Revolution Software
British video game developer
title: "Revolution Software" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["companies-based-in-york", "1989-establishments-in-england", "british-companies-established-in-1989", "video-game-companies-established-in-1989", "video-game-companies-of-the-united-kingdom", "video-game-development-companies", "privately-held-companies-of-england"] description: "British video game developer" topic_path: "geography/united-kingdom" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolution_Software" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary British video game developer ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox company"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Revolution Software |
| logo | Revolution Software.jpg |
| type | Private |
| industry | Video games |
| founded | |
| founders | |
| hq_location_city | York |
| hq_location_country | England |
| key_people | Charles Cecil (managing director) |
| products | Broken Sword series |
| num_employees_year | |
| website | |
| :: |
| name = Revolution Software | logo = Revolution Software.jpg | type = Private | industry = Video games | founded = | founders = | hq_location_city = York | hq_location_country = England | key_people = Charles Cecil (managing director) | products = Broken Sword series | num_employees = | num_employees_year = | website =
Revolution Software Limited is a British video game developer based in York, founded in 1989 by Charles Cecil, Tony Warriner, David Sykes and Noirin Carmody. |title=Join the Revolution |magazine=Retro Gamer |issue=6 |publisher=Imagine Publishing |pages=97–101 Its most popular line of games is that of Broken Sword, a series which began in 1996 with Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars. As of 2024, there have been a further four iterations in the series: The Smoking Mirror (1997), The Sleeping Dragon (2003), The Angel of Death (2006) and The Serpent's Curse (2013).
Company history
1992–1994: ''Lure of the Temptress'' and ''Beneath a Steel Sky''
The company's logo was inspired by the 1981 film Excalibur and designed in collaboration with a graphic design firm in Hull.
Released in 1992 for the Amiga, Atari ST and DOS platforms, Lure of the Temptress was both critically and commercially a success which helped set the company up for their future game releases. Revolution released the game as freeware on 1 April 2003.
Their next game was released in 1994; Beneath a Steel Sky became a hit on the Amiga and IBM PC compatibles. The game focused on protagonist Robert Foster's abduction and subsequent search for answers in a dystopian city of the future. In that period they also ported Sierra's King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow to the Amiga. Virtual Theatre system was used instead of Sierra's Creative Interpreter because of its much better performance.
1996–1997: ''Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars'' and ''Broken Sword II: The Smoking Mirror''
Despite the success of Beneath a Steel Sky, it was the company's next game that they would become best known for, and which would have both the biggest critical and commercial success. Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars was released for PC and PlayStation in 1996 and was later ported to the Game Boy Advance in 2002. The game revolves around the story of George Stobbart, an American tourist whose holiday in Paris is rudely interrupted by a bombing. Investigating, he runs into photo-journalist Nicole Collard, and the two embark on a globe-trotting adventure. The hand drawn graphics, story and characters, and gameplay helped cement the company's reputation for story driven games. The game was quickly followed by a well-received sequel, Broken Sword II: The Smoking Mirror. According to Charles Cecil, each of the first two Broken Sword games sold around 1,000,000 copies in the mid-1990s.
2000: ''In Cold Blood'' and ''Gold and Glory: The Road to El Dorado''
In July 2000, the company released their first 3D game In Cold Blood for the PlayStation (later released for Microsoft Windows in October 2000). Set in the near future, the game featured John Cord, an MI6 agent. Sent to the fictional, former Soviet region of Volgia, the player embarks on a mission to investigate a newly discovered substance, Blue Nephrine. However, Cord is betrayed and must work out by whom, while simultaneously trying to work out what plans the dictator of Volgia, General Nagarov, has for this mysterious new chemical and the implications for the world.
In December 2000, the company also released a children's adventure game Gold and Glory: The Road to El Dorado to coincide with the release of the film The Road to El Dorado.
2001–2002: ''Good Cop Bad Cop'' cancellation
The company then started work on Good Cop Bad Cop, an action game for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube. However the game was eventually cancelled so that the company could concentrate on Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon.
2003–2006: ''Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon'' and ''Broken Sword: The Angel of Death''
Released in November 2003, Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon featured 3D graphics, and moved away from the 2D point-and-click style of older games. As the game was developed for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2 and Xbox simultaneously, they decided to implement a direct control mechanism for the protagonist, instead of mouse control clicking on hot spots, as this was easier to convert to console game pads.
Revolution released Broken Sword: The Angel of Death on 15 September 2006. At the start of the game, George is working as a bail bonds clerk when he falls in love with Anna-Maria, a woman who asks George to help her find an artifact.
