Birthed in 2007, United Front Games was founded in Vancouver, Canada. Starting from humble beginnings, it would quickly earn a reputation for having a diverse portfolio.
Sadly, this week the studio closed its doors concluding a nine year legacy. In remembrance, let's talk about the highlights of United Front Games, focusing on its three biggest releases.
ModNation Racers (2010)
Kart racing games are some of the most beloved among gamers thanks to timeless classics like Mario Kart 64 and Crash Team Racing. For one reason or another, they aren't often encountered. In 2010, the PS3 was lacking a mainstream kart racing game even though PlayStation fans voiced loudly that they wanted one. That would soon be fixed by ModNation Racers.
ModNation Racers was a perfect fit for the PS3 library. The system had earned a reputation for not only being supportive of many genres, but great for consumers of all ages. This debut by United Front Games was one that was charming and creative, equipped with colorful visuals and a remarkable amount of customization. Mario Kart fans were surprised by its unique offerings that made it feel distinct and rewarding to play.
Although it suffered from excruciating loading times, ModNation Racers would go on to earn an 82 Metascore and more than one million copies sold. Sony was pleased with what the studio delivered, and so were gamers.
Sleeping Dogs (2012)
United Front Games showcased its wide breadth of creativity by shifting from ModNation Racers to one of 2012's greatest open-world games, Sleeping Dogs. Set in Hong Kong, the game followed the story of an undercover police officer working to infiltrate the Triad crime organization, a stark contrast from its previous work.
Sleeping Dogs earned accolades for having exciting gameplay, something that wasn't common among open-world action games at the time. Its world felt alive, depicting a region of the world that hadn't been often seen in video games. The narrative had great moments of climax that kept players interested through its more than 16 hours of story.
Sleeping Dogs would perform well enough to eventually be ported to Xbox One, PS4, and PC. It has earned more than 2.5 million sales to-date.
Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition Xbox One (2014)
United Front Games would follow up Sleeping Dogs with LittleBigPlanet Karting as well as several smaller projects. Among these projects was Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition's Xbox One version. Delivered at a time when the Xbox One's hardware was put in question, the port was beautiful and highly optimized.
Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition stands as the last great project by United Front Games. It might be a next-gen port, but it is one of the Xbox One's most acclaimed games at an 86 Metascore. It would go on to sell more than 600,000 units on the platform, propelling the game to over seven million units sold in total.
United Front Games has also worked on Halo: The Master Chief Collection and Disney Infinity 3.0. It most recently was working on Smash + Grab and Triad Wars.
We would like to take a moment to thank United Front Games for putting so much work into its craft. We won't soon forget what it has done.
