EA Black Box

Canadian video game developing company

EA Black Box

Formerly|

* Black Box Games (1998–2012)
* Quicklime Games (2012–2013)

Company type| Subsidiary
Industry| Video games
Founded| 1998; 27 years ago (1998)
Defunct| April 2013; 11 years ago (2013-4)
Fate| Merged into EA Canada in 2009, closed in 2013
Successor|

* Full Circle
* Ghost Games
* SkyBox Labs

Headquarters|

Burnaby, British Columbia

Canada

Products|

* Need for Speed series
* Skate series

Parent| Electronic Arts (2002–2013)
Website| www.eablackbox.com

EA Black Box (formerly Black Box Games)[1] was a video game developer based in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, founded in 1998 by former employees of Radical Entertainment and later acquired by Electronic Arts (EA). The developers are primarily known for the Need for Speed and Skate series. It was renamed Quicklime Games during the development of Need for Speed: World, but after a series of restructures it was shut down in April 2013.[2]

## History

[edit]

Old Logo

Black Box Games had previously developed for game publishers such as Sega, Midway Games, and EA. In June 2002, during the development of Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2, the firm was acquired by EA and became an entirely owned subsidiary of EA Canada.[1][3] As a result of the acquisition the studio's name was changed to EA Black Box.[4] In March 2003, the firm lacked space for their current projects and as a solution the top four floors of an office tower in downtown Vancouver were used for expansion. In March 2005, EA Black Box became an independent studio from EA Canada,[5] but still owned by EA.[citation needed]

On December 19, 2008, EA announced that it would be shutting down EA Black Box's Vancouver studio location and relocating operations to EA Canada's Burnaby facilities, as part of EA's worldwide consolidation plans. Officials stressed that EA Black Box would remain open, and said they expected the move to be completed by June 2009. The studio remained a part of the EA Games label, and was independent of the EA Sports studio also located within the Burnaby facility.[6]

In February 2012, EA confirmed a number of lay-offs at EA Canada and EA Black Box, and that they were transforming the studios towards "high-growth digital formats, including online, social gaming and free-to-play". EA declined to comment on whether EA Black Box's brand would remain.[7]

In July 2012, EA Black Box was renamed Quicklime Games during the development of PC game Need for Speed: World,[8] under which name it operated until its closure in April 2013.[9]

Responsibility for the Need for Speed franchise was taken over by Ghost Games in late 2013.[10]

The former employees of EA Black Box have spread around other game developers making racing games, such as Ubisoft's The Crew and Slightly Mad Studios' World of Speed.[citation needed]

## Games developed

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Platform(s)  | Notes

|
|
|

As Black Box Games
2000  | NASCAR 2001 | PlayStation |
PlayStation 2
NHL 2K | Dreamcast
2001  | NHL Hitz 2002 | GameCube
PlayStation 2
Xbox
2002  | Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 | PlayStation 2
NHL Hitz 2003 | GameCube
PlayStation 2
Xbox
Sega Soccer Slam | GameCube
PlayStation 2
Xbox
As EA Black Box
2003  | Need for Speed: Underground | GameCube |
Microsoft Windows
PlayStation 2
Xbox
NHL 2004 | GameCube
Microsoft Windows
PlayStation 2
Xbox
2004  | Need for Speed: Underground 2 | GameCube
Microsoft Windows
PlayStation 2
Xbox
NHL 2005 | GameCube
Microsoft Windows
PlayStation 2
Xbox
2005  | Need for Speed: Most Wanted | GameCube
Microsoft Windows
PlayStation 2
Xbox
Xbox 360
2006  | Need for Speed: Carbon | GameCube
Microsoft Windows
PlayStation 2
PlayStation 3
Wii
Xbox
Xbox 360
Need for Speed: Carbon - Own the City | PlayStation Portable | Assisted Team Fusion
2007  | NBA Street Homecourt | PlayStation 3 |
Xbox 360
Need for Speed: ProStreet | Microsoft Windows
PlayStation 2
PlayStation 3
Wii
Xbox 360
Skate | PlayStation 3
Xbox 360
2008  | Need for Speed: Undercover | Microsoft Windows
PlayStation 3
Xbox 360
Skate It | Nintendo DS | Assisted Exient Entertainment
Wii |
2009  | Need for Speed: Shift | Microsoft Windows | Assisted Slightly Mad Studios
PlayStation 3
Xbox 360
Skate 2 | PlayStation 3 |
Xbox 360
2010  | Need for Speed: World | Microsoft Windows
Skate 3 | PlayStation 3
Xbox 360
2011  | Battlefield 3 | Microsoft Windows | Assisted DICE
PlayStation 3
Xbox 360
Need for Speed: The Run | Microsoft Windows |
PlayStation 3
Xbox 360
As EA Jawbreaker
2015  | Battlefield Hardline | Microsoft Windows | Assisted Visceral Games
PlayStation 3
PlayStation 4
Xbox 360
Xbox One

