Valkyrie Studios
From GameWiki
History
The group now known as Valkyrie Studios originally came together at Viacom New Media in 1994 where they achieved success with the release of MTV's Beavis and Butt-Head in Virtual Stupidity. That product won PC Gamer’s "Adventure Game of the Year" award for 1995, and went on to be ranked at #24 in their "Top 50 Best Games Ever" for the years of ’97 and ’98.
The team then began development of a unique role playing game for the PC entitled Septerra Core: Legacy of the Creator. Late in the summer of 1997, just as this title was moving into full production, Viacom made the announcement that it was closing down its Chicago development house. Septerra was about to suffer an early demise. The team decided there was only one plan of action: Form a new company, acquire the rights to their game, and find a new publisher…. Valkyrie Studios was born.
Wanting the new corporate entity to be different from the places where they had previously worked, the team put together a no-nonsense approach to development. Drawing on Norse mythology for a name, they were inspired by the ancient legends of the Valkyrie, who were Goddesses that flew out to the battlefields to bring back warriors who had fought and died with honor to Valhalla, home of the Gods. There, they could forever do what they did best, and enjoyed most: Battle. Our working motto at Valkyrie is 'Welcome to Valhalla'. This is a place where creative people can come and do what they do best. It is this attitude that has helped the young company attract the kind of top-notch talent necessary for a game like Septerra Core.
The team believes this attitude also extends beyond the staff to include the gamers world-wide who have supported Septerra Core and Valkyrie. "We believe in the game player as our first priority, " says Brian 'B-MAN' Babendererde, VP of Game Development. "This is a two way street. We want to make games that we like to play. Players want to be able to tell the developers what they like, and we listen to other players’ opinions very carefully."
In February of '98, Valkyrie Studios, Inc. announced that it had finalized a deal with TopWare Interactive of Mannheim, Germany for the worldwide publishing and distribution rights to Septerra Core: Legacy of the Creator. North American publisher, Monolith Productions, joined forces with Valkyrie and TopWare in November of '98 and, with the U.S. distribution efforts of Interplay Productions, Septerra hit the store shelves in October, 1999.
Valkyrie currently has its team of extremely talented people working hard on their next game designs. Those who are looking for unique, heart-racing game experiences will be excited to know that the same enthusiasm and creativity is already shining through in their current endeavors. With the dedication demonstrated by the Valkyrie family in getting Septerra Core on the shelves, they are optimistic that a publishing agreement is close to being reached, and the details of their next product should be announced to the public in the coming months. Check Valkyrie’s web site for the latest news.
