14 DAY TRIAL // Rockstar, publisher of GTA IV and a subsidiary of Electronic Arts-targeted Take Two, has announced it is buying up Mad Doc Software, based in Andover, Massachusetts, just to the north of Boston. Rockstar is renaming the studio as Rockstar New England and is preparing to launch the first development efforts at the new studio.
Maybe the most interesting franchise that Mad Doc worked on is Empire Earth. Back in 2002, the game studio created the expansion The Art of Conquest, for the original Empire Earth, which was published by Sierra. Empire Earth II was launched in 2005 and it incorporated enough innovation to the RTS genre, along with a capable AI and good graphics, to make it a critical hit for the company. It also developed a sequel to the game.
The last efforts out of the Mad Doc studio were, however, less than stellar. They developed Star Trek: Legacy for the PC and for the Xbox 360 game console, a game that was considered a disappointment by even the most die-hard fans of the Star Trek universe, and their latest effort, Empire Earth III, was also widely thought to be a bad game, dumbed down for today's RTS players.
There's some speculation that the company was having financial troubles when Rockstar stepped in to acquire it. Rockstar already has a working knowledge of the studio and their work from the collaboration they perfected with the aim of porting the game Bully to the Wii and to the Xbox 360.
Sam Houser, who is Rockstar's founder, said the move would "enhance our core technology and further support our commitment to creating progressive and innovative gaming experiences." It's not known what projects will be developed at the new Rockstar New England.
Dr. Ian Lane Davis, who is the founder and president of Mad Doc, declared: "To be a part of Rockstar Games is an amazing opportunity for everyone here. We're eager to bring our expertise to bear in the character-driven, open-world stories that make Rockstar Games titles so uniquely compelling."