High Voltage Software, Inc. (HVS) is an American video game developer based in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Founded in April 1993 by Kerry J. Ganofsky, the company is best known for developing Lego Racers (1999), Hunter: The Reckoning (2002) and The Conduit (2009).
History High Voltage Software was founded by Kerry J. Ganofsky in April 1993, following his graduation from college. Out of Hoffman Estates, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, the company started out with four employees and used old doors set on top of sawhorses as desks. In June 2006, the company had 160 employees.
In 2008 interviews, High Voltage leadership expressed interest in improving the quality of contemporary third-party Wii games. The company developed Quantum3, a game engine that specifically targets Wii deployment. The engine itself had been used in several previous titles made by the developer, but was heavily upgraded for higher performance on Wii.
In December 2014, Ganofsky announced that High Voltage would be opening a satellite studio for the company in Place St. Charles in New Orleans. The opening, scheduled for early 2015, would provide 80 new job opportunities in the area, with initial staff transferred from the company's Hoffman Estates headquarters. Through the opening, High Voltage was able to take advantage of local financial incentives, including a performance-based grant to cover relocation costs, workforce training programs and a digital media incentive. Prior to the announcement, Ganofsky also considered opening the studio in Georgia or Florida, but found New Orleans to be a better cultural fit for High Voltage. As a result, talks between economic development leaders in the area and Ganofsky began in October 2013.
On December 15, 2020, High Voltage Software was acquired by Keywords Studios for an initial consideration of in cash and in shares, as well as additional for performance targets to be met by December 31, 2021.
Unreleased projects The Grinder In the late 2000s, High Voltage began developing a horror-themed shooter called The Grinder. The game initially began production exclusively for the Wii, the developers, as well as potential publishers for The Grinder, became less confident that the game would be a success on that system, as there were multiple instances of similar hardcore and/or graphically violent games designed for the Wii, such as MadWorld, House of the Dead: Overkill and Red Steel 2 that failed to sell many copies. Development for the Wii version eventually began to wind down quietly by 2010, although High Voltage Software refused to state whether that version was officially cancelled. The developers also designed PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC versions of the game, which were initially going to play as first-person shooters like the Wii version, but plans for this ultimately fell through when it failed to appeal to candidate publishers and the developers realized that there was an ongoing oversatuation of the first-person shooter video game market. After careful consideration, they decided to not only redesign the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC versions as a top-down shooter, but also change the game's setting, plot and character designs to a substantial degree.
In 2013, High Voltage Software, in an interview, implied that one significant reason why it was difficult to release The Grinder was because it was being developed during a time when the video game industry was more interested in well-established intellectual properties, rather than newly introduced ones like that of The Grinder. The company then expressed hope that they can be in better position to launch new intellectual properties like The Grinder when a new generation of video games began. However, having lost substantial money and jobs from the troubled development of The Grinder, as well as poor sales of Conduit 2, the company decided not to revisit The Grinder.
Games developed Year Title Platform(s) Publisher(s) 1995 White Men Can't Jump Atari Jaguar Atari Corporation Ruiner Pinball Atari Jaguar Star Trek: Starfleet Academy – Starship Bridge Simulator Sega 32X Interplay Entertainment Vid Grid Atari Jaguar CDAtari Corporation 1996 NHL Open Ice Microsoft Windows Midway Games NBA Jam: Tournament Edition Atari Jaguar Fight For Life Atari Jaguar Atari Corporation NBA Hangtime Microsoft Windows Midway Games Tempest 2000 Classic Mac OS, Sega Saturn Interplay Entertainment Tempest X3 PlayStation 1997 World League Basketball Microsoft Windows, PlayStation Mindscape NCAA Basketball: Final Four 97 Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 1999 Paperboy Nintendo 64 Midway Games Lego Racers Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 64, PlayStation Lego Media NBA Inside Drive 2000 Microsoft Windows Microsoft 2000 Ground Control: Dark Conspiracy Microsoft Windows Sierra Studios All-Star Baseball 2001 Nintendo 64 Acclaim Entertainment NFL