Costume Quest

Short description: 2010 video game

Costume Quest

Developer(s)| Double Fine Productions
Publisher(s)|

* Double Fine Productions
* THQ (consoles until 2013)

Director(s)| Tasha Harris
Designer(s)| David Gardner
Gabe Miller
Elliott Roberts
Writer(s)| Tim Schafer
Elliott Roberts
Composer(s)| Peter McConnell
Series| Costume Quest
Platform(s)| PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows, OS X, Linux, iOS, Android
Release|

October 20, 2010

* PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
October 20, 2010[1]
Windows
October 14, 2011[2]
OS X, Linux
May 8, 2013[3]
iOS
October 10, 2013[4]
Android
March 17, 2015[5]

Genre(s)| Role-playing
Mode(s)| Single-player

Costume Quest is a party-based role-playing video game developed by Double Fine Productions and published by THQ on October 20, 2010. In the game, the player controls a child who is trick-or-treating with their twin on Halloween night when they encounter a monster that kidnaps their sibling. The player must travel around the local neighborhood collecting items for their costume, candy, and fellow children as companions in order to face the leader of the monsters and rescue their sibling. The costume aspects are used in turn-based battle segments, where the player character and companions are transformed into whatever they are dressed as to fight other monsters; the costume aspects are also used for abilities outside of battles.

A DLC expansion titled "Grubbins on Ice", was released on December 21, 2010, taking place after the events of the original game and set in the monster world of Repugia. A sequel, Costume Quest 2, was released in 2014.

## Contents

* 1 Gameplay
* 2 Plot
* 2.1 "Grubbins on Ice"
* 3 Development
* 4 Release
* 4.1 Expansions
* 4.2 Windows version
* 4.3 Sequel
* 4.4 Other media
* 5 Reception
* 5.1 Costume Quest
* 5.2 Grubbins on Ice
* 6 References
* 7 External links
* 8 Features
* 9 History
* 10 See also
* 11 References
* 12 External links
* 13 Features
* 14 History
* 15 See also
* 16 References
* 17 External links

## Gameplay

In battle, the children transform into giant versions of their costumes, and use their abilities to fight monsters.

Costume Quest incorporates elements of exploration of adventure games and character growth of role-playing video games. In the exploration part of the game, the player character explores their surrounding area, starting with their neighborhood, then a mall, and then a country town. In these areas the player can complete quests through trick-or-treating that reward the character with hints to the sibling's location, more candy (a type of currency for interactions with other children), and costume parts that can be used to alter the character's costume. The character can also befriend up to 4 non-player characters that can help with some aspects of quest solving.[6]

At times, the player characters will encounter monsters, leading to the battle mode for the game. Here the children become giant versions of what costumes they are wearing, along with abilities reflected by that costume; for example, a child wearing a makeshift robot costume becomes a giant mechanized robot, while a child wearing a medieval sweater becomes a knight in armor and sword. Battles are turn-based, allowing the player to select attacks, blocks, or a special move that requires hitting a quick time event at the right moment to achieve maximum damage to their foes. Winning battles leads to additional rewards towards the player's main quest.[6]

## Plot

The game takes place on Halloween. Fraternal twin siblings Reynold and Wren are new in their neighborhood and are asked by their mom to make new friends in the neighborhood. The player at this point chooses which sibling to play as, marking them as "in charge". The two dress in their costumes, with the non-playable character dressing as a piece of candy corn and the playable character dressing as a robot. A monster sees the non-playable sibling, and kidnaps him or her. The player character must now save their sibling in time and be home before curfew.[6] The player character trick-or-treats at houses, tracking the monsters and their sibling from the neighborhood, then to a mall, and then to a country town. Along the way, they meet fellow trick-or-treaters Everett and Lucy, who join their party. Eventually the player character confronts the leader of the monsters, Dorsilla, who after defeating her reveals that she is actually working for a much more powerful monster named Cadaverous Big Bones. By defeating him, the player character rescues their sibling and returns home, banishing the monsters back to their home world.