2009–2011: Director's Cut and Remasters
On 1 March 2009, Revolution Software released a director's cut version of their first Broken Sword series, titled Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars – Director's Cut, for Wii and Nintendo DS platforms (later on iOS, Microsoft Windows and OS X). According to a Charles Cecil interview with Pocket Gamer, the iOS version of the Director's Cut sold around 160,000 copies by December 2010. The company also announced that The Director's Cut is coming soon to Android.
In October 2009, Beneath a Steel Sky – Remastered was made available on the Apple App Store. The Remastered Edition sold around 20,000 copies in its first month and expected to hit 70,000 sales in the first year and 100,000 lifetime sales.
The company announced the remastered edition of the second game in the Broken Sword series on 9 December 2010, called Broken Sword: The Smoking Mirror – Remastered. The game was released in late 2010 on iPhone, April 2011 on OS X and May 2011 on Microsoft Windows.
2012–present: ''Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse'', ''Beyond a Steel Sky'' and ''Broken Sword 6'' ideas
On 25 July 2012, Charles Cecil posted on his personal Facebook account: "Totally focused on the announce video for our next game. I am thrilled by how it's looking, and can't wait to talk publicly, but completing the video for end of the month – as originally promised – now seems somewhat ambitious." After a short delay, the game was officially announced to be a fifth entry in the series: Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse. The game was announced with a Kickstarter campaign and a video, showing some of the game's graphics and hinting at its storyline.
After the release of Beneath a Steel Sky – Remastered, Charles Cecil and Dave Gibbons stated that a sequel could be likely and that iPhone would be the ideal platform. During the Broken Sword 5 crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, the company originally put Beneath a Steel Sky 2 as a $1,000,000 bonus stretch goal if the new Broken Sword game raises enough money, but it only raised $820,000 (including PayPal donations). On 24 September 2012, after failing to reach the bonus stretch goal, the company's co-founder Tony Warriner said that "after the huge success of the Broken Sword 5 crowdfunding campaign on Kickstater, it inspired us to begin work on Beneath a Steel Sky 2. Development of the sequel will begin after the release of Broken Sword 5. We're delighted by the recent level of interest in a sequel to Beneath a Steel Sky and are currently discussing design ideas for this project which we plan to go into development following the release of Broken Sword 5. We're deeply touched that our Beneath a Steel Sky fans are as enthusiastic today as they were when the original game released in 1994." Beneath a Steel Sky 2 is to be developed for iOS, Android, PC, Linux and OS X. There is also a possibility in looking into a console version release. In a September 2015 interview, Cecil announced that he was working on a story for Broken Sword 6 which would involve the main characters travelling to Germany. In a later interview from April 2020, however, Cecil said he was "mulling around" ideas for Broken Sword 6, while his focus seemed to be still on Beyond a Steel Sky, though he did not exclude the idea that the next Broken Sword game may follow the company's present project.
Towards the end of 2023, Revolution announced that a sixth instalment of Broken Sword was in development, titled Broken Sword: Parzival's Stone, which is scheduled for release in 2024. In addition, a "Reforged" revamp of the first game, Shadow of the Templars, was due for release in 2024, with updated graphics and other minor changes to the original gameplay.
