Dreamworks Interactive LLC is the developer of the first two games in the Medal of Honor series. Founded on March 22, 1995, and led by Steven Spielberg, the studio developed many games, some of which using the Jurassic Park and Goosebumps IPs, before working on Medal of Honor. Since being bought by Electronic Arts in 2000, it was renamed to EA Los Angeles. Then, it formed Danger Close Games in 2009. Nowadays, since 2013, it exists as DICE Los Angeles, a division of EA Digital Illusions CE.
Background[]
Since its inception in 1995, most of the games that Dreamworks Interactive have worked were mainly low-budget, tie-in games such as Goosebumps: Escape from HorrorLand and Chaos Island: The Lost World, which were based around the Jurassic Park and Goosebumps properties. The major titles they had worked on before Medal of Honor, which were The Neverhood (published) and Trespasser (developed), turned out to be commercial failures (and critical in the case for Trespasser).
It was around 1997, the year before Spielberg's World War II film Saving Private Ryan was released to critical acclaim and box office success, that Spielberg held a meeting with Dreamworks Interactive staff on ideas for a World War II video game, specifically a first-person shooter. The idea came from watching his son, Max, playing GoldenEye 64 on his Nintendo 64, and his big interest in the setting. It was then that the development of Medal of Honor had started. Throughout development, the team at Dreamworks Interactive received help from their military advisor, Dale Dye, a veteran of the Vietnam War and advisor for many of Spielberg's WWII works. It was through him that Dreamworks were able to make Medal of Honor a highly authentic shooter (for the time) that was respectful to the setting. The game released on October 31, 1999 for the PlayStation to critical acclaim and commercial success, paving the way for a follow-up, Medal of Honor: Underground, to come out an year later.
Medal of Honor: Underground released on October 23, 2000 for the PlayStation to similar critical and commercial success as the first game. It also served as the last game developed by Dreamworks Interactive before its acquisition by Electronic Arts and becoming EA Los Angeles for the rest of the decade. The series then continued on from there, with multiple followups being released nearly every year, most of which were developed by EA Los Angeles.
Major Personnel[]
- Steven Spielberg - Founder
- Michael Giacchino - Composer
Games Developed[]
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