Quarterback Club 2001 Dreamcast, Nintendo 64 2002 Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance GameCube Interplay Entertainment Monster Jam: Maximum Destruction Microsoft Windows Ubi Soft NBA Inside Drive 2002 Xbox Microsoft Disney's Stitch: Experiment 626 PlayStation 2 Disney Interactive NBA Inside Drive 2003 Xbox Microsoft Game Studios Hunter: The Reckoning GameCube, Xbox Interplay Entertainment 2003 Hunter: The Reckoning – Wayward PlayStation 2 Vivendi Universal Games Hunter: The Reckoning – Redeemer Xbox NBA Inside Drive 2004 Xbox Microsoft Game Studios Disney's The Haunted Mansion GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox TDK Mediactive 2004 Duel Masters PlayStation 2 Atari Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox Sierra Entertainment 2005 Zathura PlayStation 2, Xbox 2K Games Charlie and the Chocolate Factory GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox Global Star Software 50 Cent: Bulletproof G Unit Edition PlayStation Portable Vivendi Games Call of Duty 2: Big Red One GameCube Activision Codename: Kids Next Door – Operation: V.I.D.E.O.G.A.M.E. GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox Global Star Software 2006 The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy PlayStation 2, GameCube, Wii Midway Games Blitz: Overtime PlayStation Portable Family Guy Video Game! PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 2K Games, Fox Interactive 2007 Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii Capcom Ben 10: Protector of Earth PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii D3 Publisher Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 PlayStation Portable Ubisoft America's Army: True Soldiers Xbox 360 2008 Go, Diego, Go!: Safari Rescue PlayStation 2, Wii 2K Play V.I.P. Casino: Blackjack Wii High Voltage Software Gyrostarr Wii Dora the Explorer: Dora Saves the Snow Princess PlayStation 2, Wii 2K Play Go, Diego, Go!: Great Dinosaur Rescue PlayStation 2, Wii 2009 The Secret Saturdays: Beasts of the 5th Sun PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii D3 Publisher High Voltage Hot Rod Show Wii High Voltage Software Astro Boy: The Video Game PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii D3 Publisher Ni Hao, Kai-Lan: Super Game Day PlayStation 2, Wii 2K Play Dora the Explorer: Dora Saves the Crystal Kingdom PlayStation 2, Wii Evasive Space Wii Akinai Games The Conduit Wii Sega 2010 Iron Man 2 Wii, PlayStation Portable Tournament of Legends Wii Dora's Big Birthday Adventure PlayStation 2, Wii 2K Play Pheasants Forever Wingshooter Wii GameMill Entertainment Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Wii, Nintendo DS Red Wagon Games 2011 Conduit 2 Wii Sega Captain America: Super Soldier Wii, Nintendo 3DS Nicktoons MLB Wii, Xbox 360 2K Play Nickelodeon Fit Wii Nickelodeon Dance Wii, Xbox 360 Victorious: Time to Shine Xbox 360 D3 Publisher Country Dance Wii GameMill Entertainment Country Dance 2 Wii 2012 Country Dance All-Stars Xbox 360 Kinect Star Wars Xbox 360 LucasArts, Microsoft Studios Zone of the Enders HD Collection PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Konami Toy Story Mania! PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Disney Interactive Studios Nickelodeon Dance 2 Wii, Xbox 360 2K Play Avengers Initiative Android, iOS Disney Interactive Batman: Arkham City Lockdown Android, iOS Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Victorious: Taking the Lead Wii D3 Publisher 2013 Le Vamp iOS High Voltage Software Zoombies: Animales de la Muerte iOS The Conduit HD Android Mortal Kombat Microsoft Windows Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Enter the Dominatrix PlayStation 4, Xbox One Deep Silver Injustice: Gods Among Us PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Ben 10: Omniverse 2 PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Wii U D3 Publisher 2014 The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Nintendo 3DS Activision 2015 Saints Row IV: Re-Elected PlayStation 4, Xbox One Deep Silver Saints Row: Gat out of Hell PlayStation 4, Xbox One Mortal Kombat X Microsoft Windows Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment 2016 Damaged Core Microsoft Windows Oculus Studios Dragon Front Microsoft Windows 2017 They Live to Destroy Microsoft Windows 2018 Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One Funcom Fortnite: Save the World Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One Epic Games 2019Zombieland: Double Tap – Road TripMicrosoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox OneGameMill Entertainment, Maximum Games Ballista Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift Oculus Studios 2025 Dragon Front: Adventures Microsoft Windows High Voltage Software
Canceled Thea Realm Fighters (Jaguar) Kid Vid Grid (Jaguar) Country Vid Grid (Jaguar) The Grinder (Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows) Paperboy (PlayStation)
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