DICE Canada

Background
DICE Canada was formerly known as "Sandbox Studios", a Canadian children-oriented and casual game developer that was formed in 1998 by former developers of Utopia Technologies. In April 2001, it was acquired by Digital Illusions Creative Entertainment (DICE) and was given their moniker. When EA completed the buyout of DICE in 2006, this subsidiary was shut down.

1st Logo (May 19, 2000)


Logo: On a beach, we pan near a pail and a sandcastle to see a sand sculpture of a dinosaur. It suddenly comes to life as we see a dinosaur underneath it escaping from the sand, crushing it and running away. We zoom downwards and turn to a sandly plate with two handprints and "sandbox studios" written over it. The plate rotates a bit clockwise, then fades out.

Technique: In-game animation of the dinosaur and other elements (birds etc).

Music/Sounds: Various ambient sounds and the dinosaur roaring, ending in a synth note.

Availability: Seen on Disney's Dinosaur for PS1.

2nd Logo (November 13-December 1, 2000)


Logo: On a black background, we see an -outlined rectangular box with a picture of a sandbox with two handprints in it above, and the childish-looking text "sandbox studios" underneath.

Technique: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Seen on The Emperor's New Groove and Hoyle Card Games for Game Boy Color.

3rd Logo (May 23, 2001)


Logo: Zooming into a stadium, we see a lacrosse player (a kind of sport with ball and stick) playing with the ball. He hits the ball, making it fly and smash the screen. There is a picture of a handprint on the ball's surface, with the name "sandbox studios" written in the center. The background remains.

Trivia: The Acclaim Sports logo appears on the walls, if one looks closely into the background.

Technique: In-game motion of the player and the ball.

Music/Sounds: Public shouting with a rock entry, which then fades out.

Availability: Seen on Blast Lacrosse.

4th Logo (June 1, 2001)


Logo: We see an underground car park, where a car hastily escapes the police patrol. One of the police cars loses control, bumps the wall and gets close to the screen, with the Sandbox logo attached to its rear bumper.

Technique: Animation of the cars.

Music/Sounds: Sounds of braking and police siren, slowing down at the end.

Availability: Only seen on Matchbox Emergency Patrol.

(2001-2006)


Logo: On a background, we see the standard DICE logo, except "canada" is seen below "diCe", and the dot in the center of the logo is replaced by a maple leaf.

Technique: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Seen on Barbie: Gotta Have Games for PS1, and on some Game Boy games with a white background. This doesn't appear on home console ports, as they use the normal DICE logo. A hint for those who want to see it: DICE Canada mainly produced licensed games, and the name of the division is mentioned in the game credits.