// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Rage Software say to the bug? You're en-raged.
 | This article needs more citations. (June 2019) |
| Type | Public company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Predecessor | Special FX Software |
| Founded | 1992[1][2] |
| Founder | Paul Finnegan |
| Defunct | 2003 |
| Fate | Bankrupt |
| Headquarters | , England, UK |
Rage Software plc (formerly Rage Games Limited) was a British video game developer founded in Liverpool in 1992 by Paul Finnegan.
History
[edit]Origins
[edit]The company first made its start in early 1992 when members of the Ocean Software-affiliated Special FX Software broke up to become an independent game developer/publisher[3] and later renamed it to Rage Software, with studios serving Liverpool and Newcastle.[4][5]
The company begin work on a video game called Striker, which was a massive global hit that spawned a big franchise. Rage's first title Striker sold more than one million copies throughout its two-year life cycle and established Rage as a major creative force in the interactive entertainment industry. The company went through rapid expansion in the 1990s and partnered with multiple third party software publishers for distribution of its titles.[6]
In 1994, Bristol Coin Equipment acquired both Rage Software and Software Creations, the transaction was closed a month later.[7][8] In 1995, the company purchased Denton Designs, and absorbed its talent into Rage Software itself.[9] In 1996, BCE took the Rage name[10] and a year later sold Software Creations to Sweeplink Ltd.[11]
Expand through publishing and acquisition
[edit]In 1997, the decision was made to publish its productions independently. Rage continued to form commercial partnerships with major publishing houses, including Microsoft, Intel, Dell, Compaq, Nintendo, Sony and Sega, and re-registered as a private company as Rage Software Limited in 1999.[12] In October 1999, the company purchased Digital Image Design from Infogrames UK and renamed it Rage Warrington.[13][14][15]
In January 2000, it invested in the newly established Internet Indirect Plc, a company supporting the development of technology and internet companies; through this move, Rage hoped to use the company's research in its titles.[16] The company also acquired Bristol-based designer Wayward Design.[12]
Nearly a month later, Rage acquired two newly established studios located in Scotland, appointing David Jones, a video game industry veteran and creator of the GTA series, as its manager. The company cited its desire to develop games using WAP technology and expand into the mobile market. It also acquired RGB Tree Limited, the studio responsible for the PlayStation port of GTA2, and acquired a 20% stake in the newly established Denki Limited, based in Dundee . As part of this agreement, Rage gained the rights to produce and publish three Game Boy titles.[17] The company later launched Wild Wild Racing in 2000.[18]
Rage announced the launch of an online division, Rage On-Line, which would provide a platform for players to download new content for their games; and would allow them to purchase new titles through an online store.[19] This acquisitions and expansion cemented Rage as the fourth largest European video game publisher, behind Infogrames, Eidos Interactive and Titus Software at that time in revenue.[12]
In 1999, the company signed a partnership with Interplay to distribute its titles in North America.[20] In 2000, the company signed an expanded distribution and publishing deal with Interplay Entertainment, where Interplay handled North American rights to titles that was published by Rage Software.[21]
In February 2001, it signed an agreement with Nokia to produce games for the Finnish manufacturer's phones,[22] while in March a 4-year agreement was concluded with Manchester United to use David Beckham's name for marketing purposes (he was to help promote the returning Striker series); and in April, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer granted a license to produce titles based on the Rocky film series.[23]
In June 2001, the studio secured a £20 million loan after discovering it had only £500,000 left in its account. A portion of the £15 million loan was to be transferred to the company on the condition that, after the loan was repaid, GEM Global Yield Fund would receive 76% of the studio's shares. Studio CEO Paul Finnegan stated that the studio plans for the next two years to allocate "no more than half of this amount" to promoting Rage titles, acquiring further licenses, and pursuing a full commitment to a self-publishing strategy. At that time, the company employed 260 people in 4 studios: Newcastle, Bristol, Warrington, Birmingham.[24][25]
