Stormfront Studios

Background

In 1993, Beyond Software was reorganized and it was renamed to Stormfront Studios. The company began developing console games in addition to designing computer games, like the NASCAR series, as well as the PC versions of the Madden NFL series. The company went into trouble, and it was defunct in 2008, after working on the game version of The Spiderwick Chronicles.

1st Logo (1993-1996)

Visuals: On a black background, there is the text "STORMFRONT STUDIOS" in a futuristic font with an outline. A bolt of lightning strikes the text, and then the text flashes to morph into a plain thunder image on a dark blue box.

Variants:

A still version exists.
On La Russa Baseball 95 and Mario Andretti Racing for Genesis, it has "PRESENT" shown below the logo.
Starting in 1995, the logo was given an enhanced look and the text is now in a Futura font.
On Madden NFL Football Limited Edition for the DOS, the logo is on a white background, and the text is sky blue.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A harsh thunder sound. Starting in 1995, it was accompanied by a piano theme with some chimes. The still version is silent, or has the game's opening theme playing over.

Availability: Appeared on Stronghold and Tony La Russa Baseball series as well as the DOS version of ESPN Baseball Tonight, the Eagle Eye Mysteries games, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Harbinger.

2nd Logo (September 6, 1996-September 30, 1997)

Visuals: Over a cloudy sky with mountains in the desert, lightning happens. The image then turns dark, as the same image from the last logo flips in, but in yellow flips in as the 3D words "STORMFRONT" and "STUDIOS" flips in from behind the desert. Lightning flashes, and the image of the lightning bolt fills in as the background turns black, and the box turns blue

Technique: CGI.

Audio: Sounds of thunder along with a humming choir.

Availability: Seen on Andretti Racing, NASCAR 98, Tony La Russa Baseball 4, and Byzantine: The Betrayal.

3rd Logo (September 24, 2001-September 14, 2004)

Visuals: On a black background, there is the same lightning box as in the last two logos, but this time textured in blue zooming out rapidly and then the box rotates several times while the logo zooms out. The logo stops, while the lightning box fills in from a lightning effect, and the text "STORMFRONT STUDIOS" in the same font as the logo wipes in from a lightning effect.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A dramatic tune, with some lightning sounds.

Availability: Seen on the following four games: Blood Wake, Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor, Lord of the Rings: the Two Towers and Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone.

4th Logo (November 14, 2006-February 6, 2008)

Visuals: On a sky background, there is black and white footage of electricity over a plant. A light hits on top, followed by some buildings that zoom out from a black and white tinted lab, which was followed by the outside view of a lab with a TV test pattern inside, and then cuts to the Stormfront logo from the last logos. The lab explodes as the camera moves to a light blue tinted scan of the lightning box from the last logos via a flash effect. The flash disappears, and the colors from the last logo appear as a white line flashes from the bottom, which turns into the text "STORMFRONT STUDIOS" in a plain font.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: Electric sounds, followed by a buzzing, then a synth theme with a chime when the text appears.

Availability: Seen on Eragon and The Spiderwick Chronicles.

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Stormfront Studios