Super X Studios

Super X Studios was an American game development studio that specialised primarily in the creation of strategy, simulation and nature-themed games. Its portfolio included titles for both PC and consoles, and during its existence the studio ventured into several distinctly different game genres.

One of the studio’s first well-known projects was Far Gate, a real-time space strategy game released for PC in 2001. The game adapted the principles of classic RTS games to a three-dimensional space setting, where players built bases, gathered resources and commanded fleets of spaceships.

A significant part of Super X Studios’ output consisted of games focused on nature and wildlife. Among the best known is Wild Earth: African Safari, which takes players into the African wilderness in the role of a photographer.

Rather than hunting or traditional combat, Wild Earth focuses on observing and photographing animals. Players explore the African environment, search for various species of animals and try to take the required photographs. The game thus offers a more tranquil and educational take on a virtual safari.

Wild Earth also appeared on the Nintendo Wii, where it utilised the console’s motion controls and allowed players to explore the African landscape and observe animals in their natural habitat.

Another project was Wildlife Tycoon: Venture Africa, a strategy and management game focused on creating a functioning African ecosystem. The player looks after the environment, plants and individual animal species, and must ensure the conditions necessary for their survival.

This idea was further developed in Wildlife Tycoon: Venture Arctic, which transferred a similar concept to an Arctic setting and introduced different animal species as well as distinct conditions for building an ecosystem.

Super X Studios was particularly notable for its combination of classic game mechanics with natural history and educational elements. Its games often featured less conventional themes than traditional action or sports titles.

Thanks to games such as Far Gate, Wild Earth: African Safari, Wildlife Tycoon: Venture Africa and Venture Arctic, Super X Studios ranks among the most interesting smaller American developers from the turn of the 1990s and the first decade of the 21st century.