E-mail:
Password:
GameSpot Video Games, PC, Wii, PlayStation 2, GameCube, PSP, DS, GBA, PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

Report: Stormfront shutting down

San Rafael-based developer of Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Blood Wake said to be closing due to economic hardships.
By Brendan Sinclair, GameSpot
Posted Apr 1, 2008 5:10 pm PT

After roughly two decades in business, the development house behind the 1991 Neverwinter Nights, Blood Wake, and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is shutting down.

Earlier today, industry trade site Gamasutra cited multiple unnamed sources in reporting that the San Rafeal, California-based studio is in the process of halting operations. That report was then confirmed with a representative of the development house by Next Gen.

"Frankly, we didn't get pitched, and the project [we were working on] made no revenue," the representative told the trade site, adding, "The economy is such that the projects that we weren't winning, ended."

Although Stormfront's portfolio of games spanned numerous genres, it returned time and again to fantasy worlds of swords and sorcery. The studio's participation in the genre includes the original 1991 Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Neverwinter Nights game for the PC, an early online role-playing game for which it earned an Emmy earlier this year. (A 2002 version of Neverwinter Nights was developed by BioWare, with a 2006 sequel developed by Obsidian Entertainment.)

Stormfront would return to the Dungeons & Dragons brand again with Al Qadim: The Genie's Curse (1994), Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor (2001), and Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone (2004). It also earned a name for itself making games based on feature films such as The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Eragon, and its last game, the February release The Spiderwick Chronicles.

The company also had a history of sports games, having created installments of NASCAR and Madden for Electronic Arts, as well as the Tony LaRussa baseball series. Though that series may have died, LaRussa kept his ties to the studio in the form of a seat on Stormfront's board of directors.

GameSpot's inquiries have gone unreturned by Stormfront as of this writing.

Sign up now to post a comment on this story!

45 Comments

First to Last Latest
sdauz

EA just became a little bit more powerful? lol

Posted Apr 2, 2008 10:32 pm PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (-1)
jakob_187

Definitely some of the worst news in a while. I can't say I was a huge fan of Demon Stone, as it felt like a very blatant rip-off of Two Towers, but it happened to be one of the strongest story-based games to come out in a LONG time. Sadly, the company got tapped based on their fame from Two Towers and not their earlier work, and in turn, they had to eat making crappers like Eragon and Spiderwick Chronicles.

Posted Apr 2, 2008 9:53 pm PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (+1)
footfoe2

to bad i thought they made the best Hack 'n slash games out there

Posted Apr 2, 2008 1:56 pm PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (+1)
majidok

Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor , Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone , Two towers . Wow , sad . Very sad . Losing a job is never easy , even if your hideo kojima and you lose your job and you know that a second after that news breaks out your cell phones going to ring with a new job , it still has an emotional impact . Im sorry for the studio and the people who worked there . I hope they find a job very soon .

Posted Apr 2, 2008 1:55 pm PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (+1)
KLONE360

Well that means, there games must suk big time

Posted Apr 2, 2008 1:39 pm PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (-4)
Zoomer30

It makes you wonder how it happens....do they know its coming? Or do they just show up one day to see the locks have been changed. Never would I ever want to work in the gaming industry. One min your on top of the world, the next your out of business.

Give it a month and all the good people from SF will have started a new place fast with some VC money.

Posted Apr 2, 2008 12:24 pm PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (+1)
awesomeboy05

I remember Stronghold from the early 90's what an awesome city-building game.

Posted Apr 2, 2008 11:51 am PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (+2)
60fps

"I was hoping this was about the white supremacist website shutting down. No such luck."

That's what I thought. I don't know why you got all those negatives though. It's sad when people support that crap.

Posted Apr 2, 2008 10:58 am PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (+1)
Raivon

Very sad to see this happen .

