Beenox

Category:Use mdy dates from November 2016

Beenox Inc.
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryVideo games
FoundedMay 2000; 25 years ago (2000-05)
FounderDominique Brown
HeadquartersQuebec City, Canada
Number of locations
2 (2024)
Key people
Nour Polloni (studio head)[1]
Number of employees
~300
ParentActivision (2005–present)
DivisionsBeenox Montreal
Websitebeenox.com

Beenox Inc. is a Canadian video game developer established in 2000 in Quebec City. The studio became a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision on May 25, 2005.[2]

History

Beenox was founded by Dominique Brown in May 2000 to develop games for Apple Computer's Mac. He recruited four colleagues from his former employer MegaToon.[3] The studio's name was based on a random word he wrote in a notebook in chemistry class when brainstorming company names that contained an "X".[4] It focused on game conversion to Mac in 2003, due to "cash flow problems".[5][6] The company was acquired by Activision in May 2005.

In 2007, they returned to original game development with the console versions of Bee Movie Game,[7][8] inspired by the feature film from DreamWorks Animation. As part of Activision's E3 2007 media blitz, it was announced that Beenox was the developer behind the Windows version of Activision's Spider-Man game Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, which was released in October 2007.[9] They released the Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii and Windows versions of Monsters vs. Aliens and the console versions of Guitar Hero Smash Hits. Beenox later developed the Spider-Man games Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions,[10] Spider-Man: Edge of Time,[11] The Amazing Spider-Man,[12] and The Amazing Spider-Man 2.[13]

After founder Dominique Brown's departure in December 2012,[14] the studio's focus shifted from leading original game development to doing a number of support tasks on Activision's superbrands Skylanders and Call of Duty. In 2015, Beenox worked in conjunction with Mercenary Technology on bringing Call of Duty: Black Ops III to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.[15]

In March 2022, Beenox announced that it would open a second office in Montreal, Quebec, led by Nour Polloni, increasing its staff count by 20%.[16]

Games developed

YearGamePlatform(s)Notes Ref.
2001Pillars of GarendallMicrosoft Windows, Mac OS XCo-developed with Ambrosia Software
2007Bee Movie GameMicrosoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360N/a
2009Monsters vs. AliensMicrosoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360
Guitar Hero Smash HitsPlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360
2010Spider-Man: Shattered DimensionsMicrosoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360
2011Spider-Man: Edge of TimeNintendo 3DS, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360
2012The Amazing Spider-ManMicrosoft Windows, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360
2013Skylanders: Swap ForcePlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox OneCo-developed with Vicarious Visions
2014The Amazing Spider-Man 2Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox OneN/a
Skylanders: Trap TeamNintendo 3DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox OneCo-developed with Toys for Bob
2015Skylanders: SuperChargersiOS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox OneCo-developed with Vicarious Visions
Skylanders: SuperChargers RacingNintendo 3DS, WiiN/a
2016Call of Duty: Modern Warfare RemasteredMicrosoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox OneAdditional work
2017Call of Duty: WWII
2018Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
2019Crash Team Racing Nitro-FueledNintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox OneN/a
Call of Duty: Modern WarfareMicrosoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox OneAdditional work
2020 Call of Duty: Warzone
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign RemasteredN/a
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/SAdditional work
Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time Additional work
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold WarMicrosoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S Additional work
2021 Call of Duty: Vanguard
2022 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II Additional content development support
Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 Additional content development support
2023 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III Addititional work
2024 Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile iOS, Android Co-developed with Digital Legends Entertainment, Activision Shanghai Studio, Demonware, and Solid State Studios
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S Additional work; led the game's Windows version
2025Call of Duty: Black Ops 7Microsoft WindowsLed the game's Windows version

Ports

YearGamePlatform(s) Ref.
2003Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3Mac OS X
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X
Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer
Wakeboarding Unleashed Featuring Shaun Murray
Tomb Raider: The Angel of DarknessMac OS X
2004The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Homeworld 2
Railroad Tycoon 3
Tony Hawk's Underground 2Microsoft Windows
Pitfall: The Lost Expedition
The IncrediblesMicrosoft Windows, Mac OS X
Shrek 2: Team ActionMicrosoft Windows
MTX MototraxMicrosoft Windows, Mac OS X
2005Tony Hawk's UndergroundMicrosoft Windows
Madagascar
Fantastic Four
Star Wars: BattlefrontMac OS X
X-Men Legends II: Rise of ApocalypseMicrosoft Windows
Ultimate Spider-Man
Myst V: End of AgesMac OS X
Evil Dead: RegenerationMicrosoft Windows
The Incredibles: Rise of the UnderminerMicrosoft Windows, Mac OS X
GunMicrosoft Windows
MX vs. ATV Unleashed
2006Over the Hedge
X-Men: The Official Game
CarsMicrosoft Windows, Mac OS X
Marvel: Ultimate AllianceMicrosoft Windows
2007Spider-Man 3
Spider-Man: Friend or Foe
2008Kung Fu PandaMicrosoft Windows, Mac OS X
007: Quantum of SolaceMicrosoft Windows, Wii
2009Transformers: Revenge of the FallenMicrosoft Windows
2015Call of Duty: Black Ops III[a]PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Cancelled