### "Grubbins on Ice"

"Grubbins on Ice" takes place after the original game in the Winter season. Everett and Lucy are searching for any evidence of the monsters that was left behind. Lucy finds a piece of evidence, which opens a portal that she is sucked into. Everett then takes Reynold and Wren with him to find and save Lucy, who has been taken captive by the monsters on the other side of the portal, which leads to the monster home world of Repugia. Similar to the original game, the player must trick-or-treat at various houses to eventually reach Cadaverous Big Bones, defeat him once more, and rescue Lucy. At the end of "Grubbins on Ice", the main characters escape from Repugia into a nexus of portals, which leads directly into the plot of Costume Quest 2.

## Development

Costume Quest is a result of a series of "Amnesia Fortnights" that Double Fine had used during the period of Brütal Legend's development when they were unsure of their publisher. During the Amnesia Fortnights, the team split into four smaller groups and worked on prototypes for potential future games, later presenting these to the rest of the Double Fine team for review. All four prototypes were well received internally, and the ideas were set aside once they began work on Brütal Legend again. Following completion of that game, Double Fine believed that Electronic Arts had authorized them to continue work on a Brütal Legend sequel, but discovered later that the sequel had been put on hold indefinitely, leaving the studio with no projects. Instead, Tim Schafer turned back to the Amnesia Fortnight products and sought to develop those as smaller games among several publishers.[7] Two of them, Costume Quest and Stacking, were picked by THQ for publication as downloadable titles.[6]

Costume Quest's development was led by Tasha Harris, Double Fine's lead animator and a former Pixar artist, with Tim Schafer providing support where needed, particularly in writing.[6] The concept of the game was an idea that Harris had had prior to joining Double Fine, but never had a chance to expand on while at Pixar.[8] She wanted the game to capture "that nostalgic feeling of these kids playing dress-up", and used old photographs of children in Halloween costumes to flesh out the game.[8] Harris had mentioned the idea to Schafer, and Schafer chose her project as one of the four to be developed during the Amnesia Fortnights.[8] Though Harris' original concept was not based on a role-playing game, she considers the game to have been influenced by older Nintendo and Square Enix games such as Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, and games that take place in a modern setting like EarthBound and Pokémon.[8] She also took cues from The Legend of Zelda series, where exploration would be paced through the acquisition of new items within the game.[8] Harris stated that she wanted to "make a game that was like the RPGs that [she] loved growing up, but make it modernized so it looks cool and people enjoy playing it now" to take advantage of the growing popularity of titles available as downloadable content.[8]

Unlike Double Fine's previous games, which had four to five year development cycles, Costume Quest was completed in under a year. The time frame and team size were based on Schafer's previous experience in developing The Secret of Monkey Island. Schafer reflected that this limited time scale was beneficial to their development process.[9] The shortened schedule forced them to limit the scope of the game and prevented "feature creep", the addition of interesting but unnecessary gameplay elements. With limited scope, they were also able to focus on making the core gameplay features fun and enjoyable throughout the course of the game. There was also better communication through the smaller team, and with individual members given more control of their own responsibilities within the game.[9] The work done on the game engine for Brütal Legend was "essential" for Costume Quest, allowing the team to quickly reuse the existing technology without the licensing costs for other third-party engines.[9] Schafer estimated the total budget for the game at about $2 million.[10] A software bug that interfered with game saving was discovered after release, and while Double Fine was able to isolate and correct it, the cost of certifying the patch, estimated to be about $40,000, prevented them from releasing it at first.[11] They did release it later as a Title Update.

## Release

The game is a downloadable title and was released on October 20, 2010 on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade services.[12] A port to Microsoft Windows through the Steam platform was released about a year later.[13] It was later released on Linux and OS X as part of the Double Fine Humble Bundle.[14] The original Costume Quest prototype was released for Microsoft Windows as part of the Amnesia Fortnight 2012 bundle on November 19, 2012.[15]

### Expansions

An additional downloadable chapter, "Grubbins on Ice", was made available on December 21, 2010, alongside a free patch to correct some of the game's performance and gameplay problems.[16] Taking place some time after the events of the main game while winter falls upon the kids, they find a portal to the monster's world, Repugia, where Lucy is captured by the monsters during a revolution. The other three kids don their costumes to help save Lucy. While many of the core game's features carry over into the add-on, new costumes and abilities are available in the expansion.[17]

