Gingo Interactive

Gingo Interactive Software LLC (or simply Gingo Interactive) is an American video game developer that is the in-house video game department of animation studio Gingo Animation, part of Gingo Entertainment through its Gingo Interactive Group unit. Founded in 1994, the studio is best known for developing the Niz Chicoloco, Chrysocolla and Fighting Royale games, as well as games based on its parent company's Gabriel Garza and Hatty franchises.

Founding (1994–2000)
Before Gingo Animation started its video game division, the studio solely licensed games as merchandise. Among the games published this way was the 1992 Gabriel Garza video game for the NES, SNES, Genesis, Game Boy, Master System, and Game Gear.

Gingo officially launched its video game division Gingo Interactive Software LLC in 1994, with the announcement of a 3D Gabriel Garza video game as its first title. The game was released in 1996 for the PlayStation and was a commercial success. For its launch, the studio signed with Sony Computer Entertainment a four-year deal to develop games for the PlayStation.

In 1999, it was announced that the operations of the Gingo Interactive and Northwood Interactive would be merged into a new unit, the Gingo Interactive Group.

Moving into multiplatform (2001–04)
Coming soon!

Shifting focus to Niz Chicoloco, Chrysocolla and Fighting Royale 2 (2005–09)
Coming soon!

Hiatus (2010–16)
Coming soon!

Return, new studios, new MMO (2016–present)
Upon announcement of the closures of Runic Games, Carbine Studios, Capcom Vancouver and Telltale Games, Gingo Interactive announced hiring of the laid-off employees, some into a new studio in Portland, Oregon; and a new MMO project "meant to be a spiritual successor to games by Telltale", meant to be developed in co-operation between the main studio and the Seaside, Oregon and Black studios, and spearheaded by Geo G. with John Swift and A.J. Bressan. More coming soon!

UK
During the development of Niz Chocoloco, Gingo Interactive set up the satellite studio Seaside Entertainment in Westminster, to work with the employees of Sony's Psygnosis Studio Camden, Gremlin Interactive, Criterion Software and Psygnosis Studio Stroud. Criterion worked on the racing segments, Gremlin Interactive worked on additional graphics and Psygnosis worked on the most of the additional development of Niz Chicoloco, providing additional programming, GUI, optimization and 3D assets. They also had SCEE's various other research and development groups, dedicated to the production of PlayStation games and development tools across all of SIE's gaming platforms, helping the development proceed further and "make the game look and feel more beautiful". After the development of Niz Chicoloco, Seaside Entertainment hired the employees, who helped make the game in UK, as part-time and were working on another project until it suddenly closed down. The satellite studio was bought out by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe in 2001, merged into SCE London Studios, and its employees went on to work for Infogrames (who acquired Gremlin Interactive in 1999)/Sumo Digital (after Infogrames closed its Sheffield studio), Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, and Electronic Arts (who acquired DreamWorks Interactive in 2000, its employees now working at DICE LA, and Criterion Software in 2004, although most of its employees now work at Ghost Games UK). Throughout the years, a new studio Fifth Leaf has hired laid-off employees of Sumo Digital, London Studio, Kojima Productions (2005-2015), Konami, Konami Los Angeles, Evolution Studios, Codemasters, Runecraft and Ghost Games. However, in 2016, it was merged into SIE London Studio.

In 2018, Gingo Interactive announced to open a new studio in London with all living Fifth Leaf/Seaside Entertainment employees, called Gingo Interactive Seaside.

Japan
Coming soon.

Associated work

 * Oxyd
 * Paint World
 * Planetokio
 * Jenny Zoom
 * Claire Jones
 * Chrysocolla: Mega Wars
 * Gabriel Garza: Super Battle
 * The Adventures of Cookie and Cream
 * The Gabriel Garza Movie
 * Paint World: Disgill Strikes Back

Unreleased games

 * Further information: List of unreleased Universal games


 * BJ and Wally
 * Gabriel Garza 4
 * Fiox II
 * Niz Chicoloco 3
 * The Gabriel and Niz Mayhem
 * Eris Chaos
 * Gabriel Garza X-tended

Gallery
Coming soon!