Kuju Entertainment

Kuju Entertainment is an English computer and video game corporation consisting of eight studios, all but two located in England: Nik Nak (Guildford), doublesix (Guildford), Zoë Mode (Brighton), Headstrong (London), Chemistry (Sheffield), Rail Simulator (Guildford), Kuju America (San Francisco), and Kuju Manila (Manila). Each studio specializes in a different genre or market.

Kuju Entertainment was formed after a management buyout of Simis from Eidos Interactive. They have collaborated with several companies on games for various platforms, including the Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, Wii, and the PC. Kuju helped develop EyeToy: Play 2 and EyeToy: Play 3 for the PlayStation 2, the multiplayer mode in Call of Duty: Finest Hour, Battalion Wars for the Nintendo GameCube, and Battalion Wars 2 for the Wii, as well as the multiplayer component of Dark Messiah of Might and Magic for PC. Kuju also developed the successful 2006 remake of Sensible Soccer.

History
In 2007 Kuju Entertainment developed Rail Simulator for PC (a spiritual successor to Microsoft Train Simulator), and EyeToy Play Sports for the PS2. A PSP title, Traxion, was cancelled in January 2007. On 15 December 2006, it was announced that a bid had been made for Kuju Entertainment by the German investment group Catalis. The offer was 25 pence cash for each Kuju share, with a total value of approximately £4.375 million (6.53 million euro). Kuju's board of directors has unanimously recommended the offer to shareholders.

On 1 March 2007, Kuju's Brighton development studio underwent a rebranding from Wide Games to Zoë Mode. Ed Daly, head of Zoë Mode, said: "We've created Zoë Mode; she is the personality that reflects our in-house philosophy of accessible, fun gaming for everyone." Zoë Mode does not represent one individual but represents the developers at the studio, the culture of the studio and the consumers, says Kuju. Kuju also said that Zoë Mode may undergo cosmetic changes but her character will remain the same.

On 22 May 2007 it was announced that Kuju would be working on a much expanded sequel to Geometry Wars, called Geometry Wars: Galaxies, for the Wii and Nintendo DS.

On 25 June 2007, it was announced that Kuju has re-branded its Sheffield studio as Chemistry and will be specialising in developing games based on the Unreal Engine 3.

On 1 January 2008, Kuju announced the opening of its first US office in San Francisco run by John Kavanagh, erstwhile head of development at Domark and Eidos Interactive.

On 29 July 2008, Kuju announced a name change for its studio in London. Named Headstrong Games, it is focused on Wii titles and has just released The House of the Dead: Overkill for Sega.

On 21 October 2008, Kuju announced the acquisition of Matahari Studios in Manila, Philippines. The developer has been rebranded as Kuju Manila and will primarily support the projects of Kuju's other seven studios.

Notable products

 * Microsoft Train Simulator (2001)
 * SingStar (with SCE London Studio) (2002)
 * Conspiracy: Weapons of mass destruction (2005)
 * Sensible Soccer 2006 (2006)
 * Geometry Wars: Galaxies (with Bizarre Creations) (2007)
 * Battalion Wars 2 (2007)
 * You're in the Movies (2008)
 * The House of the Dead: Overkill (2009)
 * Art Academy (2009-2010)