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Black Isle Studios
Type	defunct
Founded	1996
Headquarters	Orange County, California, USA
Key people	Feargus Urquhart: founder, division directer
Industry	computer and video game industry
Products	computer games, video games

Black Isle Studios was a division of the computer and video game developer and publisher Interplay Entertainment, created specifically for the development of computer role-playing games. It was based in Orange County, California, USA.^[1] The division was formed during 1996, adopting the name "Black Isle Studios" during 1998.^[2] The idea for the division's name came from the Black Isle in Scotland - founder Feargus Urquhart's native country.^[3] Black Isle Studios is most famous for working on the Fallout and Baldur's Gate series of computer role-playing games, though it only published the Baldur's Gate series. Image File history File links Wiki_letter_w. ... Image File history File links Black_Isle_logo,_1998. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Feargus Urquhart is a computer game developer and current the CEO of Obsidian Entertainment. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... This article needs a complete rewrite for the reasons listed on the talk page. ... This article is about computer and video games. ... A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual) that creates video games. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Interplay original logo. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Role-playing game (video games). ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean [1]. // Coated in ice, power and telephone lines sag and often break, resulting in power outages. ... The Black Isle (Scottish Gaelic: an t-Eilean Dubh) is an eastern area of Ross and Cromarty. ... Motto (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity Cha togar mfhearg gun dioladh (Scottish Gaelic)1 Wha daur meddle wi me?(Scots)1 Anthem (Multiple unofficial anthems) Scotlands location in Europe Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official languages English, Gaelic Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime... Feargus Urquhart is a computer game developer and current the CEO of Obsidian Entertainment. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Baldurs Gate is a popular series of computer role_playing games that take place along the Sword Coast, a location from Dungeons & Dragonss Forgotten Realms campaign setting. ...

In 1998, several key members responsible for the division's first title, Fallout, left Interplay to form Troika Games after they "were unable to come to an agreement with Interplay as to how [their] next team should be structured".^[4] On December 8, 2003, in the midst of serious financial difficulties, Interplay laid off the entire Black Isle Studios staff.^[5] As of 2007, Interplay has neither explained the move nor clarified what the future holds for Black Isle Studios, but considering the fact that Interplay itself is now a company in serious financial straits, the future of Black Isle is grim indeed. Many former Black Isle Studios employees now work at Obsidian Entertainment, a video game development company.^[6] This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... December 8 is the 342nd day (343rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Interplay Entertainment Corporation was an American video game and computer game publisher and developer. ... Obsidian Entertainment, founded and located in Santa Ana, California since 2003 after the disestablishment of Interplay Productions Black Isle Studios, is an entertainment software developer for PC and console systems. ...

Products

• Fallout (1997)^[7]
• Fallout 2 (1998)
• Planescape: Torment (1999)
• Icewind Dale (2000)
• Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter (2001)
• Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter - Trials of the Luremaster (2001)
• Icewind Dale II (2002)
• Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II (2004)

Among the products whose development Black Isle assisted are: This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Fallout 2 is a critically-acclaimed computer role-playing game published by Interplay in 1998. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean [1]. // Coated in ice, power and telephone lines sag and often break, resulting in power outages. ... Planescape: Torment is a computer role-playing game (CRPG) that takes place in the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Planescape setting. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Icewind Dale is a computer role-playing game (CRPG) developed by Black Isle Studios. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Icewind Dale is the arctic region of the fictional world of the Forgotten Realms, along the northernmost part of the Sword Coast. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Icewind Dale is the arctic region of the fictional world of the Forgotten Realms, along the northernmost part of the Sword Coast. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Icewind Dale II is a computer role-playing game developed by Black Isle Studios, and set in the Forgotten Realms Icewind Dale region. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

• Baldur's Gate 1998
• Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast (1999)
• Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn (2000)
• Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal (2001)

In addition to games developed in-house, Black Isle Studios has aided in the development of several computer role-playing games published by Interplay; the most notable being the Baldur's Gate series for Windows and Mac OS, and Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance for PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube. Because Black Isle Studios is the role-playing game developer which published the Baldur's Gate series, many people mistakenly believe that Black Isle Studios developed the Baldur's Gate series. This is false; the Baldur's Gate series was developed by BioWare, a company that is sometimes erroneously credited with developing the Icewind Dale series. Baldurs Gate is a computer role-playing game in a high fantasy setting, developed by BioWare and released in 1998 by Interplay Entertainment. ... Title screen of Baldurs Gate, the first game in the series. ... Microsoft Windows is the name of several families of proprietary software operating systems by Microsoft. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The PlayStation 2 , abbreviated PS2) is Sonys second video game console, the successor to the PlayStation and the predecessor to the PlayStation 3. ... The Xbox is a sixth generation era video game console produced by Microsoft Corporation. ... The Nintendo GameCube (Japanese: ゲームキューブ; originally code-named Dolphin during development; abbreviated as GCN) is Nintendos fourth home video game console, belonging to the 128-bit era; the same generation as Segas Dreamcast, Sonys PlayStation 2, and Microsofts Xbox. ... BioWare Corp. ... Icewind Dale is a computer role-playing game (CRPG) series developed by Black Isle Studios. ...

