Runecraft (company)
{{Short description|British video game developer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{more citations needed|date=March 2023}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Gamezlab Limited
| logo =
| former_name = Runecraft Limited (1997–2002)
| type =
| successor = Gamezlab
| industry = Video games
| founder =
| defunct = September 2004
| location_city =
| location_country = Yorkshire, England
| area_served =
| key_people =
| products =
| revenue =
| operating_income =
| net_income =
| owner =
| num_employees = 200 (2001){{cite web|first=Roger|last=Trapp|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/121527300/the-independent/|title=I see what you say - video conferencing comes of age|newspaper=The Independent|page=55|date=March 11, 2011|accessdate=March 24, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}}
| parent = BBC Multimedia (2002-2004)
| homepage = [https://web.archive.org/web/20021122020037/http://runecraft.co.uk/ runecraft.co.uk] (archived)
}}
Gamezlab (formerly Runecraft) was a British video game developer based in Yorkshire. The company was founded in April 1997 and mostly developed games based on licensed properties.
History
In 2002, the company was commissioned by the BBC to develop a fighting game engine for the company's upcoming FightBox game show project. However, various financial issues, mismanagement, and other problems caused Runecraft to go bust at the end of December 2002. To keep the show alive, BBC Worldwide acquired the developer and a small number of its staff, and renamed the developer under BBC's core-publishing brand "Gamezlab".{{cite web |last1=Yarwood |first1=Jack |title=Remembering FightBox, BBC’s Big-Budget Video Game Failure |url=https://www.timeextension.com/features/remembering-fightbox-bbcrs-big-budget-video-game-failure |website=Time Extension |publisher=Hookshot Media |access-date=23 March 2023 |date=22 March 2023}}
Following the failure of FightBox and the completion of the tie-in games, In February 2004, Gamezlab were commissioned to develop a video game based on BBC's Spooks TV series for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and Microsoft Windows.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/bbcworldwide/worldwidestories/pressreleases/2004/02_february/spooks_multimedia.shtml|title=BBC - Worldwide Press Office - Spooks revealed as multi-format computer game|website=www.bbc.co.uk}} The game was planned to use a new internal game engine, but at the end of September 2004, BBC Multimedia closed down Gamezlab as part of a restructuring to focus on licensing and ceasing development and publication.
Games developed
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{official website|https://web.archive.org/web/20021122020037/http://runecraft.co.uk/}} (archived)
{{Authority control}}
Category:Defunct companies based in Yorkshire
Category:Defunct video game companies of the United Kingdom
Category:Video game companies established in 1997
Category:Video game companies disestablished in 2003
Category:Video game development companies
{{UK-videogame-company-stub}}