In October, Rage announced that it would be developing games for Nintendo's GameCube console, and in December, it partnered with former SAS member and Gulf War I participant Andy McNab. He would serve as creative and technical director for military games based on his work. The writer admitted that he was positively surprised by the quality of the studio's titles; this collaboration was intended to ensure authenticity and detail in the titles being developed.[26] Meanwhile, a title featuring David Beckham failed to hit the shelves.[27]
In December 2001, the company entered into a publishing agreement with Majesco Entertainment where Majesco would have published Rage's titles in the North American market.[28]
Trouble and bankruptcy
[edit]In March 2002, it was revealed that the company had suffered further financial losses resulting from the difficulties of the publishing division in establishing itself on the market and the high costs of running it; a month later, the situation worsened due to the falling share price on the stock exchange and unsatisfactory sales of the game with David Beckham in the title.[29][30]
At E3 2002, Rage announced a three-year agreement with Lamborghini, which would see the company develop a series of games featuring Lamborghini cars. The first title in the series was scheduled for release in spring 2003.[31]
David Jones bought the studio in Dundee and soon after opened Realtime Worlds; Phil Wright did the same with the studio in Sheffield, creating Yeti Studios (responsible for the PC version of Gun Metal).[32]
In the summer, the company earned GBP 4.5 million, which it invested in the development of titles in production, but (according to Hunter Kelly) delays in delivering them to the market meant that the company, with insufficient revenue, was unable to cover the company's operating costs on time, and immediately dismissed 74 employees.[33]
In October, Trevor Williams left his position as chairman of Rage Birmingham to set up Swordfish Studios with Joan Finnegan (Paul Finnegan's wife), and then bought the division he had previously managed from Rage.[34]
Despite strong sales of the David Beckham game during the 2002 holiday season, Rage shares fell by 67% on January 13, 2003. The company suspended share sales the next day[35][36][37] and officially declared bankruptcy on January 16. The company's assets were auctioned off, and the remaining 82 employees left, finding employment in other development studios, including those established on the former Rage property.[38]
The other executives of Rage went on to form new companies, like Juice Games in Warrington,[39] and Venom Games in Newcastle.[40]
Studios and subsidiaries
[edit]- Wayward Design – founded in 1994, acquired in January 2000[12][6]
- Rage Warrington (formerly Digital Image Design) – founded 1989, acquired October 1999[12]
- Rage Scotland – founded in June 2000 by David Jones; based in Edinburgh and Dundee; sold in 2002[a][12][6]
- Rage Newcastle – founded in 1993 by Peter Johnson[41][42][43]
- Rage Leeds (formerly RGB Tree Ltd.) – founded in 1982 (as Smithson Computing, then WJS Design and finally in January 1995 as Sunrise Games); acquired in February 2000; closed due to the studio's consolidation with the Rage Sheffield branch in June 2001[12][24][44]
- Rage Huddersfield (formerly Caffeine Studios Ltd. and The Internet Football Club Ltd) – founded October 1996; acquired April 2000; closed June 2001[12][24][45][46]
- Rage Sheffield – founded in October 1999 by former Gremlin Interactive employees led by Phil Wright; sold in August 2002[47][32]
- Rage Birmingham – founded in 1994 by Trevor Williams, in 2002 it was bought by its founder.[b]
- Rage London – closed after 1998[48]
Games developed
[edit]See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "Majesco Signs Exclusive North American Publishing and Distribution Agreement With Rage Software". Business Wire. Berkshire Hathaway. 10 December 2001. Archived from the original on 24 January 2002. Retrieved 21 June 2019 – via Yahoo.com.
- ↑ Lafferty, Michael. "Get ready for smash 'em-up fun with Rage Software's Totaled!! - a GZ Interview". gamezone.com. Archived from the original on 10 March 2005. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
- ↑ "Special FX go it alone..." CU Amiga. February 1992. p. 7. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
- ↑ "Special FX". Retro Gamer. February 2013. p. 36. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
- ↑ "Striker". Atari ST Review. June 1992. p. 16. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Home Page". www.rage.co.uk. Archived from the original on 29 October 2000. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
- ↑ "BCE TO ACQUIRE SOFTWARE CREATIONS, RAGE SOFTWARE". Telecompaper. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
- ↑ "BCE to acquire Rage Software". Computer Business Review. 25 October 1994.
- ↑ "RAGE SOFTWARE ACQUIRES DENTON DESIGNS". Telecompaper. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
- ↑ "BCE COMPLETES THE TRANSITION FROM UNFANCIED BILLIARDS HALLS TO SOUGHT-AFTER GAMES WRITER". Computer Business Review. 6 February 1996.
