Oxygen Interactive Software Ltd.

Overview

Oxygen Interactive was established in 2001 by industry veteran Jim Scott, who previously founded Beyond Belief in 1990 and wrote many products for the Spectrum, C64 and Amstrad platforms.

Oxygen began as part of a group of companies which included a UK wholesaler, and initially released a number of PC titles including Earth 2150: Lost Souls from the award winning Earth 2150 series. In 2003 Oxygen released its first console title, Perfect Ace Tennis for PS2, to coincide with the Wimbledon Championships.

In late 2003 Kevin Hassall was appointed to the board to establish strong developer relationships and to oversee the company’s strategy, and in early 2004 the company was launched as a standalone company and appointed Matt Bass to the board as financial director.

Setting its strategy for the next five years, the company began to take shape when it signed two titles with developer Kuju in December 2004. Conspiracy Weapons of Mass Destruction (PS2, X Box, PC), Pilot Down (PS2, X Box, PC), and Perfect Ace 2: The Championship (PS2, PC) were all released in 2005.

In October 2007 the company expanded its operations with the establishment of Oxygen Games USA in North America. The company also had two publishing labels: Liquid Games and Oxygen. For a short time, there was also an internal development division called Oxygen Interactive Studios Ltd. It was established in January 2007 and was put up for sale in January 2009.

On 8th October 2009 the company announced to its shareholders that it had gone into administration. Former CEO Jim Scott quickly bought back the assets and IP of the publisher through a pre-pack deal and continued selling Oxygen Games titles, trading as OG International and taking along eleven members of the original staff.

That move did not only disturb the original company's creditors, who were left with the burden of the debt, but it also angered the Italian development studio Twelve Srl. Twelve had previously severed ties with Oxygen Games, claiming the publisher failed to pay out money it owned, and they contested that OG International owned the publishing and distribution rights to their title CID The Dummy.

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Also Known As

Oxygen Interactive (from 2001 to 2004)

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Trivia

Company location and contact information (2009):

Oxygen Interactive Software Ltd
17 Bridle Close
Finedon Road Industrial Estate
Wellingborough
Northants
NN8 4RN
United Kingdom
Tel +44 (0)1933 442660
Fax +44 (0)1933 446420
Current website: www.oxygengames.net
Former website: www.oxygenint.com

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