Studio 33

Studio 33 was a British development studio founded in 1988 in Liverpool. It was one of Europe’s most experienced developers of racing and sports games and, over more than twenty years, created dozens of titles for the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Xbox, PC and other consoles.

It achieved its greatest success with the World Championship Snooker series, which featured licensed players, realistic ball physics and the authentic atmosphere of professional snooker. The Ford Racing series was also hugely popular, allowing players to try out dozens of historic and modern Ford cars on tracks around the world.

The studio was also behind the official World Rally Championship (WRC) games for the first-generation PlayStation console, which were among the highest-rated rally games of their time. Other well-known titles include CT Special Forces, Micro Machines V4, Surf’s Up, Super Pocket Tennis and International Snooker Championship.

Studio 33 was renowned for its high-quality technical execution, sophisticated driving physics and expertise in developing licensed sports and racing games. It collaborated over many years with major publishers such as Sony Computer Entertainment, Empire Interactive, Eidos Interactive, Ubisoft and Zoo Digital.

Thanks to games such as World Championship Snooker, Ford Racing, World Rally Championship and a host of other titles, Studio 33 ranks among the leading British studios that have made a significant mark on the history of sports and racing video games.