Kheops Studio
{{Short description|Defunct video game developer}}
{{Infobox company
|name = Kheops Studio
|logo = Kheops logo.png
|company_slogan =
|type = Division (business)
|foundation = September 2003
|defunct = January 2012
|fate = Dissolved
|location = Paris, France
|industry = Video games
|revenue =
|num_employees =
|parent =
|key_people =
|products = Adventure games
|homepage =
}}
Kheops Studio was an independent video game development studio created in September 2003. Its games were published by Microids, which acquired the brand and intellectual property as insolvency assets of Cryo Interactive in 2002. The company was co-founded by Benoît Hozjan (of Cryo Interactive), who also served as the creative director for the studio and Stéphane Petit (of Cryo Interactive), who served as technical director. Kheops developed adventure games for the PC platform and released several major successful games. The studio is best known for creating games that have been described by the developer as "cultural entertainment", that is, games which are heavily drawn from historical or literary sources to include a mixture of history and fiction.{{Cite web |publisher=Adventure Classic Gaming |url=http://www.adventureclassicgaming.com/index.php/site/interviews/313/ |title=Benoît Hozjan interview |date=April 2008 |accessdate=2008-04-05}} After filing for bankruptcy, the studio was closed down in January 2012.{{cite web | url=http://www.afjv.com/societe/314-kheops-studio.htm | title=Kheops Studio (Informations sur la société)}}
History
Kheops Studio was established in Paris during September 2003 by Benoît Hozjan and other ex-members of DreamCatcher Interactive's European branch.{{cite web | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071002100029/http://www.afjv.com/studios/kheops.htm | url=http://www.afjv.com/studios/kheops.htm | title=[afjv] Kheops Studio | date=June 12, 2007 | publisher=Agence française pour le jeu vidéo | language=French | archivedate=October 2, 2007 | url-status=dead}}{{cite web | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215035522/https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/17997 | url=https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/17997 | title=Kheops Studio - Benoît Hozjan | author=Walter, Johann | date=November 14, 2006 | work=Adventure Gamers | archivedate=February 15, 2019 | url-status=live}} DreamCatcher Europe had been founded that January,{{cite press release | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20030814205415/http://www.dcegames.com/DCE/down/30%20janvier%202003/DreamCatcherCorporate_1_ENG.pdf | url=http://www.dcegames.com/DCE/down/30%20janvier%202003/DreamCatcherCorporate_1_ENG.pdf | title=DreamCatcher Interactive Enters European Market | location=Toronto | date=January 30, 2002 | publisher=DreamCatcher Interactive | archivedate=August 14, 2003 | url-status=dead}} and was in part composed of the development teams behind Cryo Interactive's Egypt and Atlantis series.{{cite web | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20051023082955/http://www.adventuregamers.com/article/id,223 | url=http://www.adventuregamers.com:80/article/id,223 | title=The Adventure Company Europe | author=Bronstring, Marek | date=March 7, 2003 | archivedate=October 23, 2005 | work=Adventure Gamers | url-status=dead | access-date=February 16, 2020}} According to Hozjan, most who migrated to Kheops were initially employed at DreamCatcher Europe to work on Egypt III;{{cite web | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071206031455/http://www.jeuxvideopc.com/articles/900-kheops-studio-interview-benoit-hozjan-co-fondateur-directeur/ | url=http://www.jeuxvideopc.com/articles/900-kheops-studio-interview-benoit-hozjan-co-fondateur-directeur/ | title=[Kheops Studio] Interview de Benoît Hozjan, co-fondateur et directeur | author=Hoopy | date=August 24, 2006 | work=JeuxVideoPC | language=French | archivedate=December 6, 2007 | url-status=dead}} in summer 2003, the publisher had laid off the in-house developers it had carried over from Cryo.{{cite web | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402035247/http://adventureadvocate.gr/interviews/eng-interviews/item/benoit-hozjan-for-kheops-studio | url=http://adventureadvocate.gr/interviews/eng-interviews/item/benoit-hozjan-for-kheops-studio | title=Benoit Hozjan for Kheops Studio | date=August 9, 2005 | author=Fallen Angel | work=Adventure Advocate | archivedate=April 2, 2015 | url-status=dead}} After its founding, Kheops sought and received a contract from DreamCatcher to complete Egypt III independently, and it became Kheops' first title.{{cite web | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080411021511/http://www.adventureclassicgaming.com/index.php/site/interviews/313/ | url=http://www.adventureclassicgaming.com/index.php/site/interviews/313/ | title=Benoît Hozjan - Interview | author1=Jong, Philip | author2=Howse, Joseph | date=April 5, 2008 | work=Adventure Classic Gaming | archivedate=April 11, 2008 | url-status=live}}
Games developed
- Jeff Wayne's The War Of The Worlds (1999)
- Egypt III: The Fate of Ramses (2004)
- Crystal Key 2 (co-developed) (2004)
- Return to Mysterious Island (2004)
- Echo: Secrets of the Lost Cavern (2005)
- Voyage: Inspired by Jules Verne (2005)
- The Secrets of Da Vinci: The Forbidden Manuscript (2006)
- Safecracker: The Ultimate Puzzle Adventure (2006)
- Destination: Treasure Island (2006)
- Cleopatra: Riddle of the Tomb (2007)
- Nostradamus: The Last Prophecy (2007)
- Dracula 3: The Path of the Dragon (2008)
- Return to Mysterious Island 2 (2009)
- The Fall Trilogy: Separation (2009)
- The Fall Trilogy 2: Reconstruction (2010)
- The Fall Trilogy 3: Revelation (2011)
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20091226131504/http://www.kheops-studio.com/ Official website] via Internet Archive
{{Kheops Studio}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Video game development companies
Category:Video game companies established in 2003
Category:Video game companies disestablished in 2012
Category:Defunct video game companies of France