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Wikipedia / HB Studios

HB Studios Multimedia Limited is a Canadian video game developer based in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. It is best known for its rugby, cricket, and golf games.

History

HB Studios was founded in early July 2000 by Jeremy Wellard in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. The company started with nine employees and developed Cricket 2002 for Electronic Arts. The studio entered a multi-project deal with EA Canada in 2004 to continue developing sports games for the EA Sports label, including further games in the Rugby and Cricket series, FIFA Street 2 for the PlayStation Portable as well as co-development on Madden 07 for the Wii. This exclusivity deal ended in 2007.

In 2008, HB Studios opened a second studio in Halifax, Nova Scotia. At the time, the company had 130 employees. The Halifax studio was closed at the end of July 2012 with all development moved to the headquarters in Lunenberg. The last games developed by the satellite studio were NBA Baller Beats for Xbox 360 and Medal Bound for iOS. A publishing label, HB Arcade, was formed in 2009 with the goal of self-publishing downloadable titles on WiiWare, PlayStation Network, and Xbox Live Arcade. Games released under this label included HB Arcade Cards and HB Arcade Disc Golf, both for WiiWare, as well as Jam Space for DSiWare.

Wellard stepped down as president of the company in February 2015 and was to be replaced by Alan Bunker, the chief operating officer. In August 2018, 2K Sports took over the publishing of The Golf Club 2019 featuring PGA Tour which was released on August 28, 2018. Bunker departed the company in November 2019, with James Seaboyer taking over as chief executive officer. Dave McFarland, previously the technical director, became the chief technology officer, while Craig Heffler remained the chief financial officer.

HB Studios was acquired by 2K in March 2021 and will continue to work on PGA Tour games. 2K also secured a long-term contract with Tiger Woods to use his likeness for these games as well as to serve as executive producer and consultant for the series.

Games developed

Year

Title

Publisher

Platform

2001

Cricket 2002

EA Sports

Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2

2003

Cricket 2004

Rugby 2004

2005

Rugby 2005

Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox

Cricket 2005

2006

Rugby 06

Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2

FIFA Street 2

PlayStation Portable

Madden NFL 07

Wii

Cricket 07

Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2

2007

UEFA Champions League 2006–2007

Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable

Rugby 08

Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2

NHL 08

NBA Live 08

Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii

2008

UEFA Euro 2008

Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable

Big Beach Sports

THQ

Wii

NHL 09

EA Sports

Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2

FIFA 09

Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable

NBA Live 09

PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii

2009

Rock Revolution

Konami

Nintendo DS, Wii

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10

EA Sports

PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable

Football Academy

Nintendo DS

HB Arcade Cards

HB Arcade

Wii

FIFA 10

EA Sports

Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable

NBA Live 10

PlayStation Portable

2010

2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa

PlayStation Portable, Wii

FIFA 11 Ultimate Team

PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Backyard Sports: Sandlot Sluggers

Atari

Microsoft Windows, Wii, Xbox 360

FIFA 11

EA Sports

Android, iOS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable

HB Arcade Disc Golf

HB Arcade

Wii

Backyard Sports: Rookie Rush

Atari

Microsoft Windows, Wii, Xbox 360

HB Arcade Jam Space

HB Arcade

Nintendo DSi

2011

Rugby World Cup 2011

505 Games

PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Fight Night Champion

EA Sports

iOS

Madden NFL 12

PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii

HB Rugby: Fixture Challenge

HB Studios

iOS

2012

Medal Bound

HB Studios

iOS

NBA Baller Beats

Majesco

Xbox 360

Madden NFL 13

EA Sports

PlayStation Vita, Wii

Maze Adventures

HB Studios

iOS

Ace Geographer: Canada

2013

MLB.com Home Run Derby

MLB.com

Android, iOS

MLB.com Franchise MVP

2014

MLB.com Home Run Derby 2014

The Golf Club

HB Studios

Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Rugby 15

Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, Xbox One

2015

Rugby World Cup 2015

R.B.I. Baseball 15

MLB

Android, iOS, macOS, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

2016

Mark McMorris Infinite Air

Maximum Games

Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

RBI Baseball 2016

MLB

Android, iOS, macOS, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

2017

The Golf Club VR

HB Studios

Microsoft Windows

The Golf Club 2

Maximum Games

Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

2018

The Golf Club 2019 featuring PGA Tour

2K Sports

2020

PGA Tour 2K21

Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Stadia, Xbox One

2022

PGA Tour 2K23

Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

2025

PGA Tour 2K25

Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S

References