.<ref name="Audience99"/> He was succeeded as managing director by Bruce McMillan of Electronic Arts' Canadian studios.<ref name=SiliconValley>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Corpes left to found the studio Lost Toys with Jeremy Longley (who had worked on Theme Hospital, Syndicate Wars, and Populous III) and Darren Thomas (who had worked on Dungeon Keeper and Magic Carpet 2, and was the lead artist on Theme Park World),<ref name="ChairGC" /><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> which Edgar supported financially.<ref name="Audience99" /> Corpes stated that he was inspired by Mucky Foot Productions running its own affairs and that it was "quite embarrassing to still be working for the Borg".<ref name="InsideLT">Template:Cite magazine</ref> He also said that Lost Toys was partially his take on what Bullfrog was.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Alex Trowers (a designer who had worked on Syndicate and Powermonger) believed that Bullfrog had become too corporate after Electronic Arts' takeover and left for Lost Toys to return to "making games for the sake of making games", rather than to satisfy shareholders.<ref name="InsideLT"/>

In August 1999, Electronic Arts appointed Ernest Adams as the lead designer of the fourth instalment in the Populous series, Genesis: The Hand of God.<ref name="DK3Story"/> Bullfrog's management had concerns about its similarity to Lionhead Studios' Black & White and cancelled the project.<ref name="DK3Story"/> Adams then became the lead designer on Dungeon Keeper 3.<ref name="DK3Story"/> As Dungeon Keeper 2 did not perform as well as hoped, the team were instructed to make the third game more accessible. Development began in November 1999,<ref name="DK3Story"/> but Electronic Arts' focus was changing.<ref name="DKMaking"/> It was in negotiation with J. K. Rowling and New Line Cinema for licences to Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings, respectively.<ref name="DK3Story"/> Electronic Arts saw a profitable opportunity and, in March 2000, cancelled Dungeon Keeper 3 in favour of those franchises,<ref name="DK3Story"/> although its cancellation was not officially announced until August.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Bullfrog moved to Chertsey in 2000 and went through "a quiet patch" for the remainder of the year.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

The final game under the Bullfrog brand, Theme Park Inc, was released in 2001.<ref name="Legacy"/> By the time the game was in development, most of the Bullfrog teams had become part of EA UK and much of the development was handled by another company.<ref name="Legacy"/> What remained of Bullfrog was then merged into EA UK.<ref name="History"/> Molyneux stayed with Lionhead Studios until the formation of 22cans in 2012.<ref name="Legacy" /> Edgar had some involvement with the gaming industry since Bullfrog but eventually left for the automotive industry.<ref name="History" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In August 2009, Electronics Arts were considering revising some of Bullfrog's games for then current systems.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Legacy

Several employees founded their own companies after leaving Bullfrog. These include:

