Davilex Games
 | |
| Industry | Video games |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1986 |
| Defunct | 2005 |
| Headquarters | , |
Davilex Software BV, trading as Davilex Games, was a video game developer and publisher located in Houten, Utrecht, Netherlands. A subsidiary of Davilex International, they are most well known for their Racer franchise of Racing video games.
History
Davilex Games was formed in 1986. The company initially released PC software including accounting and edutainment programs[1] before expanding to the video game market. Their Racer series of racing games were sold as budget titles and were top-sellers in the countries where they were sold. Autobahn Raser's sales in the German market totaled 103,000 units from January through September 1998, which made it the region's sixth-best-selling computer game during that period.[2] In February 1999, Autobahn Raser's computer version received a "Gold" award from the Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland (VUD),[3] indicating sales of at least 100,000 units across Germany, Austria and Switzerland.[4] London Racer and London Racer II, released in the United Kingdom, sold over 600,000 copies in the UK.
In April 2001, the company signed a pan-European distribution deal with Infogrames for Europe Racer. This followed an existing distribution deal the two companies held for France and Belgium.[5] A distribution deal for North America followed in November.[6]
In May 2002, the company signed a licensing deal with Universal Studios Licensing to develop and publish games based on Knight Rider, forming Devilex's debut in the licensed game realm.[7] The company expanded its licensing agreement with Universal to publish a game based on Miami Vice in January 2004.[8]
In January 2003, the company announced that it would restructure to become a publisher only and close down its internal development studio.[9]
Davilex Games ceased operations after 2005 following a string of unprofitable games and poor reception.[10][11][12]
Games
| Year | Title | Developer(s) | Platform(s) | Alternate titles | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Inspecteur Banaan en de ontvoering van Mabella | Davilex Games | Microsoft Windows | Inspector Banana and the kidnapping of Mabella (English) | |
| 1996 | A2 Racer | N/A | Released only in the Netherlands | ||
| RedCat: Rekenen: De Razende Rekenrace | |||||
| 1997 | RedCat Spookkasteel | ||||
| 1998 | A2 Racer II | Autobahn Racer: Ohne Regeln gnadenlos über deutsche Autobahnen (Germany) | Released in the Netherlands and Germany | ||
| 1999 | A2 Racer III: Europa Tour | Autobahn Racer II: Mit Vollgas über Original-Strecken Deutschlands heizen! (Germany) M25 Racer (UK) London Racer (UK, re-release) Paris-Marseille Racing (France) |
|||
| 2000 | PlayStation | Autobahn Racer II: Mit Vollgas über Original-Strecken Deutschlands heizen! (Germany) London Racer (UK) Paris-Marseille Racing (France) | |||
| Vakantie Racer | Microsoft Windows | Urlaubs Raser (Germany) Holiday Racer (UK) | |||
| A2 Racer: De Politie Slaat Terug! | Autobahn Raser III: Die Polizei schlägt zurück! (Germany) | Released in the Netherlands and Germany | |||
| Amsterdam Monster Madness | Invasion Deutschland (Germany) AmsterDoom (UK) |
||||
| 2001 | Europe Racing | Davilex Games | Microsoft Windows | Europa Raser (Germany) Europe Racer[13] (UK) Euro Racer (Spain) Europe Crazy Racing (Italy) | |
| Inverse Entertainment | PlayStation | ||||
| Grachten Racer | Davilex Games | Microsoft Windows | Speedboat Raser Europa (Germany) Speedboat Racer Europe (UK) |
||
| Casino Mogul | Cat Daddy Games | Casino Tycoon (US) | Select European releases, others are published by Monte Cristo | ||
| 2002 | A2 Racer Goes USA! | Davilex Games | Microsoft Windows | USA Raser (Germany) USA Racer[14] (UK) USA Racing (France) US Racer (US) |
|
| Inverse Entertainment | PlayStation | ||||
| Davilex Games | PlayStation 2 | ||||
