List of Relic Entertainment games
Relic Entertainment is a Canadian video game developer based in Vancouver. The company was founded in June 1997 by Alex Garden and Luke Moloney. After its debut title "Homeworld" (1999), the company developed two more games, "Impossible Creatures" (2003) and "Homeworld 2" (2003), and signed a contract with publisher THQ for an additional two games. Before either game was released, however, Relic was bought by THQ in May 2004 for $10 million in cash; the company was renamed THQ Canada, with "Relic Entertainment" used as a marketing brand by the studio. THQ published the next five games by the company. A few months after being purchased, Relic released its first licensed title, "" (2004). It released two more original titles in 2006, "The Outfit" and "Company of Heroes", before transitioning to focus on further titles and expansion packs in the "Warhammer 40,000" and "Company of Heroes" franchises.
Laika (company)
In the late 1990s, Will Vinton Studios, known for its stop-motion films and commercials, sought funds for more feature-length films and brought in outside investors, which included Nike, Inc. owner Phil Knight. In 1998, Knight made his initial investment and his son Travis started work at the studio as an animator. In 2002, Phil Knight acquired the financially struggling Will Vinton Studios to pursue feature-length productions. The following year, Henry Selick, director of "The Nightmare Before Christmas", joined the studio as a supervising director. In July 2005, the successor to Will Vinton Studios, Laika, was founded, and named after Laika, the dog sent to space by the Soviet Union in 1957.
It opened two divisions: Laika Entertainment for feature films and Laika/house for commercial work, such as advertisements and music videos. They also announced their first projects, the stop-motion film "Coraline" (based on the book of the same name), and the CGI animated film "Jack & Ben's Animated Adventure".
The studio laid off a significant portion of its staff in 2008, when its second planned feature, "Jack & Ben's Animated Adventure", was cancelled. The following year, the studio released its first feature film, "Coraline", which received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, a nomination at the BAFTAs for Best Animated Feature, a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film, and eight nominations at the Annie Awards, winning three, for Best Music in an Animated Feature, and Best Character Design and Production Design in a Feature Production.