• Lionhead Studios – Founded by Peter Molyneux, Mark Webley, and Tim Rance (as well as Steve Jackson, the co-founder of Games Workshop and co-author of the Fighting Fantasy books),<ref name="BWIntro"/> Lionhead is best known for their Black & White and Fable series.<ref name="Legacy"/> The company was acquired by Microsoft and closed down on 29 April 2016.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• Mucky Foot Productions – Founded by Mike Diskett, Fin McGechie, and Guy Simmons.<ref name="Legacy"/> Gary Carr joined shortly afterwards.<ref name="Legacy"/><ref name="BTSTH"/> A deal with Eidos Interactive was signed and Mucky Foot Productions developed three games: Urban Chaos, Startopia, and Blade II. The company closed in 2003.<ref name="Legacy"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• Lost Toys – Founded by Glenn Corpes, Jeremy Longley, and Darran Thomas. The studio created two games—Ball Breakers/Moho and Battle Engine Aquila—before shutting down.<ref name="Legacy"/>
• Media Molecule – Best known for LittleBigPlanet, Media Molecule was established by Mark Healey, Alex Evans, Dave Smith, and Kareem Ettouney.<ref name="Legacy"/>
• Intrepid Computer Entertainment – This company was started by Joe Rider and Matt Chilton, and signed by Microsoft as a first-party developer. Intrepid closed in 2004, and its employees moved to Lionhead Studios.<ref name="Legacy"/>
• Big Blue Box Studios – Founded by Bullfrog programmers Simon and Dene Carter, and Ian Lovett (who worked on Magic Carpet and Dungeon Keeper), Big Blue Box Studios were "very close" to Lionhead Studios, and the two companies merged.<ref name="Legacy"/>
• 22cans – Founded in 2012 by Molyneux after he left Lionhead.<ref name="Legacy"/> 22cans is known for Godus, which took inspiration from Populous and Dungeon Keeper, as well as Lionhead's Black & White.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• Two Point Studios – Founded in 2016 by Gary Carr and Mark Webley, Two Point Studios signed a publishing deal with Sega in May 2017.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Several Bullfrog games have spawned spiritual successors or have been used as a base for comparison. Dungeon Keeper has influenced War for the Overworld and Mucky Foot's Startopia, the former being described as "a true spiritual successor to Dungeon Keeper".<ref name="DKMaking"/><ref name="WFTO">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> DR Studios' Hospital Tycoon has been compared to Theme Hospital.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Satellite Reign (programmed by Mike Diskett) has been labelled a spiritual successor to the Syndicate series.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Two Point Hospital, developed by Two Point Studios, is considered to be a spiritual successor to Theme Hospital.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In October 2013, Jeff Skalski of Mythic Entertainment, which produced a free-to-play remake of Dungeon Keeper for mobile platforms, said he would like to remake other Bullfrog titles, and described the company as "unstoppable".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Theme Park also received a freemium remake in December 2011.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Games developed

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

Cancelled projects

Bullfrog cancelled several projects. According to Molyneux, the most common reason games were abandoned in the company's earlier days was because the game testers did not like them. That being the case, his theory was that customers would not either.<ref name="Progress"/> Cancelled games include:

• Ember – Players would have piloted a speeder craft to repair a microprocessor chip, competing against a rival trying to undo the player's repairs.<ref name="Progress"/>
• Colony – An arcade-adventure-puzzle game in which players would have attempted to save the passengers and crew of a cryogenic ship by repairing the cryogenic suspension system, using video cameras to monitor activity on the ship.<ref name="Progress"/>
• Hell – A scrolling shoot 'em up based in the underworld and based on Joust.<ref name="Progress"/>
• The Indestructibles – Described as "an action-beat-'em-up-strategy-everything game", The Indestructibles would have involved creating superhumans to defend cities from invaders.<ref name="eurogamer">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Bullfrog95"/>

• Creation – Set in the same reality as Syndicate, Creation would have had the player battling to transform an alien water world.<ref name="eurogamer"/>
• Void Star – This was to be a 3D real-time strategy game set in space, but was cancelled it was believed that there would be no interest in the concept.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• Theme Resort, Theme Prison, Theme Ski Resort, and Theme Airport – These were "talked about" after the release of Theme Hospital but never materialised due to Mark Webley and Gary Carr leaving for other companies.<ref name="BTSTH">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Theme Resort was in development (according to Webley, its team were trying to have a trip to Club Med for research),<ref name="BTSTH"/> and its team joined Theme Park World after cancellation.<ref name="Legacy"/> Webley stated that Bullfrog intended to explore other possibilities for its Designer Series (of which Theme Park and Theme Hospital are part of),<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="Bullfrog95"/> but Electronic Arts had it shut down.<ref name="BTSTH"/>
• Genesis: The Hand of God – Intended to be the next instalment in the Populous series but was cancelled due to similarities to Lionhead's Black & White.<ref name="DK3Story">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• Dungeon Keeper 3 – Project was cancelled in favour of film franchises such as Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings.<ref name="DK3Story"/><ref name="DKMaking">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Bullfrog also decided to cease developing real-time strategy games.<ref name="Game credits"/>
• Theme Movie Studio – Did not make it past the concept stage.<ref name="Game credits">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

External links

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