### Windows version

Costume Quest was originally released as an Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 downloadable game. According to Schafer, while they would have liked to create a version for Microsoft Windows, they as the developer did not have the final say on which platforms would be supported. Schafer commented that THQ did not see a financial benefit for creating the Windows version at the time.[18]

However, a year after Costume Quest's initial release, a version of the game for Windows was released through the Steam platform. This version was funded by Steven Dengler's Dracogen Strategic Investments, who had also previously funded a OS X port of Double Fine's Psychonauts a few weeks before this new release.[19] The Windows release includes the "Grubbins on Ice" content.[13] Dengler had contacted Schafer and Double Fine in 2011 after Schafer jokingly sent a Twitter message about the cost of porting games like Costume Quest to other platforms. Though the initial discussions were humorous, Dengler soon entered into serious negotiations to provide the necessary funding for the porting; a full contract was completed within 18 days of Dengler's first message to the company.[20] Though the full terms of the deal was not announced, Dengler stated that he didn't expect to make a large profit on the investment but to at least repay the investment "and then some".[20]

Costume Quest, along with Stacking, were owned by publisher THQ at the time of their bankruptcy, and at the time, these assets were sold to Nordic Games. In November 2013, Double Fine and Nordic Games negotiated a deal for Double Fine to take over publishing rights for both games, while Nordic helped publish and distribute retail copies of these games and Double Fine's Psychonauts for OS X and Windows in early 2014.[21]

### Sequel

Costume Quest 2 was announced in March 2014, and was released on October 7 of that year.[22] It was released for Linux, OS X, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii U, Windows, Xbox 360, and Xbox One in October 2014.

Wren and Reynold return in the sequel, which introduces more costumes and features a "deeper and juicier" battle system according to Schafer.[23] The game's plot involves Wren and Reynold traveling into both the past and the future in order to undo the actions of the evil time-traveling dentist Dr. Orel White, DDS.

### Other media

Double Fine has teamed with Oni Press to produce a one-off comic book, Costume Quest: Invasion of the Candy Snatchers, written and drawn by Zac Gorman, to be released around the same time as the game sequel's release. Gorman had previously drawn a Costume Quest comic for his Magical Game Time webcomic series, which got the attention of Double Fine and led to this collaboration.[24]

Frederator Studios had announced in May 2015 that it was producing an animated short based on Costume Quest. The short had been planned to be written and storyboarded by Zac Gorman and directed by Pat McHale.[25][26] In February 2017, Frederator Studios announced the project has now become an animated series to be distributed as original programming for Amazon.[27] For the series, Bryan Caselli and Will McRobb serve as the showrunners with Fred Seibert, Kevin Kolde and Eric Homan serving as executive producers. Having worked on the original short, Zac Gorman was initially approached as showrunner, but turned it down, though his style became crucial to the show's look, and he contributed as a writer on 2 episodes. Costume Quest is Frederator's first project with Amazon.[28] The first half of season 1 was released on March 8, 2019.[29][30] The second half of season 1 was released on October 11, 2019. A holiday special Heroes on Holiday was released on November 21, 2019.[31]

## Reception

### Costume Quest

Costume Quest

| Review scores

Publication| Score
iOS| PC| PS3| Xbox 360
Edge| N/A| N/A| 7/10[32]| 7/10[32]
Eurogamer| N/A| N/A| 8/10[33]| N/A
Game Informer| N/A| N/A| 6/10[34]| 6/10[34]
GamePro| N/A| N/A| [35]| N/A
GamesMaster| N/A| N/A| N/A| 70%[36]
GameSpot| N/A| N/A| 7/10[37]| 7/10[37]
GameTrailers| N/A| N/A| N/A| 7.2/10[38]
GameZone| N/A| N/A| 6/10[39]| 6/10[39]
Giant Bomb| N/A| N/A| [40]| [40]
IGN| N/A| 8/10[41]| 7.5/10[42]| 7.5/10[42]
Joystiq| N/A| N/A| N/A| [43]
OXM (US)| N/A| N/A| N/A| 7.5/10[44]
PSM| N/A| N/A| 9/10[45]| N/A
The A.V. Club| N/A| N/A| A−[46]| N/A
Wired| N/A| N/A| N/A| 8/10[47]
Aggregate scores
GameRankings| N/A| 74%[48]| N/A| N/A
Metacritic| 75/100[49]| N/A| 77/100[50]| 74/100[51]