Notes

  1. ↑ Co-developed with Mercenary Technology

References

  1. ↑ Mattone, Mattone (October 27, 2020). "Beenox Celebrates 20th Anniversary". Activision Games Blog. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Activision Establishes Development Foothold in Quebec With Acquisition of Beenox". Activision Blizzard. May 25, 2005. Archived from the original on October 7, 2018. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  3. ↑ Décarie, Jean-Philippe (February 25, 2012). "Dominique Brown: il rêve toujours de conquérir le monde". La Presse (in Canadian French). Retrieved June 29, 2025.Category:CS1 Canadian French-language sources (fr-ca)
  4. ↑ Hinkle, David (April 27, 2011). "What's In A Name: Beenox". Engadget. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
  5. 1 2 Cohen, Peter (May 15, 2003). "E3: Beenox talks Mac game ports, original development". MacCentral. Retrieved May 15, 2003 – via Macworld.
  6. ↑ "Featured Studio Of The Month". Official AUS Playstation Magazine. No. 67. Derwent Howard Publishing. April 2012. p. 94.
  7. ↑ Martin, Matt (January 3, 2008). "Activision's Beenox to create more original titles". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  8. 1 2 Hayward, Andrew (November 6, 2007). "Bee Movie Game review". GamesRadar+. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  9. 1 2 "'Spider-Man: Friend or Foe' Coming To PCs". TotalGaming.net. July 12, 2007. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved July 12, 2007.
  10. 1 2 "Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions". IGN. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  11. 1 2 Krupa, Daniel (October 6, 2011). "Spider-Man: Edge of Time Review". IGN. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  12. 1 2 "The Amazing Spider-Man". IGN. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  13. 1 2 Rudden, Dave (May 1, 2014). "The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Game Review". IGN. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  14. ↑ Tach, Dave (December 14, 2012). "Beenox founder leaves studio, two employees rise in the ranks". Polygon. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  15. 1 2 Sarkar, Samit (September 25, 2015). "Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 won't have a campaign on PS3 and Xbox 360". Polygon. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  16. ↑ Partis, Danielle (March 29, 2022). "Beenox to open new studio in Montreal". Gamesindustry.biz. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  17. ↑ Cook, Brad. "Like Manna: Games from Ambrosia Software on Mac OS X". Apple Inc. Archived from the original on March 24, 2008. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  18. ↑ "DreamWorks Monsters vs. Aliens details". Metacritic. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  19. ↑ "Guitar Hero: Smash Hits". Metacritic. Archived from the original on August 13, 2009. Retrieved August 13, 2009.
  20. ↑ "Skylanders Swap Force". IGN. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  21. ↑ Fahey, Mike (October 5, 2014). "Skylanders: Trap Team: The Kotaku Review". Kotaku. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  22. ↑ "Skylanders: SuperChargers". Activision. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Skylanders SuperChargers Racing for Wii and 3DS General FAQ". Activision.com. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
  24. ↑ Gurwin, Gabe (July 27, 2017). "'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered' now available to all". Digital Trends. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  25. ↑ "The Fight for HQ". Call of Duty. April 25, 2018. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)Category:CS1 errors: requires URLCategory:CS1 errors: access-date without URL
  26. ↑ Fogel, Stefanie (August 22, 2018). "Treyarch Details Porting, Fine-Tuning of 'Black Ops 4' for PC". Variety. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  27. ↑ Beenox [@BeenoxTeam] (May 12, 2020). "#THPS is finally back! Congratulations to Vicarious Visions for announcing Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 and 2, happy to be a part of the supporting team on the game. Star-struckSparkles" (Tweet). Retrieved May 12, 2020 – via Twitter.
  28. ↑ Beenox [@BeenoxTeam] (June 22, 2020). "Congratulations to @ToysForBob for announcing Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, happy to be part of the supporting team!" (Tweet). Retrieved June 22, 2020 – via Twitter.