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Walker, Trey (2002-06-11). "EA to buy Black Box". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 2019-12-10. Retrieved 2012-06-27.
2. ^ "EA's Instagram Page Is Flooded With Fans Demanding Skate 4". GAMING. Archived from the original on 2019-05-17. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
3. ^ "Investment Canada Act, ARCHIVED — September 2002". Industry Canada (Gov). 2002-09-15. Archived from the original on 2019-05-02. Retrieved 2013-10-23.
4. ^ Fennimore, Jack (2017-10-19). "Studios EA Has Killed: A History". Heavy.com. Archived from the original on 2020-03-05. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
5. ^ Remo, Chris. "Report: EA Black Box Lays Off Majority of Staff". www.gamasutra.com. Archived from the original on 2020-11-12. Retrieved 2020-08-04.
6. ^ Tor Thorsen (2008-12-19). "EA layoffs hit 1,000, Black Box 'consolidated' Near the end of the development of Undercover, two people from Black Box died, Inderjeet Johal and Martin Sikes. This probably reflected on the development of The Run (along with only having 10% of their staff remaining)". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 2013-08-07. Retrieved 2013-10-23.
7. ^ Fred Dutton (2012-02-03). "Redundancies confirmed at EA Canada". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 2012-10-31. Retrieved 2013-10-23.
8. ^ "EA closing Vancouver studios PopCap and Quicklime in latest round of layoffs: report". Financial Post. 2013-04-25. Archived from the original on 2013-11-06. Retrieved 2015-03-04.
9. ^ Mike Futter (2013-04-25). "EA Partners, Other Divisions Facing Closure". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 2013-10-17. Retrieved 2013-10-16.
10. ^ David Scammell (2013-08-29). "Ghost takes control of the Need For Speed brand". VideoGamer. Archived from the original on 2013-08-29. Retrieved 2013-10-25.

## External links

[edit]

* EA Black Box at MobyGames

* v
* t
* e

Electronic Arts

* Acquisitions
* Criticism
* Games
* 1983–1999
* 2000–2009
* 2010–2019
* 2020–present

Employees|

| Founder|

* Trip Hawkins

|

Current|

* Andrew Wilson (CEO)
* Laura Miele (COO)
* Vince Zampella (Executive VP)

Former|

* Steve Barcia
* Louis Castle
* Shelley Day
* Bing Gordon
* Jeff Green
* Ralph Guggenheim
* Amy Hennig
* Andy Hollis
* Robin Hunicke
* Greg Kasavin
* Don Mattrick
* Peter Moore
* Jade Raymond
* John Riccitiello
* Mark Skaggs
* Patrick Söderlund
* Will Wright
* Joe Ybarra
* Larry Probst

Studios|

| EA Entertainment|

* BioWare
* Criterion Games
* DICE
* EA Gothenburg
* EA Mobile
* Firemonkeys Studios
* Glu Mobile
* EA Montreal
* EA Northwest
* GameFly
* Maxis
* Motive Studio
* PopCap Games
* PlayNation
* Respawn Entertainment

|

EA Sports|

* EA Tiburon
* EA Vancouver
* Codemasters
* Slightly Mad Studios

Defunct|

* Bullfrog Productions
* Danger Close Games
* Distinctive Software
* DROsoft
* EA Black Box
* EA Bright Light
* EA Chicago
* EA Pacific
* EA Phenomic
* EA Salt Lake
* EA Seattle
* Hypnotix
* Industrial Toys
* Kesmai
* Kingsoft GmbH
* Mythic Entertainment
* NuFX
* Origin Systems
* Pandemic Studios
* Playfish
* ThreeSF
* Visceral Games
* Westwood Studios

Franchises|

| EA Entertainment|

* Alice
* Army of Two
* Battlefield
* Bejeweled
* Bookworm
* Burnout
* Chocolatier
* Command & Conquer
* Crysis
* Dead Space
* Deer Hunter
* Diner Dash
* Dizzy
* Dragon Age
* Dream Chronicles
* Dungeon Keeper
* Feeding Frenzy
* Hasbro Family Game Night
* Mass Effect
* Medal of Honor
* Mercenaries
* Micro Machines
* Mirror's Edge
* Need for Speed
* Operation Flashpoint
* Overlord
* Peggle
* Plants vs. Zombies
* Populous
* Road Rash
* Shank
* SimCity
* Sims
* Skate
* Star Wars: Battlefront
* Spore
* Strike
* Syndicate
* Titanfall
* Ultima
* Unravel
* Wing Commander
* Zuma

|

EA Sports|

* AFL
* Brian Lara Cricket
* Colin McRae Rally and Dirt
* College Football
* Cricket
* F1
* FC
* FIFA
* Manager
* Fight Night
* Grid
* Knockout Kings
* LMA Manager
* Madden NFL
* MVP Baseball
* NASCAR
* NBA Live
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* NCAA Basketball
* NFL Street
* NHL
* PGA Tour
* Project CARS
* Real Racing
* TOCA
* Triple Play
* SSX
* Super Mega Baseball
* UFC
* WRC