Costume Quest received "generally favorable reviews" on all platforms except the Xbox 360 version, which received "average" reviews, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[49][50][51] Some[who?] praised the game's uniqueness and charm, but citing stale gameplay mechanics. The PS3 version was named "PSN Game of the Year 2010" in PlayStation: The Official Magazine.{{citation needed|date=June 2015} nloadable Game" award at the 2010 Spike Video Game Awards.[52]

### Grubbins on Ice

Costume Quest: Grubbins on Ice

| Review scores

Publication| Score
PS3| Xbox 360
Destructoid| N/A| 8/10[53]
GamesMaster| 69%[54]| N/A
The Escapist| N/A| [55]
Aggregate score
Metacritic| N/A| 83/100[56]

The Xbox 360 version of the Grubbins on Ice DLC received "favorable" reviews according to Metacritic.[56]

## References

1. ↑ Cullen, Johnny (2010-10-04). "Double Fine's Costume Quest launching on October 20" (in en). https://www.vg247.com/double-fines-costume-quest-launching-on-october-20.
2. ↑ "Costume Quest comes to PC!" (in en-US). https://www.doublefine.com/news/costume-quest-comes-to-pc.
3. ↑ "Humble Double Fine Bundle launched" (in en). 8 May 2013. https://www.shacknews.com/article/79094/humble-double-fine-bundle-launched.
4. ↑ "Costume Quest in iOS getup, out now" (in en-US). 10 October 2013. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/2013-10-10-costume-quest-in-ios-getup-out-now.html.
5. ↑ "Original Costume Quest now available on Android" (in en-US). https://www.doublefine.com/news/original-costume-quest-now-available-on-android.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Plante, Chris (August 10, 2010). "Exclusive First Look at Double Fine's New Game: Costume Quest". UGO. http://www.ugo.com/games/costume-quest-double-fine-preview.
7. ↑ Parkin, Simon (July 25, 2010). "Develop: Double Fine's Schafer On 'Amnesia Fortnights' And The Pitfalls Of AAA". http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/29450/Develop_Double_Fines_Schafer_On_Amnesia_Fortnights_And_The_Pitfalls_Of_AAA.php.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 Nutt, Christian (October 20, 2010). "Interview: Double Fine's Harris – From Pixar To Costume Quest". http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/30960/Interview_Double_Fines_Harris__From_Pixar_To_Costume_Quest.php.
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Nutt, Christian (October 15, 2010). "Flying With Four Engines: Tim Schafer On Double Fine's New Mission". http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/6174/flying_with_four_engines_tim_.php.
10. ↑ Klepek, Patrick (February 13, 2012). "$1.6 Million and Counting". Giant Bomb. https://www.giantbomb.com/articles/16-million-and-counting/1100-3981/.
11. ↑ Brown, Nathan (February 13, 2012). "Schafer: console patches cost $40,000". Edge. http://www.edge-online.com/news/schafer-console-patches-cost-40000. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
12. ↑ Totilo, Stephen (October 4, 2010). "Costume Quest Will Be Out Before Halloween". Kotaku. http://kotaku.com/5655458/costume-quest-will-be-out-before-halloween.
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Kollar, Phil (October 14, 2011). "Costume Quest Now Available On PC". Game Informer. https://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2011/10/14/costume-quest-now-available-on-pc.aspx. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
14. ↑ Nunneley, Stephany (May 7, 2013). "The Double Fine Humble Bundle has gone live". http://www.vg247.com/2013/05/07/the-double-fine-humble-bundle-has-gone-live/.
15. ↑ Chalk, Andy (November 19, 2012). "The Double Fine Humble Bundle has gone live". The Escapist. http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/120714-Tim-Schafer-Unveils-the-Amnesia-Fortnight-Humble-Bundle. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
