Gathering of Developers, Inc. (shortened as G.O.D. or GodGames, and branded as Gathering between 2003 and 2004) was an American video game publisher based in New York City. Founded by Mike Wilson and associates in January 1998 and originally based in Dallas, the company was acquired by Take-Two Interactive in May 2000. Between May 2000 and March 2001, Gathering of Developers also operated a division, On Deck Interactive, which acted as its mass market label. In August 2001, Take-Two Interactive closed Gathering of Developers' Dallas headquarters and moved the label in-house, to New York City. The label was shut down in September 2004, with all assets consumed by Global Star Software.
History Opening and growth Gathering of Developers was announced by Mike Wilson in 1997, with the official opening scheduled for January 1998. Wilson had previously been the CEO of Ion Storm, a video game developer. Wilson's stated vision for the company was to have a video games publisher run by experienced developers rather than marketeers and conventional businessmen. Gathering of Developers was initially an alliance of eight development companies, with each of the founding companies having an equity in the publisher and a representative on the board of directors.
The opening of the company took place on January 13, 1998. Co-founders included Harry Miller, Jim Bloom, Rick Stults and Doug Myres. The same month, video game developer Terminal Reality became an equity partner of Gathering of Developers, through which their vice-president, Brett Combs, took a seat on the publisher's board of directors. Other founding partners included Edge of Reality, 3D Realms, Epic Games, PopTop Software, and Ritual Entertainment. By February 1998, the company had struck an investment deal with Pennsylvania Merchants Group.
On June 1, 1998, video game publisher Take-Two Interactive announced a "subsistantial non-equity investment" in Gathering of Developers, wherein Take-Two Interactive would distribute games published by Gathering of Developers. Take-Two Interactive later went on to acquire a 20% stake in the company by February 1999. Also in February 1999, Gathering of Developers co-founded the Independent Games Festival, which was to premier Game Developers Conference, and also co-hosted and funded the 1999 edition of it. In 1999, the company's title Monster Truck Madness 64, slated for released by Gathering, was shifted to Rockstar Games. In May 1999, Gathering of Developers signed an agreement with Sega to distribute eight of its games on the Heat.net platform.
During the Electronic Entertainment Expo trade shows, Gathering of Developers offered free barbecue, live music and beer to the nearly 10,000 attendees that crossed the street into its parking lot, dubbed the "Promised Lot". At the 2001 edition of the event, Gathering of Developers' booth displayed booth babes dressed up as schoolgirls to promote its adult content.
Decline and acquisition On May 1, 2000, Take-Two Interactive announced that it had acquired Gathering of Developers. The deal was signed mainly due to Gathering of Developers' financial instability. On May 4, 2000, Take-Two Interactive and Gathering of Developers launched On Deck Interactive as a publishing label for games with "a consumer friendly price point and a mass market appeal". The company briefly expanded by published its first console game, 4x4 Evolution for the Sega Dreamcast in 2000 and PlayStation 2 in 2001, and it was followed by the sequel 4x4 Evo 2, for the Xbox, also in 2001. Following the departure of On Deck Interactive's CEO Robert Westmoreland, the label was shut down again on March 5, 2001, with all of its upcoming games shifted to Gathering of Developers.
Death of co-founder and shut down On May 3, 2001, Gathering of Developers co-founder Myres unexpectedly died of an asthma attack. In his honor, Gathering of Developers announced the "Doug Myres Substance Award" in June that year, which would be handed out at the July 2001 edition of the Cyberathlete Professional League, with a donation to the Dallas Children's Advocacy Center made in the recipient's name.
Gathering of Developers' Dallas offices were closed down by Take-Two Interactive in August 2001, with all operations relocated to Take-Two Interactive's headquarters in New York City. All staff were laid off or left the company, most of which were then hired by SubstanceTV, a new venture previously launched by Wilson and Myres. In 2002, the company was reorganized, so the company could focus on their PC games because the Take-Two Interactive name ceased to exist as a label, while several console games intended for release by Gathering and its self-named Take Two Interactive label was moved to Gotham Games.
By February 2003, Gathering of Developers had been shortened to Gathering. In late 2003, the company briefly expanded and returned into publishing console games when its previous console-friendly label Gotham Games shut down. On September 9, 2004, following poor financial results in Take-Two Interactive's Q3 2004 fiscal quarter, Gathering of Developers was folded into Global Star Software, Take-Two Interactive's budget range publishing label, who was briefly promoted to making mainstream AAA games before the rise of the 2K label in 2005.