  29. ↑ Bhat, Keshav (August 26, 2020). "Black Ops Cold War development team includes multiple Activision studios". Charlie INTEL. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  30. 1 2 "It's Anyone's Game in Season 03 of Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® II and Call of Duty®: Warzone™ 2.0, Launching April 12". Call of Duty. April 6, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  31. ↑ CharlieIntel [@charlieINTEL] (August 12, 2023). "MW3's Battle net page confirms that along with Sledgehammer Games, Treyarch, Infinity Ward, Beenox, Raven, High Moon, and demonware are also working on the game" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
  32. ↑ "Call of Duty: Next: Announcing Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile, Redefining Battle Royale for Gamers on the Go". Call of Duty. September 15, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  33. ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (June 9, 2024). "Black Ops 6's New 'Omnimovement' Turns Call of Duty Into Max Payne". IGN. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  34. ↑ Makuch, Eddie (August 20, 2025). "Call Of Duty Dev Explains How We're Getting New Black Ops Games In Consecutive Years". GameSpot. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  35. ↑ Cohen, Peter (October 23, 2002). "Aspyr announces Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3". Macworld. Retrieved October 23, 2002.
  36. ↑ Cohen, Peter (July 29, 2003). "Aspyr: Tony Hawk 4 now in duplication". Macworld. Retrieved July 29, 2003.
  37. ↑ Cohen, Peter (December 22, 2003). "Aspyr ships Wakeboarding Unleashed for Mac, PC". Macworld. Retrieved December 22, 2003.
  38. ↑ Cohen, Peter (December 18, 2003). "Aspyr releases new Tomb Raider game". Macworld. Retrieved December 18, 2003.
  39. ↑ Cohen, Peter (December 17, 2003). "Aspyr: Return of the King is Mac-bound". Macworld. Retrieved December 17, 2003.
  40. ↑ Cohen, Peter (April 25, 2004). "Aspyr to make Homeworld 2 for Mac". Macworld. Retrieved April 25, 2004.
  41. ↑ Cohen, Peter (September 1, 2004). "MacSoft: Railroad Tycoon 3 ships Sept. 13". Macworld. Retrieved September 1, 2004.
  42. ↑ "GameSpy: Tony Hawk's Underground 2 - Page 3". GameSpy. Retrieved November 22, 2025.
  43. ↑ Cohen, Peter (October 31, 2004). "'The Incredibles' games ship". Macworld. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  44. ↑ Cohen, Peter (July 27, 2004). "Aspyr to publish MTX: Mototrax for Mac and PC". Macworld. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  45. ↑ Surette, Tim (April 15, 2005). "Activision's rockin' Fantastic Four". GameSpot. Retrieved November 22, 2025.
  46. ↑ "Aspyr Media, Inc. Ships Star Wars Battlefront(TM) For Macintosh". Business Wire. July 19, 2005. Retrieved July 19, 2005.
  47. ↑ "Marvel and Activision's X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse Ships for the Psp(TM) (Playstation(R) Portable) System". Activision Blizzard. October 19, 2005. Retrieved October 19, 2005.
  48. ↑ Cohen, Peter (February 24, 2005). "Myst V Mac conversion heading from Beenox". Macworld. Retrieved February 24, 2005.
  49. ↑ Torres, Ricardo (July 2, 2008). "James Bond: Quantum of Solace First Look". GameSpot. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  50. ↑ Meer, Alec (April 15, 2009). "Could Transformers 2 Be Not-Horrible?". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  51. ↑ "Beenox Announces VATZ". GameZone. May 4, 2012. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  52. ↑ Williams, Leah J. (September 20, 2021). "Hidden Palace Just Dropped Over 500 Unreleased Game Prototypes". Kotaku. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  53. ↑ Teixeira, Miri (September 20, 2021). "Hundreds of prototype Xbox and Dreamcast games uploaded by Project Deluge". NME. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
Category:2000 establishments in Quebec Category:2005 mergers and acquisitions Category:Activision Category:Canadian companies established in 2000 Category:Canadian subsidiaries of foreign companies Category:Companies based in Quebec City Category:Video game companies based in Quebec Category:Video game companies established in 2000 Category:Video game development companies
Category:2000 establishments in Quebec Category:2005 mergers and acquisitions Category:Activision Category:Articles with short description Category:CS1 Canadian French-language sources (fr-ca) Category:CS1 errors: access-date without URL Category:CS1 errors: requires URL Category:Canadian companies established in 2000 Category:Canadian subsidiaries of foreign companies Category:Companies based in Quebec City Category:Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia Category:Short description matches Wikidata Category:Use mdy dates from November 2016 Category:Video game companies based in Quebec Category:Video game companies established in 2000 Category:Video game development companies