16. ↑ Lee, Garnett (December 8, 2010). "Costume Quest DLC 'Grubbins on Ice' Hits Xbox Live Today, PS3 Dec 21". Shacknews. http://www.shacknews.com/article/66754/costume-quest-dlc-grubbins-on.
17. ↑ Tong, Sophia (November 18, 2010). "Costume Quest – Grubbins on Ice First Look". https://www.gamespot.com/articles/costume-quest-grubbins-on-ice-first-look/1100-6284244/.
18. ↑ Dutton, Fred (November 24, 2010). "Why Double Fine doesn't do PC". http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-11-24-why-double-fine-dont-do-pc.
19. ↑ Meer, Alec (October 15, 2011). "Costume Quest: Double Fine Return To PC". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/10/15/costume-quest-pc/.
20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Klepek, Patrick (February 9, 2012). "Double Fine Making Crazy Business Deals Isn't New". Giant Bomb. https://www.giantbomb.com/articles/double-fine-making-crazy-business-deals-isnt-new/1100-3972/.
21. ↑ Nunneley, Stephany (November 26, 2013). "Nordic Games hands back rights to Costume Quest and Stacking to Double Fine". http://www.vg247.com/2013/11/26/nordic-games-hands-back-rights-to-costume-quest-and-stacking-to-double-fine/.
22. ↑ Conditt, Jessica (August 29, 2014). "Costume Quest 2 treats players to Oct. 7 launch on Steam". Engadget (Joystiq). https://www.engadget.com/2014/08/29/costume-quest-2-treats-players-to-oct-7-launch-on-steam/.
23. ↑ Dyer, Mitch (March 10, 2014). "Costume Quest 2: Double Fine's Sequel Arriving Halloween 2014". http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/03/10/costume-quest-2-double-fines-sequel-arriving-halloween-2014.
24. ↑ Goellner, Caleb (April 10, 2014). "Zac Gorman Expands The World Of 'Costume Quest' With 'Invasion Of The Candy Snatchers' Graphic Novel". ComicsAlliance. http://comicsalliance.com/costume-quest-invasion-of-the-candy-snatchers-oni-press-graphic-novel-zac-gorman-interview/.
25. ↑ Polo, Susana (May 15, 2015). "Costume Quest is getting an animated cartoon from Frederator Studios". https://www.polygon.com/2015/5/15/8612095/costume-quest-cartoon-frederator.
26. ↑ "Frederator Studios on Facebook". https://www.facebook.com/frederatorstudios/photos/a.457982807612466.1073741827.420893914654689/824939304250146/?type=1. [user-generated source]
27. ↑ Philips, Tom (February 13, 2017). "Costume Quest TV series to launch on Amazon in 2018". Eurogamer. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-02-13-costume-quest-tv-series-to-launch-on-amazon-in-2018.
28. ↑ Sarkar, Samit (February 13, 2017). "Costume Quest cartoon headed to Amazon Video next year". https://www.polygon.com/tv/2017/2/13/14598072/costume-quest-cartoon-amazon-video-frederator.
29. ↑ Wales, Matt (October 31, 2018). "Here's the nifty title sequence for Double Fine's animated Costume Quest TV show". Eurogamer. https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-10-31-heres-the-nifty-title-sequence-for-double-fines-animated-costume-quest-tv-show.
30. ↑ Wales, Matt (February 18, 2019). "Amazon's Costume Quest cartoon series gets first trailer, release date". https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-02-18-amazons-costume-quest-cartoon-gets-first-trailer-release-date.
31. ↑ "Frederator Gets into the Spooky Spirit with New 'Costume Quest' & Holiday Special". 29 August 2019. https://www.animationmagazine.net/streaming/frederator-gets-into-the-spooky-spirit-with-new-costume-quest-holiday-special/.
32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 Edge staff (October 25, 2010). "Costume Quest Review (PS3, X360)". Edge. http://www.next-gen.biz/features/costume-quest-review.
33. ↑ Schilling, Chris (October 21, 2010). "Costume Quest (PlayStation 3)". http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-10-21-costume-quest-review.
