Cryo Interactive Entertainment

Cryo Interactive Entertainment was a French video game developer and publisher headquartered in Paris and active from 1990 to October 2002. Cryo was formed by several ERE Informatique/Exxos developers and designers, including Philip Ulrich, who departed from Infogrames (ERE owner since 1986) to launch the independent company. In 1992, Cryo's debut title, Dune, published by Virgin Interactive Entertainment, became an instant hit, securing a newly-established company favorable publicity; the company's partnership with Virgin lasted until 1996. Since then, Cryo Interactive began publishing games in Europe directly, while Canadian company DreamCatcher Interactive Inc. handled the North American distribution. The studio specialized in adaptations of sci-fi stories — such as Riverworld based on Philip José Farmer's novel, or Philip K. Dick's Ubik — and historical scenarios, ranging from Ancient Egypt and Qing Dynasty's epoch in China to games like a '92 cult classic KGB, set days before the crash of Soviet Union. Cryo Interactive developed an original Omni3D engine for adventure-style games with panoramic 360° rotation. Between 1996 and 2004, at least fifteen Omni3D-based titles came out for DOS, Windows, Mac, SEGA Saturn, PlayStation, and mobile devices. Besides Cryo, several other game studios used the engine, including Mindscape Inc. and Canal+ Multimedia. In December 1997, the company launched a new subsidiary, Cryo Networks, exclusively to develop and publish web applications. Cryo Networks presented several online multiplayer games and also maintained a proprietary online multimedia development framework SCOL ("Standard Cryo On Line"). Subsequently, SCOL was released as an open-source technology. In the late 1990s, Cryo Interactive started a joint venture with Dark Horse Comics in the United States. A new game development studio, Dark Horse Interactive (DHI), opened as Cryo's North American subsidiary in Milwaukie, Oregon. In 1999, the company bought out Dark Horse's share in DHI and renamed it Cryo Studios North America. The office relocated to Portland's Central Eastside Industrial District. Cryo Interactive suffered greatly from the 2001 global economic recession. The company was forced to close Cryo Studios in the USA. Cryo's latest game, the Nov 2001 Frank Herbert's Dune, which was based on the eponymous Sci-Fi Channel mini-series, became a complete critical and commercial failure. Cryo shares plummeted, and in October 2002, the company filed for bankruptcy. Subsequently, DreamCatcher Interactive Inc. absorbed most of Cryo's assets and the core development team, forming the base for DreamCatcher Europe. From 2003 to 2006, DreamCatcher released games via The Adventure Company division, continuing and finishing several Cryo titles. In October 2008, Microïds acquired the "Cryo Interactive" brand and intellectual property.