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Underground Development

Topic: Company

 From HandWiki - Reading time: 3 min
Underground Development, Ltd.
FormerlyZ-Axis, Ltd. (1994–2008)
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryVideo games
FateDissolved
Founded1994; 31 years ago (1994) in San Mateo, California, U.S.
FounderDavid Luntz
DefunctFebruary 12, 2010 (2010-02-12)
Headquarters
Foster City, California
,
U.S.
Number of employees
<45 (2008)
ParentActivision (2002–2010)

Underground Development, Ltd. (formerly Z-Axis, Ltd.) was an American video game developer based in Foster City, California. It was founded in 1994 by David Luntz and sold to Activision in May 2002. Following a rebranding to Underground Development in February 2008, the company was closed in February 2010.

History

Z-Axis was founded by David Luntz in 1994,[1] originally located in San Mateo, California.[2] On May 22, 2002, Activision announced that they had acquired Z-Axis in exchange for a payment of US$20.5 million in cash and stock, and up to 93,446 additional shares in Activision linked to the studio's performance.[3][4] At the time, the studio was located in Hayward, California.[3] In February 2008, Z-Axis was rebranded as Underground Development.[5][6]

Activision reported in April 2008 that they were closing Underground Development, which had the time had under 45 employees in a Foster City, California office, at the end of the coming May.[7][8][9] The studio was fully closed on February 12, 2010.[10][11]

Games developed as Z-Axis

Year Title Platform(s)
1996 Madden NFL '96 Sega Genesis
1998 Fox Sports College Hoops '99 Nintendo 64
1999 Alexi Lalas International Soccer PlayStation, Microsoft Windows, Game Boy Color
Space Invaders PlayStation, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 64
Thrasher Presents Skate and Destroy PlayStation
2000 Software:Freestyle Motocross: McGrath vs Pastrana PlayStation
Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX PlayStation, Game Boy Color, Dreamcast, Microsoft Windows
2001 Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX: Maximum Remix PlayStation
Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 PlayStation 2, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Xbox
2002 Aggressive Inline PlayStation 2, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Xbox
BMX XXX PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox
2006 Software:X-Men: The Official Game PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360
Cancelled Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX 3[12] PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox
Iron Man[13] PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox

Games developed as Underground Development

Year Title Platform(s)
2009 Software:Guitar Hero: Van Halen PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360
Cancelled Call of Duty: Devil's Brigade[14] Xbox 360

References

  1. ↑ Nutt, Christian (January 4, 2008). "Q&A: Nunchuck Games' Luntz On Testing His Ninja Reflex". https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/107632/QA_Nunchuck_Games_Luntz_On_Testing_His_Ninja_Reflex.php. 
  2. ↑ IGN Staff (February 18, 1998). "Z-Axis Dunks High". http://www.ign.com/articles/1998/02/19/z-axis-dunks-high. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Activision Acquires Dave Mirra Developer, Z-Axis". May 22, 2002. https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/92243/Activision_Acquires_Dave_Mirra_Developer_ZAxis.php. 
  4. ↑ "Activision goes straight up". June 3, 2002. https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/article_46084. 
  5. ↑ "Z-Axis renamed to Underground Development - VG247". February 14, 2008. https://www.vg247.com/2008/02/14/z-axis-renamed-to-underground-development/. 
  6. ↑ Activision rebrands one of its internal studios. February 18, 2008. https://www.mcvuk.com/development/activision-rebrands-one-of-its-internal-studios. Retrieved August 11, 2018. 
  7. ↑ "Activision confirms Underground closure". April 19, 2008. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/activision-confirms-underground-closure. 
  8. ↑ Activision closing Underground Developments?. April 18, 2008. https://www.mcvuk.com/development/activision-closing-underground-developments. Retrieved August 11, 2018. 
  9. ↑ "Activision closes Underground Development studio". April 21, 2008. https://www.engadget.com/2008/04/21/activision-closes-underground-development-studio/. 
  10. ↑ Plunkett, Luke (February 12, 2010). "Activision Shutters Guitar Hero Creators, GH: Van Halen Developers [Update"]. https://kotaku.com/5470149/activision-shutters-guitar-hero-creators-gh-van-halen-developers-update. 
  11. ↑ "Activision shuts down RedOctane, Underground Development". February 13, 2010. https://www.engadget.com/2010/02/12/activision-shuts-down-redoctane-underground-development/. 
  12. ↑ "Activision Nabs Z-Axis - News". http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/7426/activision-nabs-z-axis. 
  13. ↑ Perry, Douglass C. (2003-11-21). "Z-Axis Hiring for Iron Man, X-Men" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/11/21/z-axis-hiring-for-iron-man-x-men-2. 
  14. ↑ "What Was Call of Duty: Devil's Brigade?". May 14, 2010. https://kotaku.com/what-was-call-of-duty-devils-brigade-5539160. 




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