Category:Surreal Software

Surreal Software is a video game developer based in Seattle, Washington, USA, and a subsidiary of Midway Games. They are best known for The Suffering and, employs over 100 designers, artists and programmers. Over the years, Surreal Software's technical capabilities have increased, with the advancement of multi-platform offerings, and a proprietary real-time game development engine.

History
Surreal Software was founded in 1995 as an independent video game development studio by Alan Patmore, Stuart Denman, Nick Radovich and Mike Nichols. The group began operating in 1995 in an office in Seattle's Queen Anne neighborhood. Their first contract was with Bothell-based children's game developer Humongous, which found Denman's website and called to recruit programmers for Humongous. Surreal instead offered to do contract work.

Surreal developed the Riot engine for its games in 1996.

First receiving critical acclaim with the 1999 release of Drakan: Order of the Flame, Surreal Software continued its success with Drakan: The Ancients' Gates in early 2002, both games selling in excess of 250,000 units. Having grown to two development teams, Surreal released The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring later that same year, selling over 1.8 million units.

In March 2004, Surreal Software released The Suffering, an original concept action-packed horror game set in a secluded island prison. Gamers and critics alike enjoyed this bold new contribution to the horror genre and in 2005, The Suffering: Ties That Bind followed.

In April 2004, Midway Games acquired Surreal Software as an in-house game studio.

In 2006, the Surreal Software staff moved from Fremont to their new waterfront studio on Elliott Avenue next to the Olympic Sculpture Park.