Posted Apr 2, 2008 10:45 am PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (+1)
BigDaddy973

That is sad to see

Posted Apr 2, 2008 10:02 am PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (+1)
VenomRitual

i did like a few movie games. SP2 and the two towers(GBA version). sad to see them go

Posted Apr 2, 2008 9:10 am PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (+1)
tsiper

Bummer, This is why no one should make a movie game. They are the kiss of death unfortunately there hasn't been a really good one yet. Good luck employees at stormfront I really hope you are able to get jobs right away someplace else you are a talented bunch of industry veterans. Sad to see this happen after so many years in business.

Posted Apr 2, 2008 8:56 am PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (+0)
geist9049

the company have gone bust but im sure the programmers and designers will easily find new companies and projects to do. they are the important part of the gaming world, not so much the company itself

Posted Apr 2, 2008 7:21 am PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (+2)
Gruug

U.S. Presidents have about as much to do with the economy as I have to do with making computer games....which is absolutely nothing.

Posted Apr 2, 2008 7:04 am PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (+0)
Cabal23

Hey poopplayer, get a clue and take an economics class before you come here and get slagged by people who actually have completed a college course or two. And if you have and still find yourself making such idiotic comments, please don't make us suffer through your dribble. Bush had nothing to do with a game company that hasn't really done much to stay in the game, from closing. You are a dolt.

Posted Apr 2, 2008 6:51 am PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (+1)
markharris31

Who's the moron talking about Bush and the economy? He didn't buy a bunch of houses he couldn't afford or sign off on mortgages to people who can't pay them. For crying out loud read a frickin book and quit spouting the crap you see on the "news" channels.

On another note, sad to see a developer close. They had some fun games in the past, but nothing they made recently is sellling. I'm sure they will find jobs, though, since they are industry vets and the video game industry continues to thrive despite a slow economy.

Posted Apr 2, 2008 5:18 am PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (+4)
Nocturnal15

That sucks. Blood wake and LOTR:The Two Towers were both fun games. I hope those that lostt their jobs can find new ones shortly. This isnt the best time not to have a job.

Posted Apr 2, 2008 5:06 am PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (+1)
Fat_Boy_PT

too bad. Always sad to see this happen

Posted Apr 2, 2008 3:43 am PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (+1)
RandomBeast

NNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't know who these guys are or what's going on really, but I like to be dramatic from time to time.

Posted Apr 2, 2008 3:24 am PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (+4)
itBit

damn ....

Posted Apr 2, 2008 2:35 am PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (+1)
Viral-venom13

Sad to see em' go.

Posted Apr 1, 2008 11:31 pm PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (+1)
FAcorp

Oh man I thought at first they talking about that nazi website.
Well it's sad to see the GOOD stormfront go. I Will miss
you guy's.

Posted Apr 1, 2008 10:36 pm PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (+5)
Hedfix

Perhaps they've closed to change name to avoid connoatations with the racist website?

Posted Apr 1, 2008 10:35 pm PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (+0)
Zerosumgame

eariler the better!

Posted Apr 1, 2008 10:03 pm PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (-2)
ivanfred

Dogar230: I really liked Demonstone. I think a sequel with 3 player co-op play, Xbox Live/PSN support, and a deeper combat system would've made it comparable to Ninja Gaiden/God of War/Devil May Cry. The art was great, the music was great. ================================
I loved Demon Stone also. Oh well.

Posted Apr 1, 2008 9:14 pm PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (+1)
nintendoboy16

No! Stormfront! I'll miss you! I'll keep my LOTR 2 for Gamecube to remember you.

Posted Apr 1, 2008 8:17 pm PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (+1)
Darth_Slayer

I'm disappointed to learn that it's the game studio, not the racist website. Oh well I had fond memories of their DOS D&D games, especially The Genie's Curse

Posted Apr 1, 2008 8:15 pm PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (+2)
EPaul

Ah man i love the LOTR two towers game it may of been repetitive but it has fun. Sad to see them go under while studios that make bads game like Ninja Bread remain in business

Posted Apr 1, 2008 7:56 pm PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (+1)
MacBrother

I thought we were talking about that filthy Nazi site, oh well.

