 |
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| Type | Subsidiary of Electronic Arts |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1988 |
| Headquarters |  Stockholm, Sweden |
| Key people | Fredrik Liljegren (founder), Andreas Axelsson (founder), Olof Gustafsson (founder), Patrick Söderlund (general manager) |
| Industry | Computer and video game |
| Revenue | 147 million SEK |
| Employees | 200+ |
| Parent | Electronic Arts |
| Website | http://www.dice.se |
EA Digital Illusions Creative Entertainment AB (EA DICE) is a Swedish video game developer, wholly owned by Electronic Arts, best known for the Battlefield video game series and Mirror's Edge.
Contents |
History
DICE was started by four people: Ulf Mandorff, Olof Gustafsson, Fredrik Liliegren, Andreas Axelsson, members of the former demo group The Silents.[1][2] All original members came from the small town of Alvesta in Sweden. The Silents' work is visible in some DICE games. For example, The Silents used the acronym TSL; this acronym is visible in Motorhead on banners and signs. According to the Motorhead manual, TSL is said to stand for "Trans-atlantic Speed League", a case of a backronym.
For an extended period of time, while the employees were also students at Växjö University, the company's office consisted of a small dorm room. During those days the company developed popular pinball games for the Amiga computers, such as Pinball Dreams, Pinball Fantasies and Pinball Illusions. The company moved to Gothenburg in 1994 where it was headquartered until 2005, when that office was merged with the ex-Refraction Games office in Stockholm.
In 1998 the company was registered on the Swedish stock exchange. Although Codename Eagle received a small cult following, the biggest break for DICE was the release of Battlefield 1942 and its sequels and expansions. The Battlefield series jumpstarted their popularity. In 2004 the total value of the company was estimated at approximately USD$55 million.
Expansion
In January 2000, the company bought Refraction Games and 90% of Synergenix Interactive. This was followed in March 2001 by the acquisition of Sandbox Studios in London, Ontario, Canada.
EA's acquisition
In November 2004, Electronic Arts announced their intent to purchase all outstanding shares in Digital Illusions CE at a price of 61 SEK per share. The board of directors of Digital Illusions CE recommended that the company's shareholders accept the offer. Electronic Arts owned 62 percent of Digital Illusions CE on March 31, 2005.
On October 2, 2006 EA completed the acquisition for 67.50 SEK per share for 2.6 million shares, for a total of 175.5 million SEK. Digital Illusions CE was renamed EA Digital Illusions CE,[3] and CEO Patrick Söderlund became an EA Studio General Manager.[4] DICE Canada, which at the time was being run by DICE co-founder Fredrik Liljegren, was closed down immediately upon acquisition.[5]
Games
Amiga
Xbox
Xbox 360
- Battlefield: Bad Company
- Battlefield 2: Modern Combat
- Battlefield 1943
- Battlefield: Bad Company 2
- Mirror's Edge
- Medal of Honor (2010 video game) (multiplayer)
Gamecube
Game Boy Advance
- Barbie Groovy Games
- Secret Agent Barbie: Royal Jewels Mission
Game Boy Color
- Diva Starz: Mall Mania
- JumpStart Dino Adventure Field Trip
PC (DOS and Microsoft Windows)
- Dungeon Keeper (Gold Edition Package installer)
- Battlefield 1942
- Battlefield 1942: Road to Rome
- Battlefield 1942: Secret Weapons of WWII
- Battlefield 2
- Battlefield 2142
- Battlefield 2142 Northern Strike
- Battlefield Vietnam
- Battlefield 1943
- Battlefield: Bad Company 2
- Battlefield Heroes
- Codename Eagle
- EA Sports V8 Challenge
- Legacy of Rosemond Hill
- Matchbox Emergency Patrol
- Medal of Honor (2010 video game) (multiplayer)
- Mirror's Edge
- Motorhead
- Pinball Illusions
- Pinball Fantasies
- RalliSport Challenge
- Rally Masters
- S40 Racing
- STCC
- STCC 2
PlayStation
- Land Before Time: Big Water Adventure
- JumpStart Wildlife Safari Field Trip
- Michelin Rally Masters: Race of Champions
- Motorhead
- Test Drive Rally
- True Pinball
PlayStation 2
- Battlefield 2: Modern Combat
- Pryzm Chapter One: The Dark Unicorn
PlayStation 3
- Battlefield: Bad Company
- Battlefield 1943
- Battlefield: Bad Company 2
- Mirror's Edge
- Medal of Honor (2010 video game) (multiplayer)
Sega Saturn
- True Pinball
References
- ^ "The Silents (TSL)". Amiga Music Preservation. http://amp.dascene.net/newresult.php?request=groups&exact=yes&search=The%20Silents%20(TSL). Retrieved 2008-05-08.
- ^ "Digital Illusions". 4Sceners.de. http://www.4players.de/4sceners.php?LAYOUT=dispbericht&world=4sceners&BERICHTID=5157. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
- ^ "Digital Illusions CE". TeamXbox. 2006-10-02. http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/11915/EA-Acquires-Digital-Illusions/. Retrieved 2008-04-13.
- ^ Graft, Kris (2006-10-02). "EA Officially Picks Up DICE". Next-Gen.biz. http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3922&Itemid=2. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
- ^ Boyer, Brandon (2006-10-05). "EA Closes DICE Canada Offices". Gamasutra. http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=11153. Retrieved 2006-10-10.
External links
- DICE's Official Homepage
- Digital Illusions profile on MobyGames
- The Silents Official Homepage
- Interview with DICE co-founder Andreas Axelsson regarding the early Amiga years (1992-1995).
- Digital Illusions at the Open Directory Project
- 1997 interview with DICE co-founder Andreas Axelsson
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