34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Juba, Joe (December 2010). "Costume Quest (PS3, X360)". Game Informer (212). https://www.gameinformer.com/games/costume_quest/b/ps3/archive/2010/10/20/costume-quest-review-too-much-trick-not-enough-treat.aspx. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
35. ↑ Noble, McKinley (October 20, 2010). "Costume Quest Review (PS3)". GamePro. http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/216996/costume-quest-review/. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
36. ↑ "Costume Quest (X360)". GamesMaster (232): 85. December 25, 2010.
37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 Varanini, Giancarlo (October 20, 2010). "Costume Quest Review (PS3, X360)". https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/costume-quest-review/1900-6282502/.
38. ↑ "Costume Quest Review (X360)". GameTrailers. October 22, 2010. http://www.gametrailers.com/gamereview.php?id=13687.
39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 Grabowski, Dakota (October 30, 2010). "Costume Quest Review (PS3, X360)". GameZone. http://www.gamezone.com/reviews/costume_quest_review.
40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 Navarro, Alex (October 20, 2010). "Costume Quest Review (PS3, X360)". Giant Bomb. https://www.giantbomb.com/reviews/costume-quest-review/1900-328/.
41. ↑ Meunier, Nathan (November 1, 2011). "Costume Quest Review (PC)". http://www.ign.com/articles/2011/11/01/costume-quest-review.
42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 Steimer, Kristine (October 20, 2010). "Costume Quest Review (PS3, X360)". http://www.ign.com/articles/2010/10/21/costume-quest-review-2.
43. ↑ McElroy, Justin (October 21, 2010). "Costume Quest review: Anything can happen on Halloween (X360)". Engadget (Joystiq). https://www.engadget.com/2010/10/21/costume-quest-review/.
44. ↑ "Costume Quest". Official Xbox Magazine. December 25, 2010.
45. ↑ "Review: Costume Quest". PlayStation: The Official Magazine (40). December 25, 2010.
46. ↑ Agnello, Anthony John (October 25, 2010). "Costume Quest (PS3)". The A.V. Club. http://www.avclub.com/article/costume-quest-46722.
47. ↑ Schreier, Jason (October 22, 2010). "Review: Charming Costume Quest Game Satisfies Your Sugar Jones (X360)". Wired. https://www.wired.com/2010/10/costume-quest-review/. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
48. ↑ "Costume Quest for PC". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/pc/646886-costume-quest/index.html.
49. ↑ 49.0 49.1 "Costume Quest for iPhone/iPad Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/costume-quest/critic-reviews/?platform=ios-iphoneipad.
50. ↑ 50.0 50.1 "Costume Quest for PlayStation 3 Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/costume-quest/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-3.
51. ↑ 51.0 51.1 "Costume Quest for Xbox 360 Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/costume-quest/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-360.
52. ↑ Gamasutra staff (December 12, 2010). "VGAs Honor Red Dead Redemption, Debut SSX: Deadly Descents, Mass Effect 3, Forza 4". http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/31998/VGAs_Honor_Red_Dead_Redemption_Debut_SSX_Deadly_Descents_Mass_Effect_3_Forza_4.php.
53. ↑ Concelmo, Chad (December 13, 2010). "Review: Costume Quest: Grubbins on Ice (X360)". https://www.destructoid.com/review-costume-quest-grubbins-on-ice-189500.phtml.
54. ↑ "Costume Quest: Grubbins on Ice (PS3)". GamesMaster (235): 91. March 2011.
55. ↑ Arendt, Susan (December 21, 2010). "Review: Costume Quest: Grubbins on Ice (X360)". The Escapist. http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/editorials/reviews/8474-Review-Costume-Quest-Grubbins-on-Ice.
56. ↑ 56.0 56.1 "Costume Quest: Grubbins on Ice for Xbox 360 Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/costume-quest-grubbins-on-ice/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-360.

