DICE (company)
 | |
| Subsidiary of Electronic Arts | |
| Industry |
Interactive entertainment Computer and video games |
| Founded | May 1992[1] |
| Founder |
Andreas Axelsson Olof Gustafsson Fredrik Liliegren Ulf Mandorff Markus Nyström |
| Headquarters | Stockholm, Sweden |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Karl-Magnus Troedsson (CEO) |
| Products |
Games Frostbite Refractor Engine |
| Revenue |
 798.936 million kr |
|
59.133 million kr | |
| Profit |
36.164 million kr |
| Total assets |
368.302 million kr |
| Total equity |
110.833 million kr |
Number of employees | 560 (2014) |
| Parent | Electronic Arts |
| Divisions | DICE Los Angeles |
| Website | DICE.se |
|
Footnotes / references 2014 Annual Report.[2] | |
EA Digital Illusions Creative Entertainment AB,[3] also known as EA DICE or DICE, is a Swedish video game developer and wholly owned subsidiary of Electronic Arts. The company is best known for video games such as the Battlefield series and Mirror's Edge.
History
DICE was founded in May 1992[1] in Växjö, Sweden by five people: Ulf Mandorff, Olof Gustafsson, Fredrik Liliegren, Andreas Axelsson and Markus Nyström, members of the former demogroup The Silents.[4][5] The Silents ' work is visible in some DICE games. For example, The Silents used the acronym TSL; this acronym is visible in Motorhead on banners and signs. According to the Motorhead manual, TSL is said to stand for "Trans-atlantic Speed League", a case of a backronym.
For an extended period of time, while the employees were also students at Växjö University, the company's office consisted of a small dorm room. During those days the company developed popular pinball games for the Amiga computers, such as Pinball Dreams, Pinball Fantasies and Pinball Illusions. The company moved to Gothenburg in 1994 where it was headquartered until 2005, when that office was merged with the ex-Refraction Games office in Stockholm.
In 1998, the company was registered on the Swedish stock exchange. Although Codename Eagle received a small cult following, the biggest break for DICE was the release of Battlefield 1942 and its sequels and expansions. The Battlefield series jump-started their popularity. In 2004, the total value of the company was estimated at approximately US$55 million.
Expansion
In January 2000, the company bought Refraction Games and 90% of Synergenix Interactive. This was followed in March 2001 by the acquisition of Sandbox Studios in London, Ontario, Canada.
EA's acquisition
In November 2004, Electronic Arts announced their intent to purchase all outstanding shares in Digital Illusions CE at a price of 61 kr per share. The board of directors of Digital Illusions CE recommended that the company's shareholders accept the offer. Electronic Arts owned 62% of Digital Illusions CE on March 31, 2005.
On October 2, 2006, EA completed the acquisition for 67.75 kr per share for 2.6 million shares, for a total of 175.5 million kr. Digital Illusions CE was renamed EA Digital Illusions CE,[6] and CEO Patrick Söderlund became an EA Studio General Manager.[7] DICE Canada, which at the time was being run by DICE co-founder Fredrik Liliegren, was closed down immediately upon acquisition.[8]
Games developed
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Article Series: Part 1 Home of Digital Illusions" (in Swedish). PCgaming.nu. Retrieved 2011-03-18.
- ↑ "Bokslut & Nyckeltal - EA Digital Illusions CE AB" (in Swedish). AllaBolag.se. Retrieved 2015-01-22.
- ↑ "DICE LinkedIn Profile". LinkedIn. Retrieved 2014-03-09.
- ↑ "The Silents (TSL)". Amiga Music Preservation. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
- ↑ Uhr, Bobic (2007-01-18). "4Sceners: Digital Illusions". 4Players.de. Retrieved 2010-05-20.
- ↑ Thorsen, Tor (2006-10-02). "EA rolls DICE for $23 million". GameSpot. Retrieved 2014-05-10.
- ↑ "EA Officially Picks Up DICE". Edge. 2006-10-02. Retrieved 2012-09-01.
- ↑ Boyer, Brandon (2006-10-05). "EA Closes DICE Canada Offices". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2006-10-10.
- ↑ Dyer, Mitch (2012-11-21). "Mirror's Edge 2 "Is in Production at DICE"". IGN. Retrieved 2013-09-25.
External links
- DICE's Official Homepage
- EA Digital Illusions CE's profile at MobyGames
- The Silents ' Official Homepage
- Interview with DICE co-founder Andreas Axelsson regarding the early Amiga years (1992–1995)
- Digital Illusions at DMOZ
- 1997 interview with DICE co-founder Andreas Axelsson
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