ACE Team
Company typePrivate
IndustryVideo games
Founded1998/1999; 25 years ago (1999)
Founders
  • Andres Bordeu
  • Carlos Bordeu
  • Edmundo Bordeu
Headquarters
Santiago
,
Chile
Key people
  • Andres Bordeu
  • Carlos Bordeu
  • Edmundo Bordeu
Products
Websiteaceteam.cl

ACE Team is a Chilean video game developer based in Santiago. Founded in the late 1990s by brothers Andres, Carlos and Edmundo Bordeu, the company started out by developing total conversions before turning to commercial game development. All operations were halted between 2003 and 2007 while Andres and Carlos were employed by Wanako Games.

History

ACE Team was founded by brothers Andres, Carlos and Edmundo Bordeu in either 1998 or 1999.[1][2] The studio name was formed from the initials of the three founders.[3] Initially, ACE Team developed total conversions of older games, starting with Batman Doom for Doom II: Hell on Earth.[1][4] Other total conversions included ZanZan for Doom II and The Dark Conjunction for Quake III Arena.[5][6] For the latter, ACE Team hired a programmer, Juan Pablo Lastra.[1] Following these releases, a scouting agency contacted ACE Team, asking whether they would consider developing commercial games, to which ACE Team agreed.[4] The studio got a hold of LithTech Jupiter, the game engine also used in No One Lives Forever 2, and began developing a game titled Zenozoik: Shattered Land in 2002.[4][7] However, the game proved too ambitious due to the team's insufficient size and experience.[4]

By 2003, all development on Zenozoik was halted as Andres and Carlos were hired by local game developer Wanako Games.[2][4] During their time at Wanako Games, they met their soon-to-be company partner, David Caloguerea, and contributed to several of the studio's games, including Assault Heroes.[1][4] However, most games developed at Wanako Games were casual games, so in 2007, Andres, Carlos and Caloguerea left Wanako Games to re-instantiate ACE Team.[2][4] Development on Zenozoik continued and was moved over to the id Tech 4 engine, then to Source.[1][7] By recommendation from Valve, the developers of Source, Zenozoik was retitled Zeno Clash.[1] The original Zenozoik prototype was scrapped and never released, with Zeno Clash was handled as a spiritual successor to that prototype.[1] Leading up to the release of Zeno Clash, ACE Team released the browser game The Malstrums Mansion on April Fools' Day, 2009.[8] Zeno Clash was first released on 21 April 2009, self-published by ACE Team for Microsoft Windows.[9] A sequel, Zeno Clash 2, was announced shortly thereafter.[10]

Retail releases of Zeno Clash came by hand of publishers Tripwire Interactive and Iceberg Interactive in February 2010 and March 2010, respectively.[11][12] ACE Team co-operated with publisher Atlus USA to release an Xbox 360 port of the game with additional features, titled Zeno Clash: Ultimate Edition, in 2010.[13] ACE Team continued working with Atlus USA for their next game; originally referred to internally as Boulder, Atlus USA christened that game Rock of Ages and released it 2011.[2]

Games developed

Year Title Platform(s) Publisher(s)
Win NS PS3 PS4 PS5 X360 XONE XSX/S
2009 Zeno Clash Yes No No No No Yes No No ACE Team, Tripwire Interactive, Iceberg Interactive, Atlus USA
2011 Rock of Ages Yes No Yes No No Yes No No Atlus USA
2013 Zeno Clash 2 Yes No Yes No No Yes No No
2014 Abyss Odyssey Yes No Yes Yes No Yes No No
2016 The Deadly Tower of Monsters Yes No No Yes No No No No
2017 Rock of Ages 2: Bigger & Boulder Yes Yes No Yes No No Yes No Atlus USA, Sega
2019 SolSeraph Yes Yes No Yes No No Yes No Sega
2020 Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break Yes Yes No Yes No No Yes No Modus Games
2021 The Eternal Cylinder Yes No No Yes Yes No Yes Yes Good Shepherd Entertainment
2023 Clash: Artifacts of Chaos Yes No No Yes Yes No Yes Yes Nacon

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Caoili, Eric (19 February 2009). "Road To The IGF: Ace Team's Zeno Clash". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on 15 August 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d Rose, Michael (10 August 2010). "Interview: ACE Team Spams Us With Python-Inspired Rock of Ages". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on 15 August 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  3. ^ O'Connor, Alice (20 June 2014). "Likeable Roguelike-like: Abyss Odyssey Begins On July 15". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Archived from the original on 23 July 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Martin, Joe (10 May 2009). "Zeno Clash Interview: Into the Unknown". Bit-Tech. Archived from the original on 15 August 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  5. ^ Priestman, Chris (8 July 2015). "Let The Endless Cylinder roll over you with its gorgeously surreal alienscape". Kill Screen. Archived from the original on 15 August 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  6. ^ Purchese, Robert (16 June 2009). "Zeno Clash's ACE Team • Page 2". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 15 August 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  7. ^ a b Harris, Duncan (9 September 2013). "Zenomorph: The Art And Evolution Of Zeno Clash". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Archived from the original on 27 August 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  8. ^ Indiegames.com Legacy (1 April 2009). "ACE Team Release Next Game: A 'Point and Click' Adventure". Indie Games Plus. Archived from the original on 15 August 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  9. ^ Sinclair, Brendan (20 April 2009). "Shippin' Out April 19–25: Excitebots, Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 15 August 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  10. ^ Ocampo, Jason (20 May 2009). "Zeno Clash 2 Revealed". IGN. Archived from the original on 15 August 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  11. ^ Mitchell, Richard (23 February 2010). "Zeno Clash now at retail". Engadget. Archived from the original on 27 March 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  12. ^ Smits, Peter (27 March 2010). "Killing Floor & Zeno Clash – Box-Versionen veröffentlicht" [Killing Floor & Zeno Clash – boxed versions released]. GameStar (in German). Archived from the original on 15 August 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  13. ^ Nunneley, Stephany (1 October 2009). "Atlus to release Zeno Clash on Xbox 360". VG247. Archived from the original on 15 August 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.

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