Project code names

The studio used to code-name its projects after U.S. presidents and vice-presidents. The system was reportedly created by Josh Sawyer (aka JE Sawyer), who joined the company in 1999.^{[citation needed]} President is a title held by many leaders of organizations, companies, trade unions, universities, and countries. ... A vice president is an officer in government or business who is next in rank below a president. ... Josh Sawyer (also known as J.E. Sawyer) is a video game designer active in the role playing game genre. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

A list of some BIS projects with their code names:

• Project King - Stonekeep II, canceled in 2001
• Project Adams - Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter
• Project Washington - Black Isle's Torn; announced and canceled in 2001
• Project Madison - Icewind Dale: Trials of the Luremaster
• Project Monroe - Icewind Dale II
• Project Quincy - Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader; this was a ruse by Feargus Urquhart, as there never was a U.S. president with that last name and Lionheart was not developed by Black Isle Studios. Lionheart was also codenamed Fallout Fantasy.^[2]
• Project Jackson - Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II 2003
• Project Jefferson - unofficially known as Baldur's Gate 3: The Black Hound; project name mentioned as early as 2001; canceled 2003
• Project Van Buren - Fallout 3; canceled 2003 as PC staff was laid off

William Rufus DeVane King William Rufus DeVane King (April 7, 1786–April 18, 1853) was a U.S. Representative from North Carolina, a Senator from Alabama, and the thirteenth Vice President of the United States. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) served as Americas first Vice President (1789–1797) and as its second President (1797–1801). ... Icewind Dale is the arctic region of the fictional world of the Forgotten Realms, along the northernmost part of the Sword Coast. ... George Washington (February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799)[1] led Americas Continental Army to victory over Britain in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), and was later elected the first president of the United States under the U.S. Constitution. ... Torn is a computer role-playing game, developed for the PC by Black Isle Studios, announced and cancelled in 2001. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... James Madison (March 16, 1751 – June 28, 1836), an American politician and fourth President of the United States of America (1809–1817), was one of the most influential Founders of the United States. ... Icewind Dale is the arctic region of the fictional world of the Forgotten Realms, along the northernmost part of the Sword Coast. ... :For the United States Congressman from New York, see James Monroe (1799 - 1870). ... Icewind Dale II is a computer role-playing game developed by Black Isle Studios, and set in the Forgotten Realms Icewind Dale region. ... Feargus Urquhart is a computer game developer and current the CEO of Obsidian Entertainment. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... For other uses, see Andrew Jackson (disambiguation). ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Thomas Jefferson (13 April 1743 N.S.–4 July 1826) was the third President of the United States (1801–09), the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776), and one of the most influential Founding Fathers for his promotion of the ideals of Republicanism in the United States. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Martin Van Buren (December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862), nicknamed Old Kinderhook, was the 8th President of the United States from 1837 to 1841. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Notes

1. ^ Black Isle Studios. IGN. Retrieved on July 25, 2006.
2. ^ ^{a b} Cheong, Ian. Game Info. Lionheart Chronicles. GameSpy. Retrieved on July 25, 2006.
3. ^ Keefer, John (January 2001). Black Isle Studios: We are not BioWare. GameSpy. Retrieved on July 25, 2006.
4. ^ Blancato, Joe. The Rise and Fall of Troika. The Escapist. Retrieved on March 27, 2007.
5. ^ Thorsen, Tor (2003-12-08). Interplay shuts down Black Isle Studios. GameSpot. Retrieved on May 1, 2006.
6. ^ About Obsidian Entertainment. Obsidian Entertainment (2006-06-27). Retrieved on July 25, 2006.
7. ^ Black Isle Studios Website. Interplay. Archived from the original on 2003-06-04. Retrieved on July 25, 2006.

IGN is a multimedia news and reviews website that focuses heavily on video games. ... July 25 is the 206th day (207th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 159 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... GameSpy, also known as GameSpy Industries, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game Web sites and provides online video game-related services and software. ... July 25 is the 206th day (207th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 159 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... GameSpy, also known as GameSpy Industries, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game Web sites and provides online video game-related services and software. ... July 25 is the 206th day (207th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 159 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Cover for The Escapists first issue: Gaming Uber Alles [1] The Escapist is an online magazine covering video games, gamers, the gaming industry, and the elusive gaming culture. ... March 27 is the 86th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (87th in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini era. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 8 is the 342nd day (343rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. ... May 1 is the 121st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (122nd in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Obsidian Entertainment, founded and located in Santa Ana, California since 2003 after the disestablishment of Interplay Productions Black Isle Studios, is an entertainment software developer for PC and console systems. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... June 27 is the 178th day of the year (179th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 187 days remaining. ... July 25 is the 206th day (207th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 159 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Interplay Entertainment Corporation was an American video game and computer game publisher and developer. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... June 4 is the 155th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (156th in leap years), with 210 days remaining. ... July 25 is the 206th day (207th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 159 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

External links

• GameSpot: "Interplay shuts down Black Isle Studios" (8 Dec 2003)
• Black Isle Studios profile on MobyGames
• Obsidian Entertainment homepage