Avalanche Software

Avalanche Software is a developer.

Avalanche Software Webpage

An American development studio based in Salt Lake City. Avalanche Software was founded in 1995. In 2005, the studio was acquired by Disney, but it was shut down eleven years later. In 2017, the studio was revived under Warner Bros. Games developed by Avalanche Software have been released on both PC and consoles.

History

A period of independence

Avalanche Software’s story began in October 1995, when the company was founded by John Blackburn, a former employee of Sculptured Software. Based in Salt Lake City, the team started out by developing Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 for the Sega Mega Drive and SNES, as well as Mortal Kombat Trilogy and 2 on 2 Open Ice Challenge for the original PlayStation. In 1997, the studio worked on its final Mortal Kombat title, developing Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero for the Nintendo 64.

In 1998, Avalanche Software released the off-road racing game Off Road Challenge, and between 1999 and 2000, the team developed two entries in the Rampage action game series. In 2000, the studio released Rugrats in Paris: The Movie for the PlayStation and Nintendo 64, while the action-adventure game Prince of Persia 3D was launched for the Sega Dreamcast. Between 2003 and 2005, Avalanche Software developed three platformers in the Tak series; in 2005, they also released the action game Dragon Ball Z: Sagas.

The transition to Disney

In April 2005, Buena Vista Games (later known as Disney Interactive Studios) announced that it had acquired Avalanche Software. In 2006, a sister studio, Fall Line Studio, was established and later merged with Avalanche Software in January 2009. Under the new ownership, the team developed two entries in the Chicken Little series; meanwhile, they also created the gangster action game 25 to Life for Eidos.

Between 2007 and 2013, Avalanche Software developed games such as Meet the Robinsons (2007), Bolt (2008), Toy Story 3: The Video Game (2010), and Cars 2 (2011). In 2013, the first game in the Disney Infinity series was released, with later installments incorporating special collectible figurines. Despite early success, the studio’s game sales gradually declined over time.

Studio closure and revival by Warner Bros.

In May 2016, Disney decided to shut down Disney Interactive Studios, and with it, Avalanche Software vanished from the gaming scene. However, in January 2017, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announced it was reopening Avalanche Software, with its former head, John Blackburn, returning to lead the revived studio. The studio’s first release, Cars 3: Driven to Win, was successful enough that the new owner entrusted them with a much larger project.

The project was an action RPG set in the Harry Potter universe, titled Hogwarts Legacy. The game was originally slated for a 2021 release but ultimately launched on February 10, 2023. The game was a resounding commercial success. It’s worth noting that within two weeks of its release, the game had over 12 million players, quickly signaling the birth of a new franchise. The strong sales were matched by positive reviews; the game received "very positive" ratings on Steam, while Metacritic shows an average score of 83–90/100 from industry media, depending on the platform.