Tantalus Media (formerly Tantalus Interactive) is an Australian video game developer based in Melbourne, Australia, founded in 1994 by former Beam Software programmers Trevor Nuridin and Andrew Bailey. The company changed its name to Tantalus Media in 2007 following investment from private equity company Netus.[1]
Tantalus Media are best known for licenced platform conversions and have created over 30 games for the Xbox, Sega Saturn, Dreamcast, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo 64, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and PC. Currently they are developing for the Nintendo DS, Wii, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable.
In addition to licenced video games the developer released two original IP titles, Trickstar and Black Market Bowling, and has an as yet unnamed original IP title in development for the Wii and PlayStation 3.[2]
The developer’s best performing title was the 2007 girl’s horse riding simulator Pony Friends for the Nintendo DS which sold more than 1 million copies, making Pony Friends the largest-selling single-format game developed in Australia.[3]
Games by Tantalus Media[ | ]
Developer[ | ]
- Stargate (SNES, 1994)
- Area 51 (Saturn, PSX, PC – 1995)
- Krazy Ivan (PSX, Saturn, PC – 1996)
- Wipeout (Saturn, 1995)
- Manx TT Superbike (Saturn, PC – 1997)
- The House of the Dead [disambiguation needed] (Saturn, PC – 1998)
- Wipeout XL (Saturn, 1998)
- South Park Rally (DC, N64, PSX, PC – 1999)
- ATV: Quad Power Racing (PSX, GBA – 2000)
- Looney Tunes: Space Race (DC – 2000) (PS2 – 2002)
- Men in Black II: Alien Escape (GC, PS2 – 2002)
- Woody Woodpecker in Crazy Castle 5 (GBA – 2002)
- Monster Truck Madness (GBA – 2003)
- Unreal II: The Awakening (Xbox, 2003)
- Top Gear Rally (GBA, 2003)
- The Polar Express (GBA – 2004)
- The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius – Attack of the Twonkies (GBA – 2004)
- SpongeBob SquarePants: The Yellow Avenger (DS, PSP – 2005)
- Trick Star (GBA, 2006)
- MX vs. ATV: On the Edge (PSP – 2006)
- Cars Mater-National (GBA, DS – 2007)
- MX vs. ATV: Untamed (DS, PSP – 2007)
- Pony Friends (DS – 2007)
- The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon (DS - 2008)
- Pony Friends 2 (Wii, DS, PC – TBA)
- MX vs. ATV Reflex (PSP, DS – 2009)
- Cars Race-O-Rama (PSP, DS – 2009)
- Drift Street International (DSiWare, 2010)
Publisher / Producer[ | ]
- AMF Bowling 2004 – Black Market Games (Xbox, 2003)
- Black Market Bowling – Black Market Games (PS2, 2005)
- Heat Shield – Black Market Games (iPhone, 2009)
Studios[ | ]
Tantalus is headquartered within 'The Tea House' at South Wharf, Victoria in Melbourne, which currently houses just over 50 people. In December 2008 the company opened a branch in Kelvin Grove, Brisbane, supporting a smaller team to help with development. The studios are equipped to handle mutable projects, and usually 3-4 titles are being developed at any one time.[4]