SkyBox Labs

SkyBox Labs Inc.
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryVideo games
Founded2011; 13 years ago (2011)
Founder
  • Derek MacNeil
  • Shyang Kong
  • Steven Silvester
Headquarters
Burnaby, British Columbia
,
Canada
Key people
Number of employees
200+[1] (2021)
ParentNetEase (2023–present)
Websiteskyboxlabs.com

SkyBox Labs Inc. is a Canadian video game developer located in Burnaby, British Columbia. Founded in 2011 by Derek MacNeil, Shyang Kong and Steven Silvester formerly from EA Vancouver,[2] they are mostly known for their work with Xbox Game Studios on the Halo, Age of Empires and Minecraft franchises.

History

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Formation

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SkyBox Labs co-founders, Derek MacNeil, Shyang Kong and Steven Silvester worked together at EA Vancouver from 2004 to 2010 on the FIFA, Need for Speed, NBA Live and NHL franchises, where MacNeil was development director while Kong was senior producer and Silvester technical director, when they decided to set up an independent studio in Burnaby, Vancouver.[3][4]

Initially being a contract-based studio, in the year of its founding SkyBox Labs signed an agreement with publisher Microsoft Studios (late renamed to Xbox Game Studios), which liked the studio and its culture, being a partner publisher of SkyBox, although not owning them.[3]

Development

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SkyBox Labs logo (2011–2021)

Midway through the development of the game, SkyBox Labs was contracted to produce some low-fidelity gameplay prototypes for Relentless Software's title, Kinect Nat Geo TV, which was developed for Xbox 360 with Kinect. None of the prototypes featured in the final product. It was published by Microsoft Studios and released on September 18, 2012. It received mostly positive reviews, scoring 78 out of 100 on review aggregator site Metacritic.[5]

SkyBox Labs continued working with Microsoft Studios after that, co-developing an expansion pack for Age of Empires II HD called The Forgotten with Forgotten Empires, which was released on November 7, 2013. They also worked on a remaster of Age of Mythology called Age of Mythology: Extended Edition, which was released on May 8, 2014, and received mixed reviews, scoring 66 out of 100 on Metacritic,[6] they also co-developed a new expansion for Age of Mythology: Extended Edition called Tale of the Dragon together with Forgotten Empires, which was released on January 28, 2016. They also developed a remaster of Rise of Nations, Rise of Nations Extended Edition, released on June 12, 2014.

On June 17, 2014, EA Sports UFC was a collaboration between EA Canada and SkyBox Games. It was the first UFC game after THQ lost the license and it was sold to Electronic Arts. Final product received mixed, but mostly positive reviews, with Xbox One version scoring 71 out of 100 on Metacritic[7] and PlayStation 4 version scoring 69 out of 100.[8]

Their next work was a simulation, sandbox video game called Project Spark, co-developed with Team Dakota and published by Microsoft Studios. It was released on October 8, 2014.

Japanese company DeNA published their next two video games, first being Military Masters for iOS and Android, which was released on December 4, 2014, and second being Protocol Zero for Samsung Gear VR, which was released on January 5, 2015.

SkyBox Labs then developed and self-published Parade Runner for iOS and Android, which was released on April 9, 2015. Company is also working on a PC game called Lethal Tactics, which was released in Early Access on Steam on May 20, 2015.

In 2018, after E3, SkyBox announced a new partnership with 343 Industries and Microsoft, where the studio will be co-developing Halo Infinite, the next major entry to the Halo franchise.

SkyBox Labs was acquired by NetEase Games in January 2023.[9]

Games

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Release date Title Publisher Genre(s) Platform(s) Additional note(s)
September 18, 2012 Kinect Nat Geo TV Microsoft Studios Interactive movie, simulation Xbox 360 with Kinect Contributed some simple prototypes to the game made by Relentless Software
November 5, 2013 Dragon Arena SkyBox Labs Fighting, strategy iOS Developed, published
November 7, 2013 Age of Empires II HD: The Forgotten Microsoft Studios Real-time strategy Windows Co-developed expansion pack with Forgotten Empires
May 8, 2014 Age of Mythology: Extended Edition Microsoft Studios Real-time strategy Windows Remastered
June 12, 2014 Rise of Nations Extended Edition Microsoft Studios Real-time strategy Windows Remastered
June 17, 2014 EA Sports UFC Electronic Arts Fighting, sports Xbox One, PlayStation 4 Co-developed with EA Canada
October 8, 2014 Project Spark Microsoft Studios Simulation, sandbox Xbox One, Windows Co-developed with Team Dakota
December 4, 2014 Military Masters DeNA Turn-based tactics iOS, Android Developed
January 5, 2015 Protocol Zero DeNA First-person shooter, stealth Gear VR Developed
April 9, 2015 Parade Runner SkyBox Labs Endless runner iOS, Android Developed, published
August 24, 2015 Grandia II Anniversary Edition GungHo Online Entertainment Role-playing Windows Developed
November 5, 2015 Age of Empires II HD: The African Kingdoms Microsoft Studios Real-time strategy Windows Co-developed expansion pack with Forgotten Empires
January 28, 2016 Age of Mythology: Tale of the Dragon Microsoft Studios Real-time strategy Windows Co-developed expansion pack with Forgotten Empires
May 10, 2016 TASTEE: Lethal Tactics SkyBox Labs Turn-based tactics Windows Developed, published
September 8, 2016 Halo 5: Forge[broken anchor] Microsoft Studios Windows Developed
December 19, 2016 Age of Empires II HD: Rise of the Rajas Microsoft Studios Real-time strategy Windows Co-developed expansion pack with Forgotten Empires
June 21, 2018 Minecraft Microsoft Studios Sandbox, survival Windows, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, iOS, Android, Gear VR, Fire TV Co-developed Bedrock Edition for Nintendo Switch[10][11] and PlayStation 4,[12] as well as major content updates: Update Aquatic, Village & Pillage, and Buzzy Bees.
October 11, 2019 Stela SkyBox Labs Platformer Microsoft Windows, Apple Arcade, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch Developed, published
December 8, 2021 Halo Infinite Xbox Game Studios First-person shooter Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows Co-developed with 343 Industries[13]

References

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  1. ^ "SkyBox Labs is looking for a Senior Gameplay Animator to make a new IP with more than 200 employees". Retrieved July 23, 2021.
  2. ^ "Derek MacNeil MBA 05 not your typical Keyboard Warrior". Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Skybox Labs: Development and co-development in broad vistas". Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  4. ^ "SkyBox Labs Brings Bedrock Version of Minecraft to Nintendo Switch". Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  5. ^ "Kinect Nat Geo TV Unleashed for Xbox 360 Reviews - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  6. ^ "Age of Mythology: Extended Edition for PC Reviews - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  7. ^ "EA Sports UFC for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
  8. ^ "EA Sports UFC for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
  9. ^ "SkyBox Labs is joining NetEase Games". NetEase Games. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  10. ^ "SkyBox Labs Brings Bedrock Version of Minecraft to Nintendo Switch - SkyBox Labs". skyboxlabs.com. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  11. ^ "MINECRAFT (Bedrock Version, Nintendo Switch)". SkyBox Labs. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  12. ^ "MINECRAFT (Bedrock Version, PlayStation®4)". SkyBox Labs. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  13. ^ Makuch, Eddie (July 27, 2018). "Halo Infinite Adds A Co-Developer". GameSpot. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
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