| Type | Subsidiary of Rockstar Games |
|---|---|
| Industry | Game development |
| Founded | 1999 (as Mad Doc Software) 2008 (as Rockstar New England) |
| Headquarters | New England in Andover, Massachusetts |
| Key people | Dr. Ian Lane Davis |
| Owner(s) | Take-Two Interactive |
| Employees | 100 (approx)[1] |
| Parent | Rockstar Games[2] |
| Website | http://www.rockstarnewengland.com/ |
Rockstar New England, formerly Mad Doc Software, is a computer game development company founded in 1999 by Dr. Ian Lane Davis. The company is based in New England in Andover, Massachusetts, just north of Boston.[3]
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The original Mad Doc Software was founded by Dr. Ian Lane Davis, an expert in artificial intelligence.[4] The company incorporates new networking, graphics, and AI technologies into their games (Empire Earth II uses Mad Doc’s Mad3D Game Engine and MadAI technologies).
Dr. Davis started Mad Doc Software in Andover in 1999 before shortly moving to Lawrence a year later.
In 2001, Mad Doc completed Star Trek: Armada II for Activision, adding 3D play, enhanced AI and other features. The Mad Doc team also delivered a wireless-platform golf game to JAMDAT Mobile, as well as AI design for the sequel to a major software publisher's PC game.
In March 2002, Mad Doc completed the World War II flight simulator Jane's Attack Squadron. In the fall of 2002, the company released Empire Earth: The Art of Conquest, the official expansion pack for Empire Earth, to Sierra Entertainment.
In November 2003, Microsoft Game Studios released Dungeon Siege: Legends of Aranna. Mad Doc developed an expansion pack for Dungeon Siege adding new features and AI enhancements. The company was a finalist for the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences "Computer Role Playing Game of the Year" due to this expansion pack.
In the spring of 2005, the company released Empire Earth II. They added features including advanced AI, enhanced environmental realism, new multiplayer modes, and improved management systems. The game garnered a PC Gamer Editor's Choice Award and a 94% review score. PC Gamer stated that the game was "The New King of Real-Time Strategy Gaming".[5]
Star Trek: Legacy, had mixed to moderate reviews for the Xbox 360 and was negatively received for the PC.[2]
The company's Empire Earth III has been the subject of many harsh reviews, with GameSpot saying, "Empire Earth III has been dumbed down to the point of irrelevance." Mad Doc has since removed Empire Earth III from their list of games on their website and any trace of it.[6]
Mad Doc has also created an autonomous cross-country navigation system for the U.S. Dept. of Defense.[7]
Mad Doc was contracted to partner with Propaganda Games and Threewave Software for various map designs for the 2008 game Turok.[8]
Mad Doc ported Rockstar Vancouver's Bully to the Xbox 360 (ported to the Wii by Rockstar Toronto) in the form of Bully: Scholarship Edition.[9]
On April 4, 2008, Rockstar Games announced that it had acquired the studio and rebranded it Rockstar New England.[2]
As Mad Doc Software:
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