- ↑ "SOFTWARE CREATIONS (UK) - Compagnie de jeux vidéo - ABANDONWARE FRANCE". www.abandonware-france.org (in French). Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Rage Investors". www.rage.co.uk. Archived from the original on 8 April 2001. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- ↑ "RIP DID". PC Zone. December 1999. p. 43. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- ↑ Staff, I. G. N. (7 October 1999). "Rage Against the (French) Machine". IGN. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
- ↑ Staff, I. G. N. (18 November 2000). "Rage Talks e-Racer". IGN. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
- ↑ "FE Investegate | Rage Software PLC Announcements | Rage Software PLC: £1 million Investment in Internet Indirect". Investegate. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- ↑ "FE Investegate |Rage Software PLC Announcements | Rage Software PLC: Acquisition of Development Studios & Other News". www.investegate.co.uk. Archived from the original on 21 September 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
- ↑ "Rage Software to Launch Wild Wild West Racing in Q4". citywire.com. 12 May 2000. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
- ↑ "FE Investegate | Rage Software PLC Announcements | Rage Software PLC: Placing to Raise £6.4 & Orange/Tesco News". www.investegate.co.uk. 2000. Archived from the original on 21 September 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- ↑ Staff, I. G. N. (18 September 1999). "Rage Finds a Partner". IGN. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- ↑ Staff, I. G. N. (19 September 2000). "Interplay and Rage Strike Distribution Deal". IGN. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- ↑ Bramwell, Tom (21 February 2001). "Nokia team up with Eidos". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- ↑ "Rocky fights back after Rage Software deal". The Irish Times. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 "FE Investegate |Rage Software PLC Announcements | Rage Software PLC: Statement re secured funding". www.investegate.co.uk. Archived from the original on 4 August 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
- ↑ Snoddy, Julia (13 June 2001). "Rage Software wins £20m in new funding". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- ↑ "McNab signs Rage game deal". The Standard. 12 April 2012. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- ↑ Bramwell, Tom (12 December 2001). "Rage's Rolling Xbox". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- ↑ Staff, I. G. N. (11 December 2001). "Majesco Enters into Publishing Agreement With Rage". IGN. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- ↑ Bramwell, Tom (2 April 2002). "Rage in serious trouble". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
- ↑ "Rage is having a Rocky year". citywire.com. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- ↑ "Strona główna, Lamborghini i Rage - Cenega.pl". cenega.pl. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- 1 2 "A brief history of Sheffield game development companies". Mark Hardisty. 26 January 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- ↑ Staff, This is Money. "Staff sacked as Rage goes bust". This is Money. Archived from the original on 19 April 2025. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- ↑ "FE Investegate | Rage PLC Announcements | Rage PLC: Current Trading Update". Investegate. October 2002.
- ↑ "Shares suspended in Beckham game firm". 13 January 2003. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- ↑ "Rage Software shares suspended". GameSpot. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- ↑ IGN (15 January 2003). "Rage Going Quiet". IGN. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- ↑ "Tragiczny koniec Rage Software - GRYOnline.pl". GRY-Online.pl. 16 January 2003. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
- ↑ Burnes, Andrew (22 January 2004). "Juice Games Announces Juiced". IGN. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- ↑ Dunham, Jeremy (5 April 2004). "Rocky's New Legend". IGN. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- ↑ "Who are we?". Soluble Apps. 20 September 2010. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- ↑ arcadeattack (26 July 2018). "Phil Nixon (Rage) - Interview". Arcade Attack. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- ↑ "An interview with Peter Johnson". Codetapper's Amiga Site. 1988. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- ↑ "Company Information | Real-time Intelligence - DueDil". www.duedil.com. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- ↑ "Football World Manager". www.footballworldmanager.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 October 1999. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- ↑ "news". Game Developer. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- ↑ "FE Investegate | Rage Software PLC Announcements | Rage Software PLC: Placing to Raise £6.4 & Orange/Tesco News". Investegate. 13 April 2000.
- ↑ "Rage London: War of the Worlds". PC Zone. March 1998. p. 44. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
Notes
[edit]- ↑ The studio's press releases use the name Rage Scotland; although in some sources the Edinburgh and Dundee offices are referred to separately as Rage Dundee and Rage Edinburgh.
- ↑ Some websites report that the studio was acquired by Rage Software for £1 shortly after its founding. After Rage's demise, the company became independent.
External links
[edit]- Football in the New Media Age, Raymond Boyle, Richard Haynes, 2004. ISBN 0-415-31790-8