Human Head Studios

Human Head Studios, Inc. was an American video game developer located in Madison, Wisconsin.

Human Head Studios, Inc.
TypePrivate
IndustryVideo games
FoundedOctober 1997 (1997-10)
DefunctNovember 13, 2019 (2019-11-13)
SuccessorRoundhouse Studios
Headquarters
Madison, Wisconsin
,
U.S.
Key people
Chris Rhinehart
Paul MacArthur
Ben Gokey
Ted Halsted
Jim Sumwalt
Shane Gurno
ProductsRune
Prey

History

Human Head Studios was founded in October 1997 by a group of six developers formerly from Raven Software: Ben Gokey, Chris Rhinehart, Paul MacArthur, Ted Halsted, James Sumwalt, and Shane Gurno—later joined by game producer Tim Gerritsen as co-owner in June 1998. Regarding the origin of the studio's name, Gerritsen explained: "When the guys were thinking of leaving Raven Software, someone posted a message via e-mail that they had lost some money. This started people saying they had lost all sorts of things. One person posted that they had misplaced a bag of human heads and this gave the inspiration for the name."[1] Their first game was Rune, a third-person Viking action game. The company also worked on the long-anticipated first-person shooter Prey, a game that was executive produced by 3D Realms.

On April 20, 2007, a news report indicated that the company's headquarters were partially destroyed in a fire.[2] No injuries were reported. On October 1, 2007, the company moved back into their newly renovated offices. In 2014, Human Head announced that they have revived a multiplayer video game called Minimum from TimeGate Studios, which filed for bankruptcy in 2013.[3] Their final major release was the infamous The Quiet Man, an action-adventure beat-em-up published by Square Enix which features full-motion video cutscenes.

On November 13, 2019, the studio announced its closure, immediately after the release of Rune II. The whole team subsequently formed a new studio, Roundhouse Studios, under Bethesda Softworks. Chris Rhinehart of Human Head/Roundhouse stated that "Sadly, we had to wind down the business of Human Head Studios and close its doors", but had been able to reach out to Bethesda to establish this new studio.[4]

Games developed
YearTitlePublisher(s)Platform(s)
2000RuneGathering of DevelopersMicrosoft Windows, macOS, Linux
2000Blair Witch Volume II: The Legend of Coffin RockMicrosoft Windows
2001Rune: Halls of ValhallaMicrosoft Windows
2001Rune: Viking WarlordTake-Two InteractivePlayStation 2
2004Dead Man's HandAtari, SAXbox, Microsoft Windows
2006Prey2K GamesMicrosoft Windows, Xbox 360, macOS, Linux
2011Brink[5]Bethesda SoftworksMicrosoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
2012Fort CourageHuman Head StudiosiOS
2013Defiance[5]Trion WorldsMicrosoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
2014MinimumAtari, SAMicrosoft Windows
2015Lost Within[6]Amazon Game StudiosiOS, Android
2015Dungeon Defenders IITrendy EntertainmentXbox One, PlayStation 4[7]
2018The Quiet Man[8]Square EnixMicrosoft Windows, PlayStation 4
2018Survived ByDigital ExtremesMicrosoft Windows
2019Rune IIRagnarok Game, LLCMicrosoft Windows

Cancelled

References
  1. Keefer, John (March 31, 2006). "GameSpy Retro: Developer Origins, Page 7 of 19". GameSpy. Archived from the original on June 9, 2007.
  2. "Massive Fire Destroys East Side Building". Channel3000. April 20, 2007. Archived from the original on February 5, 2012. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  3. Chalk, Andy (April 10, 2014). "Ex-Prey 2 Studio Takes Over TimeGate's Minimum". The Escapist. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  4. Ivan, Tom (November 13, 2019). "New Bethesda studio formed as Human Head Studios closes". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  5. R. Conklin, Aaron (July 24, 2014). "Inside the minds of Human Head Studios". Isthmus. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  6. Phillips, Tom (March 3, 2015). "Prey developer Human Head announces survival horror Lost Within". Eurogamer. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  7. Crecente, Brian (June 11, 2015). "Dungeon Defenders 2 coming to PS4 this year with help from Prey developer". Polygon. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  8. Minotti, Mike (June 11, 2018). "The Quiet Man may be Square Enix's first deaf hero". VentureBeat. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  9. Pitcher, Jenna (October 30, 2014). "Bethesda officially confirms Prey 2 cancellation". IGN. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
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