Wanadoo Edition
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Wanadoo Edition (2000-2003) is a French videogame developer, publisher and distributor.
[edit] History
In 1992, Emmanuel Olivier founded Index+. Initially, the company developed interactive multimedia CD-Roms, such as "Le Louvre, Paintings and Palace" in 1994. In 1995, it merged with another company, Arctad, founded by Vincent Berlioz and Jacques Simian, and began to publish their own productions. In this age of multimedia, they focused on graphical adventure games, often with a historical or an educational perspective (Crusaders, Paris 1313, Vikings, Louvre: the ultimate curse). Their greatest success is Dracula: the resurrection, a PlayStation and Windows adventure game set in Transylvania, which sold over 200,000 copies in October 1999.
In September 2000, Index+ purchased France Telecom Multimedia, a subsidiary of France's main telecommunication operator France Telecom, which was its distributor. The new company was then acquired by Wanadoo, the internet division of France Telecom, under the name Wanadoo Edition. It was then active in all videogames activities: development, publishing and distribution. Furthermore, France Telecom Multimedia developed internet content, and another Wanadoo subsidiary, Goa, was specialized in online gaming, a market on which Wanadoo Edition intended to develop.
During it lifespan, Wanadoo Edition will play a critical role on the French videogame scene, because it will publish games for studios such as 4X, Babylon Software, Carapace, Etranges Libellules, Galilea Multimedia or PAM, and distribute products of independent publishers, such as Arxel Tribe, Kalisto, Microïds or Monte Cristo. This influence is very significant in these troubled years which see the demise of many French videogame players, such as Kalisto, Cryo or 4X.
It teams up with non-French studios too, such as Asylum Entertainment, Spellbound, Haemimont Games, Rebellion or TimeGate. It will also distribute in PAL territories great games from Tecmo (Project Zero, Rygar: the legendary adventure), Mythic (Dark Age of Camelot) or PCCWJ (Raging Blades). Finally, in its own studio, it develops its first 3D game, Inquisition. After the death of Kalisto, Wanadoo Edition hires the developers working on the project Castleween so they can finish the game inhouse.
The production at this time is heavily influenced by the personality of the editorial director, Edouard Lussan, a history buff. He writes the concepts for most games, including the uchronic Iron Storm, set in an alternate, war-torn 1964, or Sniper Elite, which takes place in Berlin in the last days of World War II.
Emmanuel Olivier will leave Wanadoo Edition in January 2002 due to strategic divergences with the management of Wanadoo. A year later, in January 2003, Thierry Breton is appointed CEO of France Telecom. After a strategic audit, he decides to part with Wanadoo Edition, and the staff is laid off. But in late 2003, Emmanuel Olivier creates a company to purchase the ailing Microids: MC2. Later this year, MC2 will also buy the assets of Wanadoo Edition.
[edit] Games
Developer:
- Castleween, 2002
- Inquisition, 2002
Publisher:
- New York Race, developed by Kalisto, 2001
- Snow cross, developed by Vicarous Visions, 2001
- Kirikou, developed by Etranges libellules, 2001
- Hitchcock: the final cut, developed by Arxel Tribe, 2001
- Loch ness, developed by Galiléa, 2001
- Pink Panther, developed by Etranges libellules, 2002
- Roland Garros 2002, developed by Carapace, 2002
- Project Zero, developed by Tecmo, 2002
- Robin hood: the Legend of Sherwood, developed by Spellbound, 2002
- Kohan: Battles of Ahriman, developed by Timegate, 2002
- Iron Storm, developed by 4X, 2002 (PS2 version by Rebellion Developments as World War Zero: Iron Storm)
- Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Mummy, developed by Frogwares, 2002
- Haegemonia: Legions of Iron, developed by Digital Reality, 2002
- Celtic Kings: Rage of War, developed by Haemimont, 2002
- Gremlins: Stripe vs Gizmo, developed by Magic Pockets, 2002
- Speedball 2, developed by Crawfish, 2002
- Roland Garros 2003, developed by Carapace, 2003
- Pro Beach Soccer, developed by PAM, 2003
- Curse: the Eye of Isis, developed by Asylum, 2003
- Rygar: The Legendary Adventure, developed by Tecmo, 2003
- Raging Blades, developed by PCCWJ, 2003
- Haegemonia: the SOLON Heritage, developed by Digital Reality, 2003
Distributor:
- Arabian Nights, developed by Silmarils and published by Visiware, 2001
- Dark Age of Camelot, developed by Mythic and published by Goa, 2002
- Ring II, developed and published by Arxel Tribe, 2002
- Platoon, developed by Digital Reality and published by Monte Cristo, 2002
- Micro commandos, developed and published by Monte Cristo, 2002
- Dino Island, developed and published by Monte Cristo, 2002
- Agassi Tennis Generation, developed by Aqua Pacific, published by Cryo, 2002
- Extreme Ghostbusters Code Ecto-1, developed by Magic Pockets and published by LSP, 2002
