Big Ant Studios
From the Australian Gaming Database
 | |
| Type | Developer |
|---|---|
| Founder(s) | Ross Symons |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Headquarters |
Melbourne Sunshine Coast |
| Ownership | Private |
| Employees | 100 |
| Website | http://www.bigantstudios.com |
Big Ant Studios (formerly Bullant Studios) is a Melbourne-based developer founded in 2001 by Ross Symons. The company is currently working on Australian Rules Football and a number of unannounced projects. Big Ant Studios entered voluntary administration on November 28, 2012 with outstanding debts of $AU6.1 million.
Contents |
History
Foundation
Big Ant Studios was founded as Bullant Studios in 2001 by former programmer Ross Symons. The company started out with just five employees and spent the first four years of its life developing its own IP[1]. Unable to get any original projects off the ground, the company decided to focus on the production of racing games, a niche previously filled by Ratbag Games, who had recently been shut down by Midway. Big Ant took over production of the Sprint Cars series, releasing their first game Sprint Cars: Road to Knoxville in 2006, with new entries following on a bi-annual basis.
Expansion
Having previously unsuccessfully focused on original IP development, Big Ant Studios increased their focus on work-for-hire projects. Since 2006, they have developed or assisted in the development of The Legend of Spyro series (A New Beginning on the Game Boy Advance and The Eternal Night on the Wii and PlayStation 2) and Hellboy: The Science of Evil for the PSP with Krome Studios.
In 2009, the company opened a second studio at the University of the Sunshine Coast's Innovation Centre in Queensland.[2]
AFL
Big Ant Studios announced in 2008 that they had secured the rights to development of a new AFL game. Previous AFL games had been developed by IR Gurus and published by Sony Computer Entertainment Australia, and while commercially successful, were not well received by fans. Big Ant sought to rectify this by taking a new approach to the development of the game, viewing the each game as five iterations released annually. When released in 2011, Australian Rules Football will be the first AFL game released for HD consoles.
The Future
Big Ant Studios has weathered the storm of the global financial crisis and strong Australian dollar better than many other Australian developers, having not been forced to downsize their staff. The company has just released its first HD racing game World of Outlaws: Sprint Cars, and the first HD Rugby League game Rugby League Live in September.
Games Developed by Big Ant Studios
PC
- Rugby League Live (2010)
- Australian Rules Football (2011)
PlayStation 2
- Sprint Cars: Road to Knoxville (2006)
- The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night (2007) with Krome Studios
- Sprint Cars 2: Showdown at Eldora (2008)
Game Boy Advance
PlayStation Portable
- Hellboy: The Science of Evil (2008)
Xbox 360
- Rugby League Live (2010)
- Truth or Lies (2010)
- World of Outlaws: Sprint Cars (2010)
- Australian Rules Football (2011)
- Cricket (2011)
PlayStation 3
- Rugby League Live (2010)
- Truth or Lies (2010)
- World of Outlaws: Sprint Cars (2010)
- Australian Rules Football (2011)
- Cricket (2011)
Wii
- The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night (2007) with Krome Studios
- Truth or Lies (2010)
- Soaked (cancelled)
- Cricket (2011)
References
- ↑ Big League - Screen Play (The Age) - http://blogs.watoday.com.au/digital-life/screenplay/2009/09/23/bigleague.html
- ↑ Big Ant Marches North to the Sunshine Coast - ITWire - http://www.itwire.com/it-industry-news/development/22676-big-ant-marches-north-to-the-sunshine-coast
