A development studio operating from 1998 to 2005. Founded by industry veterans (including the "fathers" of the original Fallout), the team created three acclaimed RPGs: Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura, The Temple of Elemental Evil, and Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines.
Troika Games' history begins in 1997, when Tim Cain, Leonard Boyarsky, and Jason Anderson left the famed Interplay studio to form their own company. Founded in April 1998, Troika Games was intended to focus on creating computer RPGs.
The studio's debut game was Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura, released in August 2001. Despite critics pointing out a large number of bugs, they gave it high marks, which translated into commercial success – the game sold over 200,000 copies, making it Troika Games' most popular work.
In the following years, the developers worked on two projects in parallel. The first was The Temple of Elemental Evil – a title based on the Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 system, debuted in September 2003. The game sold half as well as Arcanum, and while reviewers gave it moderately high marks, they criticized it primarily for its marginalized storytelling.
The team's third work, Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines, was their swan song. Powered by Valve Software's Source technology, the game was released in November 2004. Bloodlines debuted alongside the second installment of the Half-Life series, which, combined with criticism for its poor technical condition, led to poor sales.
Although Troika Games had begun work on a fourth project in the meantime, the studio officially closed in early 2005, primarily due to numerous financial problems. Some time later, it was revealed that this enigmatic title was intended to be the third installment of the Fallout series, although the rights to the franchise ultimately ended up in the hands of Bethesda Softworks.
Interestingly, the last released work of this studio, i.e. Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines lived on – the title was constantly improved by fans, receiving updates created by them even a dozen or so years after its release
List of all released games developed by Troika Games.
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines - November 16, 2004 - PC
Greyhawk: The Temple of Elemental Evil - September 16, 2003 - PC
Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura - August 22, 2001 - PC