Games published
+TitlePlatform(s)Release dateDeveloperRef.Jazz Jackrabbit 2Microsoft WindowsEpic MegaGames / Orange GamesMicrosoft WindowsPopTop SoftwareJazz Jackrabbit 2: Holiday Hare '98Microsoft WindowsEpic MegaGamesJazz Jackrabbit 2Mac OSLogicwareJazz Jackrabbit 2: The Secret FilesMicrosoft WindowsEpic MegaGamesMicrosoft WindowsPopTop SoftwareMac OSWestlake InteractiveMac OSWestlake InteractiveDarkstoneMicrosoft WindowsDelphine Software InternationalFly!Mac OSTerminal RealityMicrosoft WindowsLinuxLoki Entertainment SoftwareNocturneMicrosoft WindowsTerminal RealityAge of WondersMicrosoft WindowsTriumph Studios / Epic GamesFly! 2KMicrosoft WindowsTerminal RealityKISS: Psycho Circus – The Nightmare ChildMicrosoft WindowsThird Law InteractiveHeavy Metal: F.A.K.K.²Mac OSRitual EntertainmentMicrosoft WindowsMicrosoft WindowsTerminal RealityMac OSTerminal RealityMicrosoft WindowsRuneMicrosoft WindowsHuman Head StudiosDreamcastTerminal RealityMicrosoft WindowsHuman Head StudiosMicrosoft WindowsRitual EntertainmentRuneMac OSHuman Head StudiosKingdom Under Fire: A War of HeroesMicrosoft WindowsPhantagramOniMac OSBungieMicrosoft WindowsPlayStation 2Terminal RealitySerious Sam: The First EncounterMicrosoft WindowsCroteamTropicoMicrosoft WindowsPopTop SoftwareMac OSTerminal RealityMicrosoft WindowsRune: Halls of ValhallaMicrosoft WindowsHuman Head StudiosRuneLinuxLoki Entertainment SoftwareMax PayneMicrosoft WindowsRemedy Entertainment / 3D RealmsTropicoMac OSFeral InteractiveRune: Halls of ValhallaMac OSWestlake InteractiveLinuxLoki Entertainment SoftwareStrongholdMicrosoft WindowsFirefly Studios4x4 EVO 2Microsoft WindowsTerminal RealityHeavy Metal: F.A.K.K.²LinuxLoki Entertainment Software4x4 EVO 2XboxTerminal RealityMicrosoft WindowsMumboJumboMac OSMacSoftTropico: Paradise IslandMicrosoft WindowsBreakAway GamesSerious Sam: The Second EncounterMicrosoft WindowsCroteam4x4 EVO 2Mac OSAspyrStrongholdmacOSMacSoftAge of Wonders II: The Wizard's ThroneMicrosoft WindowsTriumph Studios / PopTop SoftwareMax PaynemacOSFeral InteractiveMafiaMicrosoft WindowsIllusion SoftworksStronghold: CrusaderMicrosoft WindowsFirefly StudiosVietcongMicrosoft WindowsPterodon / Illusion SoftworksTropico 2: Pirate CoveMicrosoft WindowsFrog City Software / PopTop SoftwareAge of Wonders: Shadow MagicMicrosoft WindowsTriumph StudiosSpace ColonyMicrosoft WindowsFirefly StudiosMicrosoft WindowsIllusion SoftworksRailroad Tycoon 3Microsoft WindowsPopTop SoftwareMafiaPlayStation 2Illusion SoftworksVietcong: Fist AlphaMicrosoft WindowsPterodon / Illusion SoftworksMafiaXboxIllusion SoftworksDestruction Derby: ArenasPlayStation 2Studio 33Space ColonymacOSAspyrGotcha! Extreme PaintballMicrosoft Windows, XboxSixteen Tons EntertainmentRailroad Tycoon 3: Coast to CoastMicrosoft WindowsPopTop SoftwareThe Guy GameXboxTopheavy StudiosPlayStation 2Atomic Planet EntertainmentWings of WarMicrosoft WindowsSilver Wish GamesXboxRailroad Tycoon 3macOSMacSoftVietcong: Purple HazePlayStation 2Coyote DevelopmentsXboxThe Guy GameMicrosoft WindowsTopheavy StudiosVietcong: Red DawnMicrosoft WindowsPterodon / Illusion SoftworksTropico 2: Pirate CovemacOSMacSoft
Under the On Deck Interactive label TitlePlatform(s)Release dateDeveloperRef.BugdomMicrosoft WindowsOctober 27, 2000Hoptile ResearchKISS PinballMicrosoft WindowsNovember 3, 2000Wildfire StudiosSoul RideMicrosoft WindowsNovember 4, 2000Slingshot Game TechnologyMotocross ManiaMicrosoft WindowsNovember 14, 2000Deibus StudiosThe WardMicrosoft WindowsJanuary 23, 2001Fragile Bits
References