| Autobahn Raser IV: Mit Vollgas durch die Innenstadt | Davilex Games | Microsoft Windows | London Racer II (UK) Paris-Marseille Racing II (France) |
Was not released in the Netherlands, unlike prior entries | |
| Inverse Entertainment | PlayStation | ||||
| Davilex Games | PlayStation 2 | ||||
| Knight Rider: The Game | Microsoft Windows | K2000: The Game (France) | |||
| PlayStation 2 | |||||
| 2003 | A2 Racer: World Challenge | Microsoft Windows | Autobahn Raser: World Challenge (Germany) London Racer: World Challenge (UK) Paris-Marseille Racing: Edition Tour du Monde (France) |
Last main entry to be released in the Netherlands | |
| PlayStation 2 | |||||
| Beach King: Stunt Racing | Microsoft Windows | Beach King Stunt Raser (Germany) Beach King: Stunt Racer (UK) Bikini Beach: Stunt Racer (US) |
|||
| PlayStation 2 | |||||
| 2004 | Autobahn Raser: Das Spiel zum Film | PlayStation 2 | N/A | Video game adaptation of the film based on the Racer series, released only in Germany | |
| Knight Rider: The Game 2 | Microsoft Windows | K2000: La Revanche de Kitt (France) | |||
| PlayStation 2 | |||||
| Amsterdam Taxi Madness | Team6 Game Studios | Microsoft Windows | Taxi Raser (Germany) Taxi Racer (UK) | ||
| 112 Reddingshelikopter | Davilex Games | Rettungshelicopter 112 (Germany) 112 Rescue helicopter (UK) | |||
| 2004 | Miami Vice | Atomic Planet Entertainment | Microsoft Windows | N/A | |
| PlayStation 2 | |||||
| Xbox | |||||
| 2005 | Autobahn Raser: Destruction Madness | Davilex Games | Microsoft Windows | London Racer: Destruction Madness (UK) Paris-Marseille Racing: Destruction Madness (France) |
|
| PlayStation 2 | |||||
| Autobahn Raser: Police Madness | Microsoft Windows | London Racer: Police Madness (UK) Paris-Marseille Racing: Police Madness (France) |
|||
| PlayStation 2 | |||||
| SAS: Anti Terror Force | Atomic Planet Entertainment | Microsoft Windows | GSG9 Anti-Terror Force (Germany) GIGN: Anti-Terror Force (France) |
||
| PlayStation 2 | |||||
| Red Baron | Microsoft Windows | N/A | |||
| PlayStation 2 |
References
- ↑ "Davilex Online/NL-pagina". 1996-11-02. Archived from the original on 2 November 1996. Retrieved 2025-01-08.
- ↑ Müller, Eva; Canibol, Hans-Peter (November 23, 1998). "Die Spaßmaschine". Focus (in German). Archived from the original on December 6, 2018.
- ↑ "Erste Doppel-Platin Auszeichnungen durch den VUD" (Press release) (in German). Paderborn: Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland. February 18, 1999. Archived from the original on March 12, 2000. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
- ↑ "VUD Sales Awards: November 2002" (Press release) (in German). Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland. Archived from the original on January 10, 2003. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20011024033138/http://www.davilex.com/press/pressArticle.asp?ID=13
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20011216094220/http://www.davilex.com/press/pressArticle.asp?ID=29
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20030618061111/http://www.davilex.com/press/pressRelease.asp?PressReleaseID=27
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20040603104532/http://www.davilex.com/press/pressRelease.asp?PressReleaseID=46
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20040603100903/http://www.davilex.com/press/pressRelease.asp?PressReleaseID=40
- ↑ Lenting, T. (2019), Gamegeschiedenis van Nederland 1978-2018. Karel van Mander Academy: Arnhem, p. 42-43. (in Dutch)
- ↑ Lenting, T. (2023), De mythe van Davilex Games. Karel van Mander Academy: Arnhem.(in Dutch)
- ↑ "Video game history of the Netherlands". October 6, 2024.
- ↑ "Davilex Chooses NetImmerse for Multi-Platform Game Titles". ndl.com. December 2000. Archived from the original on February 1, 2001. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ↑ "Davilex Chooses NetImmerse Engine As Driving Force Behind US Racer Game". ndl.com. October 15, 2001. Archived from the original on December 26, 2001. Retrieved January 30, 2024.