Ubisoft Blue Byte facts for kids
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Formerly
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Blue Byte (1988–2017) |
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | October 1988 in Mülheim, Germany |
| Founders |
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| Headquarters |
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Germany
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Number of locations
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3 studios (2020) |
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Key people
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Benedikt Grindel (managing director) |
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Number of employees
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695 (2024) |
| Parent | Ubisoft (2001–present) |
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Ubisoft Blue Byte GmbH is a German company that makes video games. It used to be called Blue Byte until 2017. This company is owned by Ubisoft, a very big video game company.
Blue Byte was started in October 1988 by two friends, Thomas Hertzler and Lothar Schmitt. They are famous for creating popular game series like Anno and The Settlers. Ubisoft bought Blue Byte in 2001. Over time, Blue Byte grew and now has three main studios in Germany: Ubisoft Düsseldorf, Ubisoft Mainz, and Ubisoft Berlin. As of August 2024, about 695 people work for these studios.
Contents
The Story of Blue Byte
How Blue Byte Started (1988–1993)
In 1988, Thomas Hertzler and Lothar Schmitt decided to leave their old job at a game company called Rainbow Arts. They wanted to start their own company, so they founded Blue Byte in October of that year. They borrowed money from Thomas Hertzler's parents to get started. Their first office was in the attic of Hertzler's home in Mülheim, Germany.
Blue Byte's very first game was a tennis game called Great Courts, released in 1989. It was published by Ubi Soft, which is now known as Ubisoft. Blue Byte had its first big success in Germany and Europe with Battle Isle. This was a turn-based strategy game, which means players take turns making moves, like in a board game. Battle Isle came out in 1991 and led to many follow-up games.
Another huge success for the company came in 1993 with Die Siedler. This game was known internationally as The Settlers. It was a management game where you build and grow a settlement. The Settlers also became a very popular series with many sequels. It is still one of Blue Byte's most famous creations.
Growing with New Games (1994–2000)
Over the years, Blue Byte made and published many new and interesting games. Some of these included Chewy: Escape from F5 and Albion. However, most of these games were not as successful outside of Germany and parts of Europe. Blue Byte tried to become popular in the American market, but it was difficult.
The Battle Isle series was very popular in the early 1990s. It had a special group of fans, much like The Settlers. Later, Blue Byte tried to update Battle Isle games. For example, Incubation in 1997 was a 3D tactical game. Then, Battle Isle: The Andosia War in 2001 tried to mix turn-based and real-time strategy gameplay. Some fans of the original games found these new versions different from what they expected.
Joining the Ubisoft Family (2001–Present)
In February 2001, Ubi Soft (now Ubisoft) bought Blue Byte. After this, Blue Byte focused on making games for its two most popular series: Anno and The Settlers. At the time, Blue Byte had 64 employees and offices in the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States.
Around 2013, Blue Byte started working with another game company called Related Designs. They worked together on games like Might & Magic Heroes Online. Ubisoft bought Related Designs in April 2013. From then on, Related Designs worked closely with Blue Byte. In June 2014, Related Designs officially became part of Blue Byte.
Blue Byte continued to develop new games. In 2014, they worked on The Settlers: Kingdoms of Anteria. In 2015, they made Anno 2205. They also helped develop big games like Skull & Bones in 2017, For Honor, and Rainbow Six: Siege. In 2018, they announced a new The Settlers game, the eighth in the series. They are also developing Anno 1800 and helping with Beyond Good and Evil 2.
In 2017, Blue Byte changed its name to Ubisoft Blue Byte. They also got a new logo. In April 2017, Ubisoft announced a third Blue Byte studio in Berlin. This new studio, called "Ubisoft Berlin," opened in early 2018. By September 2018, it had 60 employees. The studios in Düsseldorf and Mainz had 230 and 100 employees, respectively.
At Gamescom in August 2019, Ubisoft Blue Byte announced that its studios would be renamed. They became Ubisoft Düsseldorf and Ubisoft Mainz. This change was made to help attract more employees. Ubisoft Blue Byte hoped to grow from 520 staff members to 1,000 by 2023. All three studios still belong to Ubisoft Blue Byte. By December 2020, the "Ubisoft Blue Byte" name was mostly used for the parent company, while the individual studios used their city names.
See also
In Spanish: Ubisoft Blue Byte para niños
- List of companies in Germany
- List of video game developers
