Titus Software

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Titus Interactive
ISIN FR0000050122
Industry Interactive entertainment
Fate Bankruptcy and Dissolution
Founded 1985
Defunct 2005
Headquarters Lagny sur Marne, France
Key people Eric and Hervé Caen (founder)
Products Video games E
Revenue € 73.2 million (2002)
Website www.titus-interactive.com (archived version 2004-06-11)

Titus Interactive SA,[1] previously Titus France SA,[2] was a long-running French software publisher that produced and published video games for various formats over its lifetime. Its head office was located in Parc de l'Esplanade in Lagny sur Marne in Greater Paris.[1] At one time, it was instead located in Montfermeil, also in Greater Paris.[2]

Avalon Interactive was a subsidiary of Titus Interactive, responsible for the European distribution of the group's games.

History

Founded by brothers Eric and Hervé Caen in France in 1985,[3] Titus began releasing titles for home computers such as the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum and PC before moving on to consoles like the Sega Master System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy and Game Boy Color, Sony PlayStation, Sega Dreamcast and Nintendo 64, then finally publishing titles for the Nintendo GameCube, Sony PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Xbox.

Titus designed games such as Virtual Kasparov, Automobili Lamborghini, Virtual Chess 64, Roadsters (the Nintendo 64 version), Incredible Crisis (developed by Polygon Magic), Prehistorik Man and Lamborghini American Challenge, that were given positive reviews. Titus however was also involved in the creation of games that were notable due to their overwhelmingly negative reception. Superman for the Nintendo 64 was notorious for its negative status among gamers. GameTrailers called it the worst game of all time.[4] It is currently holding an overall ranking of 23% at GameRankings.[5] Similarly, the 2003 game RoboCop also received overwhelmingly negative reviews. GameSpot gave it 2.2/10 saying "RoboCop has a bevy of horrible problems that render the game practically unplayable."[6]

Titus acquired BlueSky Software and the even longer-lived UK developer Digital Integration in 1998 and went public, listing on the French stock market.[3] It also gained a majority interest in struggling American publisher Interplay in August 2001, naming Hervé Caen CEO of the company after the departure of Interplay’s Brian Fargo.[7]

Titus filed bankruptcy on January 9, 2005 with €33 million ($43.8 million USD) debt.[8] The 30 remaining Titus French staff were laid off; the Interplay subsidiary continued to operate independently.

Games published

Most games were developed in-house by Titus Software unless otherwise stated.

Subsidiaries

Titus had several subsidiaries. The United States subsidiary, Titus Software Corporation, had its head office in Chatsworth, Los Angeles. The Japanese subsidiary, Titus Japan K.K., had its head office on the eighth floor of the Kotubuki Dogenzaka Building in Dōgenzaka (JA), Shibuya, Tokyo.[1] The UK subsidiary, Titus Software UK Limited, had its head office in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire.[9]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Contact." Titus Interactive. 3 June 2004. Retrieved on 4 September 2012. "Titus Interactive SA : Parc de l'Esplanade 12, rue Enrico Fermi 77462 Lagny sur Marne Cedex. FRANCE"
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Profie." Titus Games. 30 June 1998. Retrieved on 4 September 2012. "310 Avenue Daniel Perdrige, 93370 Montfermeil."
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 IGN Staff (1998). "Eric Caen of Titus Software (interview)". IGN.com. Retrieved June 21, 2010. 
  4. ↑ "Top 10 Best and Worst Video Games of All Time". 2006-11-17. Retrieved June 21, 2010. 
  5. ↑ "Superman Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved June 21, 2010. 
  6. ↑ "Robocop Review". Gamespot. Retrieved June 21, 2010. 
  7. ↑ LA Times (August 17, 2001). "Titus Takes Control of Irvine’s Interplay". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 21, 2010. 
  8. ↑ "Titus bankrupt, Interplay's future uncertain". Gamespot. 2005-01-05. Retrieved 2013-05-06. 
  9. ↑ "Contacts." Titus Interactive. 3 February 2002. Retrieved on 4 September 2012.

External links

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