## External links

* Official website
* MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

## Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

## History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

## See also

* IGDB - game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/.
2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/.
3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1.
4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521.
8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media.
9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned.
10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner.
11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames.
12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games.
13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/.
14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/.
15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/.
16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/.
17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames.
18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628.

| Wikidata has the property:

* NO LABEL (P1933) (see uses)

|

## External links

* No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.

* v
* t
* e

Atari

Corporations|

| Primary|

* Atari, Inc. (1972–1992)
* Atari Corporation (1984–1996)
* Atari SA, Atari, Inc. (2003–present)

|

Subsidiaries and
spin-offs|

* Atari Games
* Atari Interactive
* AtariAge
* Chuck E. Cheese (1977–1978)
* Cyan Engineering
* Digital Eclipse
* Kee Games
* MobyGames
* Nightdive Studios
* Tengen

Arcades games
and amusements|

* Anti-Aircraft
* Asteroids
* Asteroids Deluxe
* Atari Basketball
* Atari Football
* Avalanche
* Battlezone
* Black Widow
* Breakout
* Canyon Bomber
* Centipede
* Cloak & Dagger
* Crash 'N Score
* Crystal Castles
* Destroyer
* Dominos
* Fire Truck
* Firefox
* Food Fight
* Gotcha
* Gran Trak 10
* Gran Trak 20
* Gravitar
* Hi-way
* I, Robot
* Indy 4
* Indy 800
* Jet Fighter
* LeMans
* Liberator
* Lunar Lander
* Major Havoc
* Millipede
* Missile Command
* Night Driver
* Outlaw
* Pin-Pong
* Pong
* Pong Doubles
* Pursuit
* Quadrapong
* Quantum
* Quiz Show
* Qwak!
* Rebound
* Red Baron
* Return of the Jedi
* Shark Jaws
* Sky Diver
* Space Duel
* Space Race
* Sprint 1
* Sprint 2
* Sprint 4
* Sprint 8
* Star Wars
* Starship 1
* Steeplechase
* Stunt Cycle
* Super Breakout
* Super Bug
* Super Pong
* Tank
* Tank 8
* Tempest
* Tournament Table
* Triple Hunt
* Ultra Tank
* Video Pinball
* Warlords

| Prototypes|

* Tank II

|

Software and utilities|

* Atari BASIC
* Atari Calculator
* Atari DOS

Video game
consoles|

* Home Pong
* Stunt Cycle
* Atari Video Music
* Video Pinball
* 2600
* 2800
* 5200
* 7800
* XEGS
* Lynx
* Jaguar
* CD
* VCS (2021)
* 2600+

| Prototypes|

* Game Brain
* Cosmos
* 2700
* Atari Mindlink
* Panther
* Sierra

|

Personal
computers|

* Atari 8-bit computers
* Atari ST
* MEGA STE
* TT030
* Transputer Workstation
* Falcon

| Portables|

* STacy
* ST Book
* Portfolio

|

Prototypes|

* Sierra

Peripherals|

| Printers|

* 825 80-Column Printer
* 1020 Color Printer

|

Gaming devices|

* CX40 joystick
* Atari joystick port
* XG-1 light gun

Other|

* Atari Democrat
* Atari Flashback
* Intellivision
* Sears

0.00

(0 votes)

Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MobyGames. Read more

|

* MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

## Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

## History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

## See also

* IGDB - game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/.
2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/.
3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1.
4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521.
8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media.
9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned.
10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner.
11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames.
12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games.
13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/.
14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/.
15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/.
16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/.
17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames.
18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628.

| Wikidata has the property:

* NO LABEL (P1933) (see uses)

|

## External links

* No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.