Posted Apr 1, 2008 7:55 pm PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (+2)
jrabbit99

It's allways sad when a studio closes.

Posted Apr 1, 2008 7:47 pm PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (+1)
Jshaw71

odd, that stormfront wouldn't comment on the report, i didn't know these developers by name, or games, but after i heard the names of their games, they will be missed, if this is true, if not, there will still a great publisher out there... either way, good luck stormfront, good luck

Posted Apr 1, 2008 7:40 pm PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (+1)
Hulabaloza

Another one bites it. It's a shame, cause these guys have been around since the 80's. One misstep, find yourself without the perfectly pitchable product, and you are toast. It's tough to swing a loan from the bank these days. I know of another studio where the management has had cash flow problems, but they are supposedly going to get bought out by one of the big ones.

Posted Apr 1, 2008 7:21 pm PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (+1)
Dogar230

I really liked Demonstone. I think a sequel with 3 player co-op play, Xbox Live/PSN support, and a deeper combat system would've made it comparable to Ninja Gaiden/God of War/Devil May Cry. The art was great, the music was great.

Posted Apr 1, 2008 7:14 pm PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (+1)
the_monkey_god

Those games were not that good anyway.

Posted Apr 1, 2008 7:12 pm PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (-1)
Neoyamaneko

I was hoping this was about the white supremacist website shutting down. No such luck.

Posted Apr 1, 2008 6:36 pm PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (+1)
Pumper

It's still April 1st here --- hmm.. I wonder..

Posted Apr 1, 2008 6:34 pm PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (+0)
haesuse Posted Apr 1, 2008 6:28 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)
MetalMan300

I didn't care for eragon, but the rest of their games were pretty good. Heres hoping that some other company will hire these people. We dont want their talent being wasted.

Posted Apr 1, 2008 6:26 pm PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (+1)
BigDizz

That's too bad. I really enjoyed blood wake. It was a super smash bros / twisted metal except with boats. I always hoped there would be a sequal

Posted Apr 1, 2008 6:26 pm PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (+2)
ThickFreak

Wait, was this the studio that made Cold Winter? Even so, this is a shame.

Posted Apr 1, 2008 6:23 pm PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (+2)
popplayer22 Posted Apr 1, 2008 6:07 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)
-CheeseEater-

The Two Towers was a fair dinkum' great game.

Posted Apr 1, 2008 6:04 pm PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (+3)
DatLuckyPlaya

I thought the two towers was pretty good lol

Posted Apr 1, 2008 5:55 pm PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (+0)
RainOfTerror

Well their last few titles were all the same .. The Two Towers, Eragon, Demon Stone .. and none of them were really any good. All same type of game, average gfx, sucky camera...

Then they wonder why they were not getting pitched to ?

Posted Apr 1, 2008 5:41 pm PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (-3)
Hedfix

Shame, just rented Spiderwick and it's fun. Not a full purchase though so I guess that's why they're gone.

Posted Apr 1, 2008 5:32 pm PT
Login to rate this comment
/ (+0)
advertisement

Latest Entertainment Headlines

Latest TV headlines from
Cartoon Network draws on comics for movies
Cartoon Network developing movies based on the comic-book series Firebreather, The Vanishers, and Mice Templar.

Story Tags

News Features

Featured Stories

E3 2008: SCEA unveils $399 80GB PS3, God of War III

Sony's press conference sees SCEA president Jack Tretton reveal Resistance for PSP and MAG, an all-new massive action game from Zipper Interactive; PS3 video store launching tonight; full video inside.
Posted Jul 15, 2008 11:31 am PT

Newsmakers

E3 2008: Video Q&A: Carmack on 'one-game' id-EA deal

Legendary Doom founder, id lead designer Tim Willits, and EA Partners GM David DeMartini talk to GameSpot about how Electronic Arts became Rage's publisher.
Posted Jul 14, 2008 10:47 pm PT

Related Companies