Stormfront Studios
| Formerly | Beyond Software (1988–1993) |
|---|---|
| Company type | Private |
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | December 28, 1988 |
| Founder | Don Daglow |
| Defunct | March 31, 2008 |
| Fate | Dissolved |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Don Daglow (President & CEO) |
Number of employees | 33 (2008) |
Stormfront Studios, Inc. was an American video game developer based in San Rafael, California. The studio was led by the pioneering developer Don Daglow. They were known for their work with RPGs in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including the first MMORPG with a graphical interface, Neverwinter Nights (1991). For the remainder of the 1990s they were primarily a sports studio, and launched games in many long running franchises including Tiger Woods PGA Tour. Switching to licensed titles in the early 2000s the studio had success with the critically acclaimed The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, but otherwise the group struggled financially with film adaptations and shut down in 2008.
The company received major awards and award nominations in its time, from The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, G4 Television, BAFTA, The IGDA Game Developers Choice Awards, The EMMA Awards, SCEA, and the Software Publishers Association. In 2008, Neverwinter Nights was honored (along with EverQuest and World of Warcraft) at the 59th Annual Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards for advancing the art form of MMORPG games. In its final configuration in 2007, the company had over 50 developers working on two teams, and owned its proprietary engines, tools, and technology. The studio sold fourteen million copies of its games over its lifetime.