* v
* t
* e

Atari

Corporations|

| Primary|

* Atari, Inc. (1972–1992)
* Atari Corporation (1984–1996)
* Atari SA, Atari, Inc. (2003–present)

|

Subsidiaries and
spin-offs|

* Atari Games
* Atari Interactive
* AtariAge
* Chuck E. Cheese (1977–1978)
* Cyan Engineering
* Digital Eclipse
* Kee Games
* MobyGames
* Nightdive Studios
* Tengen

Arcades games
and amusements|

* Anti-Aircraft
* Asteroids
* Asteroids Deluxe
* Atari Basketball
* Atari Football
* Avalanche
* Battlezone
* Black Widow
* Breakout
* Canyon Bomber
* Centipede
* Cloak & Dagger
* Crash 'N Score
* Crystal Castles
* Destroyer
* Dominos
* Fire Truck
* Firefox
* Food Fight
* Gotcha
* Gran Trak 10
* Gran Trak 20
* Gravitar
* Hi-way
* I, Robot
* Indy 4
* Indy 800
* Jet Fighter
* LeMans
* Liberator
* Lunar Lander
* Major Havoc
* Millipede
* Missile Command
* Night Driver
* Outlaw
* Pin-Pong
* Pong
* Pong Doubles
* Pursuit
* Quadrapong
* Quantum
* Quiz Show
* Qwak!
* Rebound
* Red Baron
* Return of the Jedi
* Shark Jaws
* Sky Diver
* Space Duel
* Space Race
* Sprint 1
* Sprint 2
* Sprint 4
* Sprint 8
* Star Wars
* Starship 1
* Steeplechase
* Stunt Cycle
* Super Breakout
* Super Bug
* Super Pong
* Tank
* Tank 8
* Tempest
* Tournament Table
* Triple Hunt
* Ultra Tank
* Video Pinball
* Warlords

| Prototypes|

* Tank II

|

Software and utilities|

* Atari BASIC
* Atari Calculator
* Atari DOS

Video game
consoles|

* Home Pong
* Stunt Cycle
* Atari Video Music
* Video Pinball
* 2600
* 2800
* 5200
* 7800
* XEGS
* Lynx
* Jaguar
* CD
* VCS (2021)
* 2600+

| Prototypes|

* Game Brain
* Cosmos
* 2700
* Atari Mindlink
* Panther
* Sierra

|

Personal
computers|

* Atari 8-bit computers
* Atari ST
* MEGA STE
* TT030
* Transputer Workstation
* Falcon

| Portables|

* STacy
* ST Book
* Portfolio

|

Prototypes|

* Sierra

Peripherals|

| Printers|

* 825 80-Column Printer
* 1020 Color Printer

|

Gaming devices|

* CX40 joystick
* Atari joystick port
* XG-1 light gun

Other|

* Atari Democrat
* Atari Flashback
* Intellivision
* Sears

0.00

(0 votes)

Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MobyGames. Read more

|

* v
* t
* e

Double Fine

Games|

| Psychonauts|

* Psychonauts
* Milkman Conspiracy
* Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin
* Psychonauts 2

|

Costume Quest|

* Costume Quest
* Costume Quest 2

Happy Action|

* Double Fine Happy Action Theater
* Kinect Party

Amnesia Fortnight|

* Amnesia Fortnight 2012
* Amnesia Fortnight 2014
* Amnesia Fortnight 2017

Stand-alone titles|

* Brütal Legend
* Stacking
* Iron Brigade
* Software:Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster
* The Cave
* Dropchord
* Broken Age
* Hack 'n' Slash
* Spacebase DF-9
* Massive Chalice
* Headlander
* Rad

Free and freemium|

* Epic Saga
* My Game About Me
* Tasha's Game
* Host Master and the Conquest of Humor
* Middle Manager of Justice
* Host Master Deux

Related|

* Tim Schafer
* LucasArts adventure games
* 2 Player Productions
* Double Fine Comics
* Xbox Game Studios

* v
* t
* e

Video games designed by Tim Schafer

At LucasArts|

* The Secret of Monkey Island
* Monkey Island 2
* Day of the Tentacle
* Full Throttle
* Grim Fandango

At Double Fine|

* Psychonauts
* Brütal Legend
* Costume Quest
* Double Fine Happy Action Theater
* Kinect Party
* Broken Age
* Psychonauts 2

0.00

(0 votes)

Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costume Quest. Read more

|

Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:Costume_Quest&oldid=4143048"
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template