Big Huge Games
American video game development studio known for strategy, role-playing, and mobile games.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Big Huge Games is an American video game development studio based in Timonium, Maryland. The company was incorporated in December 1999 and publicly announced in February 2000 by Brian Reynolds, Tim Train, David Inscore, and Jason Coleman. The founders brought complementary experience from the strategy-game industry: Reynolds was known for design work on Civilization II and Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri and for co-founding Firaxis Games, while Train, Inscore, and Coleman focused respectively on production, art direction, and engineering. Their initial ambition was to bring the systemic depth and conceptual richness associated with turn-based strategy games into real-time strategy. The studio's first major release, Rise of Nations, arrived in 2003. It combined territorial expansion, economic development, technological progression, diplomacy, and real-time military operations across a broad historical timeline. The game was critically acclaimed and became the company's defining early property, with reported lifetime sales exceeding two million units. Big Huge Games followed it with the Rise of Nations: Thrones and Patriots expansion in 2004 and a Gold Edition. In 2006, the company released Rise of Legends, a fantasy and steampunk-themed real-time strategy game. Although reviewers responded positively, its commercial performance was weaker, and it was the studio's last full-scale original PC real-time strategy title for many years. During the period after Rise of Legends, Big Huge Games worked on several projects outside its principal franchise. These included Catan Live, an Xbox Live adaptation of Klaus Teuber's board game The Settlers of Catan, and Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties, an expansion developed for Microsoft. The studio then shifted toward role-playing games. Ken Rolston, lead designer of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, joined as lead designer on a new role-playing project. The project ultimately became Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, a single-player fantasy role-playing game created with contributions from R. A. Salvatore and Todd McFarlane and released in 2012 for Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. Ownership and corporate control changed repeatedly. THQ acquired Big Huge Games in January 2008. In 2009, during the global economic downturn, THQ announced that it would close the studio unless a buyer could be found. 38 Studios acquired the developer in May 2009 and retained part of its workforce. Following the release of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, 38 Studios and Big Huge Games suffered a severe financial crisis, and the studio's staff was laid off in May 2012. A substantial portion of former employees subsequently participated in the short-lived Epic Baltimore and Impossible Studios initiatives. Big Huge Games was revived in 2013 by Reynolds and Train after they reacquired the Big Huge Games trademark at an auction associated with the 38 Studios bankruptcy. The revived company recruited former employees and new collaborators and shifted its focus toward mobile strategy. Its first major post-revival title, DomiNations, launched on iOS and Android in April 2015 and was published through Nexon's mobile-games organization. The game combines city building, technological advancement, historical eras, resource management, alliances, and competitive warfare. Nexon acquired Big Huge Games in March 2016, retaining the studio to operate DomiNations and develop additional titles. The studio later released Arcane Showdown, a competitive fantasy strategy game, on mobile platforms and Steam in 2020. The game was discontinued in May 2021. Big Huge Games remains associated with Nexon and is best understood as a strategy-focused development studio whose work spans traditional PC real-time strategy, console and PC role-playing, and long-running free-to-play mobile games.
History
Big Huge Games was incorporated in December 1999 and announced publicly in February 2000. It was founded by Brian Reynolds, Tim Train, David Inscore, and Jason Coleman, who had previously worked in or around the strategy-game industry. The founders divided responsibilities across design, production, art, and engineering. Reynolds was particularly associated with Civilization II, Alpha Centauri, and Firaxis Games. The new studio sought to adapt the depth of turn-based strategy into real-time play. Its debut, Rise of Nations, was released in 2003. The historical real-time strategy game used a broad chronology and linked economic, technological, territorial, and military systems. It became a critical and commercial success, reportedly exceeding two million lifetime sales. Big Huge Games expanded the property with Rise of Nations: Thrones and Patriots in 2004, followed by a Gold Edition. Rise of Legends appeared in 2006 and moved the company into a fantasy and steampunk setting. Reviews were generally favorable, but sales were below expectations, and the company moved away from original PC real-time strategy as its primary development category. The studio subsequently worked on Catan Live, an Xbox Live adaptation of Klaus Teuber's board game, and Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties, an expansion for Microsoft's strategy series. In 2007, Ken Rolston joined as lead designer on a new role-playing game. The project was later announced for publication by THQ and became Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, a fantasy single-player role-playing game developed with creative contributions from R. A. Salvatore and Todd McFarlane. THQ acquired Big Huge Games on January 15, 2008. In March 2009, THQ said the studio faced closure unless a buyer could be found. 38 Studios acquired it on May 27, 2009, retaining about 70 employees. During the 38 Studios period, the team developed Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, which was released in February 2012 for Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 by 38 Studios and Electronic Arts. The broader 38 Studios enterprise later collapsed, and Big Huge Games' staff was laid off in May 2012. Some former employees joined Epic Baltimore, later renamed Impossible Studios, but that successor effort closed in February 2013. Reynolds and Train revived Big Huge Games in 2013 after reacquiring the trademark at an auction connected with the 38 Studios bankruptcy. Former employees and additional developers joined the reorganized company. The revived studio changed its emphasis to mobile strategy and developed DomiNations for smartphones and tablets. Nexon's mobile publishing organization released the game for iOS and Android in April 2015. DomiNations became the studio's principal live-service property and was reported to have surpassed 19 million downloads by March 2016. Nexon announced its acquisition of Big Huge Games on March 9, 2016. The studio continued operating DomiNations while developing other projects. Arcane Showdown, a fantasy strategy title, launched on mobile and Steam in 2020 but was discontinued on May 29, 2021. Throughout its history, the company has used an internally developed Big Huge Engine, supporting systems such as artificial intelligence, physics, animation, and related game technologies. The studio remains associated with Nexon and continues to develop and operate games.