Technology|

| Tools|

* Cut & Paste
* Deluxe Music Construction Set
* Deluxe Paint
* Deluxe Paint Animation
* Music Construction Set

|

Services|

* EA App
* EA Play
* Origin
* Pogo.com

Game engines|

* Ego
* Frostbite
* Ignite
* RenderWare

Category

* v
* t
* e

Need for Speed

A media franchise by Electronic Arts

Games|

* The Need for Speed (1994)
* II
* III: Hot Pursuit (1998)
* High Stakes/Road Challenge
* Porsche Unleashed
* Hot Pursuit 2
* Underground
* Underground 2
* Most Wanted (2005)
* Carbon
* ProStreet
* Undercover
* Shift
* Nitro
* World
* Hot Pursuit (2010)
* Shift 2: Unleashed
* The Run
* Most Wanted (2012)
* Rivals
* No Limits
* Need for Speed (2015)
* Payback
* Heat
* Unbound

Developers|

| Current|

* Criterion Games
* Firemonkeys Studios

|

Former|

* EA Black Box / Quicklime Games
* EA Bright Light
* EA Canada
* EA Montreal
* Eden Games
* Exient Entertainment
* Firebrand Games
* Ghost Games
* Piranha Games
* Slightly Mad Studios

Related|

* V-Rally
* V-Rally 2
* Motor City Online
* Need for Speed (film)

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Skate series

* Skate
* Skate It
* Skate 2
* Skate 3
* Skate (2025)

* v
* t
* e

Companies based in Metro Vancouver

Active|

* 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters
* 604 Records
* A&W Canada
* AbCellera
* Advanced Cyclotron Systems
* Alterra Power
* Arcana Studio
* Avigilon
* Aritzia
* Ballard Power Systems
* BC Liquor Distribution Branch
* Blenz Coffee
* BlueShore Financial
* Boston Pizza
* Brightlight Pictures
* British Columbia Maritime Employers' Association
* British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
* BroadbandTV Corp
* Cactus Club Cafe
* Canada Wide Media
* Canfor
* Canucks Sports & Entertainment
* Central City Brewers & Distillers
* CHC Helicopter
* Choices Markets
* Cityfone
* Clearly
* Clio
* Coast Capital Savings
* Coast Mountain Bus Company
* Creative Energy
* Crosslight Software
* CTBC Bank Canada
* Cymax Group
* Dairyland Canada
* Daiya
* Dan-D Foods
* Dollar Tree Canada
* D-Wave Systems
* E-Comm
* EA Vancouver
* Ebco Industries
* Eldorado Gold
* Encorp Pacific
* Envision Financial
* Fairchild Group
* Finning
* First Quantum Minerals
* FortisBC
* Freshlocal Solutions
* Freshslice Pizza
* Galvanize
* Gulf & Fraser
* Gardein
* Gateway Casinos
* General Fusion
* Glentel
* Global News
* Goldcorp
* Great Northern Way Campus
* Greenpeace
* Happy Planet
* Harbour Air Seaplanes
* Heffel Gallery
* Hellbent Games
* Hootsuite
* Hospital Employees' Union
* Hothead Games
* Insights West
* Intrawest
* Ironclad Games
* Ivanhoe Mines
* JJ Bean
* Jim Pattison Group
* Justason Market Intelligence
* Kerberos Productions
* Kin's Farm Market
* Klei Entertainment
* London Drugs
* Lululemon Athletica
* Lush North America
* Macdonald Realty
* McLean Group of Companies
* Methanex
* MetroLyrics
* Modo
* Mountain Equipment Company
* Nature's Path
* Nettwerk
* Next Level Games
* Nintendo of Canada
* O2E Brands
* Ocean Productions
* Pacific Blue Cross
* Panago
* Parallel 49 Brewing Company
* Piranha Games
* PlentyofFish
* Premium Brands Holdings Corporation
* Prospera Credit Union
* QX Metals
* Relic Entertainment
* Ricky's All Day Grill
* Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers
* Russell Brewing Company
* Sandstorm Gold
* Shavick Entertainment
* Sierra Wireless
* SkyBox Labs
* SoftQuad Software
* Squirrel Systems
* SSR Mining
* Steamworks Brewing Company
* Synthetic Entertainment
* T&T Supermarket
* Teck Resources
* Telus
* Teradici
* Univar Canada
* Vancity
* Vancouver Film Studios
* Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association
* Vantage Airport Group
* Vega
* VersaCold
* West Fraser Timber
* Wheaton Precious Metals
* White Spot
* Zulu Records

Defunct|

* Air BC
* Barnard's Express
* BC Tel
* British Columbia Resources Investment Corporation
* Capcom Vancouver
* Catalena Productions
* Distinctive Software
* EA Black Box
* Foley, Welch and Stewart
* Future Shop
* Gaslamp Games
* HarbourLynx
* Hastings Mill
* Hawkair
* Island Express Air
* MacMillan Bloedel
* Mozilla Messaging
* NCIX
* Pacific Western Airlines
* The Pas Lumber Company
* Pixar Canada
* Propaganda Games
* Radical Entertainment
* Recon Instruments
* Rockstar Vancouver
* Slant Six Games
* United Front Games
* West Coast Air

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