Technology
Main article: Virtual Theatre
Games developed
::data[format=table]
| Year | Game | Platform(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Lure of the Temptress | Atari ST, Amiga, DOS |
| 1993 | King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow | Amiga |
| 1994 | Beneath a Steel Sky | Amiga, Amiga CD32, DOS, iOS, Linux, Microsoft Windows, OS X |
| 1996 | Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars | Mac OS, DOS, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation |
| 1997 | Broken Sword II: The Smoking Mirror | Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation |
| 1999 | Disney's Animated Storybook: Mulan | PlayStation |
| A Bug's Life Activity Center | ||
| 2000 | In Cold Blood | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation |
| Gold and Glory: The Road to El Dorado | ||
| Disney's Learning with Mickey | PlayStation | |
| 2001 | Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: 2nd Edition | PlayStation 2 |
| 2002 | Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars | Game Boy Advance |
| 2003 | Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox |
| 2006 | Broken Sword: The Angel of Death | Microsoft Windows |
| 2009 | Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars – Director's Cut | Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo DS, OS X, Wii |
| 2013-14 | Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse | Android, iOS, Linux, Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch |
| 2020-21 | title='Beyond a Steel Sky' Is a Sequel to Classic '90s 'Beneath a Steel Sky' | url=https://variety.com/2019/gaming/news/beyond-a-steel-sky-1203171285/ |
| 2024 | Broken Sword - Shadow of the Templars: Reforged | Microsoft Windows, OS X, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S |
| :: |
Recognition
Awards and nominations
::data[format=table]
| Year | Publication/Ceremony | Nominated game or person | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | PC Gamer | Beneath a Steel Sky | Best Dialogue | |
| Golden Joystick Awards | Best Adventure | |||
| 1997 | date=18 July 2011 | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcUcl23D7mA#t=461 | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/kcUcl23D7mA | archive-date=2021-12-12 |
| Quest magazine | Best Quest | |||
| 2001 | GameVortex | In Cold Blood | Top Pick | |
| 2003 | British Academy Video Games Awards | Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon | Best Design | |
| Best PC Game | ||||
| Best Adventure Game | ||||
| Just Adventure | Best Adventure Game of 2003 | |||
| 2004 | Game Developers Choice Awards | Excellence in Writing | ||
| 2006 | Develop | Charles Cecil | Development Legend | |
| 2009 | Slide to Play | Beneath a Steel Sky: Remastered | Game of the Month, October 2009 | |
| Slide to Play's iPhone Games Holiday Buyer's Guide | Best Adventure Game | |||
| British Academy Video Games Awards | Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars – Director's Cut | Best Story | ||
| 2010 | Adventure Gamers' 2009 Aggie Awards | Best Port/Updated Re-release | ||
| Beneath a Steel Sky: Remastered | ||||
| 2011 | European Games Awards | Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars – Director's Cut | Best European Adventure | |
| Order of the British Empire | Charles Cecil | Member of the Order of the British Empire | ||
| :: |
References
References
- (26 April 2023). "How The '80s Film 'Excalibur' Inspired Revolution Software's Famous Logo". [[Hookshot Media]].
- {{usurped
- "Lure of the Temptress". Revolution Software.
- "Lure of the Temptress Freeware". Revolution Software.
- Fuente, Derek Dela. (July–August 1993). "Beneath a Steel Sky". Hachette Disney Presse.
- "Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars". Revolution Software.
- "Broken Sword: The Smoking Mirror". Revolution Software.
- "Gold and Glory: The Road to El Do Rado".
- "Good Cop Bad Cop Canceled".
- "Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon". Revolution Software.
- "Broken Sword: The Angel of Death". Revolution Software.
- "Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars – Director's Cut". Revolution Software.
- "Revolution's Charles Cecil on Broken Sword 2 and why it's the best time ever to be an indie". Pocket Gamer.
- "Revolution Software to bring Broken Sword and a mysterious new game to Android". Droid Gamer.
- "Beneath a Steel Sky: Remastered". Revolution Software.
- "iPhone's Beneath a Steel Sky on track for 20,000 sales in first month". Pocket Gamer.
- "Broken Sword: The Smoking Mirror – Remastered". Revolution Software.
- "Charles Cecil hints at new game.".
- "Broken Sword 5 announcement.".
- "Broken Sword 5 Kickstarter, with video.".
- "Beneath a Steel Sky 2". Pocket Gamer.
- Chapple, Craig. (24 September 2012). "Revolution greenlights Beneath a Steel Sky 2". Intent Media.
- Caballero, David. (15 September 2015). "Charles Cecil: "Broken Sword 6 will be great"". Gamez Publishing A/S.
- Cullen, Johnny. (17 April 2020). "The Long Talk: Beyond A Steel Sky's Charles Cecil on friendship and happiness".
- "Broken Sword Parzival's Stone {{!}} Shadow of the Templars: Reforged {{!}} Xbox Showcase - Gamescom 2023".
- "'Beyond a Steel Sky' Is a Sequel to Classic '90s 'Beneath a Steel Sky'".
- (18 July 2011). "''TEDxYork'': Charles Cecil – Revolution Games :: "Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars". [[TED (conference).
- (2003). "''1UP'': BAFTA Game Awards Nominees".
- (25 February 2004). "''Revolution Software'' (Former website [2004], WayBack Machine)". Revolution Software.
- (2004). "4th Annual ''Game Developers Choice Awards''". [[Game Developers Choice Awards]].
- (16 February 2010). "''Video Games Awards'' 2010". [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
- (5 February 2010). "''Adventure Gamers'': 2009 Aggie Award nominees". [[Adventure Gamers]].
- (2010). "''European Games Awards'' 2011 Winners". [[GamesCon.
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