- 2021
Arcane Showdown shut down
[1]The game was discontinued on May 29.
- 2020
Arcane Showdown launched
[1]The studio released a fantasy competitive strategy game on mobile and Steam.
- 2016
Nexon acquisition announced
[1]Nexon acquired Big Huge Games and retained the team for ongoing development.
- 2015
DomiNations launched
[1]The studio entered mobile live-service strategy with DomiNations on iOS and Android.
- 2013
Studio revived
[1]Reynolds and Train re-established the company with alumni and new partners.
- 2012
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning released
[1]The studio released its large-scale fantasy role-playing game in February.
- 2012
Studio staff laid off
[1]The collapse of 38 Studios led to the layoff of Big Huge Games' entire staff in May.
- 2009
38 Studios acquisition
[1]38 Studios acquired the developer after THQ sought an outside buyer.
- 2008
THQ acquisition completed
[1]THQ acquired Big Huge Games in January.
- 2006
Rise of Legends released
[1]Big Huge Games released a fantasy and steampunk real-time strategy game.
Products and positioning
A strategy-led game developer that applies systems-heavy design to historical, fantasy, role-playing, and mobile formats.
Real-time strategy game · 2003
Rise of Nations
Released in 2003, Rise of Nations is a historical real-time strategy game built around the development of civilizations across multiple eras. Players manage cities, resources, technology, territory, diplomacy, and military forces in a unified progression system. Its combination of empire-building and immediate battlefield control established Big Huge Games as a leading strategy developer of the early 2000s.
Strategy expansion · 2004
Rise of Nations: Thrones and Patriots
This 2004 expansion added new nations, campaigns, scenarios, and gameplay systems to Rise of Nations. It extended the original historical framework while preserving the core combination of economic development, territorial expansion, technological research, and real-time combat.
Fantasy and steampunk real-time strategy game · 2006
Rise of Legends
Released in 2006, Rise of Legends departed from the historical setting of its predecessor for a fantasy world incorporating steampunk concepts. It retained the studio's emphasis on faction differentiation, resource management, technological progression, and real-time warfare, but its commercial performance was weaker than Rise of Nations.
Console board-game adaptation
Catan Live
Catan Live was an Xbox Live adaptation of Klaus Teuber's board game The Settlers of Catan. The project required a console-oriented interface and computer opponents, with design input from Teuber and Brian Reynolds.
Real-time strategy expansion · 2007
Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties
Big Huge Games contributed to this expansion for Microsoft's Age of Empires III. The project broadened the series with Asian civilizations and related campaigns and systems, demonstrating the studio's ability to work within an established strategy franchise.
Single-player role-playing game · 2012
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is a fantasy role-playing game released in 2012 for Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. Big Huge Games developed the title with world-building contributions from R. A. Salvatore and character and visual contributions from Todd McFarlane. The game represented the studio's move from strategy into a large-scale action-oriented role-playing format.
Mobile historical strategy game · 2015
DomiNations
DomiNations is a free-to-play mobile strategy game released for iOS and Android in 2015. It combines settlement construction, resource management, technological research, historical-era progression, alliances, and player-versus-player warfare. The title became the central product of the revived studio and remained under active operation and feature development after Nexon's acquisition.
Fantasy competitive strategy game · 2020
Arcane Showdown
Arcane Showdown was a competitive fantasy strategy game released on mobile platforms and Steam in 2020. It extended Big Huge Games' strategy expertise into a cross-platform, service-oriented format, but the game was discontinued in May 2021.
Game engine
Big Huge Engine
The Big Huge Engine was an internally developed technology platform used during the studio's early history, including in Rise of Nations and Catan-related work. It supported systems such as artificial intelligence, physics, animation, and other game-development technologies.
Brand decisions
2016
Join NexonM&ABackground
DomiNations had become a successful mobile title and required continued operation and development.
Action taken
Nexon acquired Big Huge Games and kept the studio focused on DomiNations and future games.
Aftermath
Big Huge Games became part of Nexon's game-development portfolio and subsequently released Arcane Showdown.
2013
Revive the studio around mobile strategyStrategyBackground
After the 2012 collapse of 38 Studios, Brian Reynolds, Tim Train, alumni, and new partners re-established the Big Huge Games name.
Action taken
The revived company prioritized a strategy game for smartphones and tablets rather than returning immediately to large-scale PC or console development.
Aftermath
The strategy produced DomiNations, which became the studio's principal live-service title and led to Nexon's acquisition.
2009
Accept acquisition by 38 StudiosM&ABackground
THQ had stated that the studio could close unless an outside buyer was found during a period of difficult economic conditions.
Action taken
38 Studios acquired Big Huge Games in May and retained a portion of its employees.
Aftermath
The studio continued development and produced Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, but the parent company later collapsed and the studio's workforce was laid off in 2012.
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