StarCitizen:Digital Anvil

Template:InfoboxNeue Digital Anvil was a video game studio founded April 8, 1996 with funding from Microsoft and Advanced Micro Devices by brothers Chris Roberts and StarCitizen:Erin Roberts, along with StarCitizen:Tony Zurovec, StarCitizen:Marten Davies, StarCitizen:Craig Cox, StarCitizen:John Miles, StarCitizen:Eric Peterson and StarCitizen:Robert Rodriguez.

History

Origins

Chris Roberts wanted to make (not specifically direct) movies so he built Digital Anvil specifically as a movie FX company to make the Wing Commander movie. He loved his experience directing the Wing Commander games and recognized that CG VFX was about to boil over.<ref name=":4">Reddit comment by banditloaf, reddit.com, August 21 2026</ref><ref name=":3" /> Chris started working on the Wing Commander movie in 1995 in parallel with StarCitizen:Wing Commander IV. The plan at the time was that he would keep making games such as StarCitizen:Silverheart for Origin Systems and that he would also start Digital Anvil to do movie-level FX for Wing Commander.<ref name=":5">Reddit comment by banditloaf, reddit.com, 28 August 2026</ref><ref name=":4" />

Digital Anvil's first project was a short film, which was shown at SXSW, meant to build their render pipeline and prove they could make the Wing Commander movie.<ref name=":3" /><ref>Wing Commander - Preproduction Promo Trailer, Wing Commander CIC, Youtube, 11 Cctober 2020</ref><ref>Wing Commander - Preproduction Promo Trailer, Wing Commander CIC, reupload, 11 october 2020</ref>

He reached an impasse with Electronic Arts because he didn't want to make a yearly Wing Commander game for the duration of his next contract.<ref name=":3">Moron Writes Article, wcnews.com, 2025-12-09</ref> Meanwhile Electronic Arts which had acquired Origin Systems wouldn't give the flexibility needed to produce the kind of games the Origin team wanted to make. Several new game ideas like StarCitizen:Silverheart got rejected while sequels were favored. Nor was EA interested in the film business.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":1">Interview with Martin Galway, Back in Time, C64.com circa 1998</ref>

He ultimately left Origin and focused solely on the Wing Commander movie.<ref name=":5" />

His non-compete expired just around when the company laid off some of his senior team members from the old Maverick group... and so the plan to have Digital Anvil also make games was born and pitched to companies like Microsoft.<ref name=":4" /> Consequently Chris Roberts left StarCitizen:Origin Systems to be in a smaller more focused company and group, to do a small number of high quality games a year, and to know everyone who was walking down the corridor. He also wanted the ability to exploit universes and stories he created or that other people in the company created and take them to film or tv and be small enough to react.<ref name=":0" />

A number of Origin Systems employees went on to work for Digital Anvil, including StarCitizen:Chris Olivia, StarCitizen:Tony Zurovec or StarCitizen:Martin Galway who joined Digital Anvil shortly after it was founded and was responsible for the audio on all of the games.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite RSI</ref> Staff from the Strike Commander, Wing Commander and Privateer teams all moved over to Digital Anvil.

Chris Roberts who was Chairman and CEO<ref>Ascendant pictures: Chris Roberts</ref> wanted a name that would say old world craftsmanship and new world technology, therefore a forge or an anvil.<ref name=":0">Wing Commander combat information center, phone interview with Chris Roberts by Hadrian, 1999</ref>

Acquisition by Microsoft

Microsoft was laying the foundation for XBox. They wanted to learn how to build gaming hardware and software and they placed their bet on the latter on Digital Anvil. Just like they turned hardware bets into production systems with products like their Sidewinder line to prep for their planned future, they wanted to grow studios that would be ready to go for Xbox, able to produce the first party titles that would sell the system. Microsoft was less interested in StarLancer and Conquest and the like than they were in having the talent and the cache to make, ultimately, Brute Force. Meanwhile, Digital Anvil was seeking financing and international distribution.<ref name=":3" />

Microsoft and AMD became equity investors.<ref>Chris Roberts, Point of No Return Entertainment, page 2, archived</ref> In June 2000, Microsoft started talks to buy Digital Anvil. Chris Roberts admitted that his team required large sums of money, which only a huge company could provide. The acquisition of Digital Anvil by Microsoft was completed on December 5th 2000.<ref>Microsoft to Acquire Digital Anvil, Microsoft, December 5, 2000</ref>

The Microsoft deal made Digital Anvil go from a VFX house to being a game developer, with the company doubling in size.<ref name=":1" /> Chris Roberts was making the Wing Commander movie when they made their deal, and it was explicitly structured into their deal. <ref name=":4" />

Microsoft bought Starlancer from Erin Roberts Warthog Games, on which Digital Anvil collaborated, specifically because Chris wasn't going to be available to do his game, Freelancer, until the Wing Commander movie was picture locked. They announced Starlancer, Conquest and Loose Cannon together. Chris finished the Wing Commander movie as planned and went into production on Freelancer immediately aftwards in February 1999.<ref name=":4" />

One of the consequences of Digital Anvil's purchase was a reshuffling of titles being developed. Of all the projects being produced, only Freelancer escaped major change. Chris Roberts left the company after the Microsoft takeover, but still worked as a consultant on Freelancer.

Besides working on the visual effects of the 1999 Wing Commander movie, Digital Anvil also worked on several others, including Spy Kids.<ref>"Digital Anvil Visual Effects (VFX) also completed almost all of the 300 VFX shots for the film. Additionally DA VFX completed several sequences on Robert Rodriguez' blockbuster children's action adventure film Spy Kids.", Point of No Return Entertainment, archived</ref>

In 2001, Digital Anvil revealed a lighter Freelancer to the press. Although some of the more ambitious elements were dropped, this act proved Freelancer was not vaporware as some claimed. In March 2003, Freelancer was released and immediately became one of the month's top-selling games.

In May 2003, Digital Anvil released Brute Force for the StarCitizen:Xbox. The game also did quite well, setting first-month sales records for Xbox games. Starting from November 2005, Microsoft redeployed Digital Anvil employees to its own Microsoft Studios headquarters.<ref>Microsoft Confirms Closure Of Digital Anvil, gamedeveloper.com, December 2, 2005</ref>

Digital Anvil was officially dissolved on January 31, 2006.<ref>Digital Anvil closes doors, Eurogamer, 2 Dec 2005</ref>

Trivia

• At the time, Robert Rodriguez was director and producer on movies such as El Mariachi, Desperado and From Dusk 'til Dawn.

See also

• [[StarCitizen::Category:Worked at Digital Anvil]]

References

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