{{short description|American video game developer}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}{{Use American English|date=January 2017}}{{Infobox company | name = Renegade Kid LLC | logo = RenegadeKid.png | type = Private | industry = Video games | fate = Dissolved | successors = {{Unbulleted list|Atooi|Infitizmo}} | founded = {{Start date and age|2007}} | founders = {{Unbulleted list|Gregg Hargrove|Jools Watsham}} | defunct = {{End date|2016|08|29}} | hq_location_city = Austin, Texas | hq_location_country = U.S. | key_people = {{Unbulleted list|Gregg Hargrove|Jools Watsham}} | website = {{URL|https://www.renegadekid.com/|renegadekid.com}} }}
'''Renegade Kid LLC''' was an American independent video game developer based in Austin, Texas. The studio was founded in 2007 by Gregg Hargrove and Jools Watsham, video game development veterans formerly of Iguana Entertainment. Well known for their distinctive style of game design, it served as a pioneer in developing indie games prior to its closure in 2016. Watsham currently owns all rights of its output and continues to develop games under the brand '''Atooi'''.
== History == Prior to founding Renegade Kid, Gregg Hargrove and Jools Watsham had been working together for 12–13 years, starting at Iguana Entertainment.<ref name="Gamasutra">{{cite web |url=https://gamasutra.com/view/news/105207/QA_Renegade_Kid_Talks_DS_Tech_Independence.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512104628/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/105207/QA_Renegade_Kid_Talks_DS_Tech_Independence.php |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 12, 2012 |title=Q&A: Renegade Kid Talks DS Tech, Independence |first=Jason |last=Dobson |date=June 8, 2007 |website=Gamasutra}}</ref> The two launched Renegade Kid in early 2007.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.engadget.com/2008/04/14/joystiq-interview-renegade-kid-versus-the-moon/ |title=Joystiq interview: Renegade Kid versus the Moon |first=Jason |last=Dobson |date=April 14, 2008 |website=Engadget}}</ref> Hargrove and Watsham incorporated their expertise in Nintendo 64 (N64) game development into Renegade Kid's projects, and Watsham described the Nintendo DS, which would become the studio's primary target platform, as "basically a portable N64".<ref name="NWR">{{cite web |url=http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/29232/developer-spotlight-renegade-kid |title=Developer Spotlight: Renegade Kid |first=Neal |last=Ronaghan |date=February 10, 2012 |website=Nintendo World Report}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.siliconera.com/2010/05/26/developing-for-a-portable-nintendo-64-a-renegade-kid-interview/ |title=Developing For A Portable Nintendo 64: A Renegade Kid Interview |author=Ishaan |date=May 26, 2010 |website=Siliconera}}</ref> The studio's first game, ''Dementium: The Ward'', was announced on March 5, 2007, and found Gamecock Media Group as its publisher by June.<ref name="Gamasutra" /><ref name="NWR" /> At that time, Renegade Kid had three employees.<ref name="Gamasutra" />
In March 2012, Renegade Kid and Gamescribe jointly announced PitchWinPlay, a competition in which people could pitch their game ideas to the two companies, the winning entry would be developed as a game for the Nintendo eShop.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2012/03/pitchwinplay_competition_announced |title=pitchWinPLAY Competition Announced |first=Corbie |last=Dillard |date=March 23, 2012 |website=Nintendo Life}}</ref> However, the following July, Gamescribe announced that it was shutting down and PitchWinPlay was canceled.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gamezone.com/news/well-this-sucks-renegade-kid-s-game-dev-contest-shuts-down/ |title=Well, this sucks: Renegade Kid's game dev contest shuts down |first=David |last=Sanchez |date=July 24, 2012 |website=GameZone}}</ref> Also in 2012, Renegade Kid released ''Mutant Mudds'', the first game it funded and published on its own. Afterward, Renegade Kid went back to cooperating with publishers. The studio arranged a publishing deal for a licensed game in which the publisher would grant Renegade Kid a budget of {{US$|500,000|link=yes}} but only allocated {{US$|125,000|long=no}} of those, keeping the remaining {{US$|375,000|long=no}} locked down until the later stages of the game's development. This meant that any financial risk the publisher could have faced would have been shifted to the developer instead. Renegade Kid rejected the deal and, from that point on, turned its business model entirely to indie game development.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://indiegamesplus.com/2013/04/how_a_bad_publisher_deal_made_ |title=How a bad publisher deal made Mutant Mudds dev Renegade Kid go indie |first1=Jools |last1=Watsham |first2=Konstantinos |last2=D. |date=April 18, 2013 |website=Indie Games Plus}}</ref>
Renegade Kid's 2014 game ''Moon Chronicles'' sold poorly and the studio struggled to survive. The situation stabilized following the release of ''Xeodrifter'', but running the studio still proved to be a financial challenge for Hargrove and Watsham. As a result, the two decided to split up.<ref name="NLife">{{cite web |url=http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2016/08/feature_the_reasons_for_renegade_kids_closure_and_whats_next_for_its_co-founders |title=Feature: The Reasons for Renegade Kid's Closure and What's Next For Its Co-Founders |first=Thomas |last=Whitehead |date=August 29, 2016 |website=Nintendo Life}}</ref> On August 29, 2016, Renegade Kid announced that it was shutting down. The intellectual property rights were divided between the companies set up by Hargrove and Watsham independently: Atooi, founded by Watsham in 2015, obtained the rights for Renegade Kid's two-dimensional games (including ''Mutant Mudds'' and the then-in-development ''Treasurenauts''), while Infitizmo, which was established in 2016 by Hargrove, received the three-dimensional titles (including ''Dementium'' and ''Moon Chronicles'').<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/one-studio-becomes-two-as-i-xeodrifter-i-dev-renegade-kid-shuts-down |title=One studio becomes two as ''Xeodrifter'' dev Renegade Kid shuts down |first=Alex |last=Wawro |date=August 29, 2016 |website=Gamasutra}}</ref> Five games from the former were included in a compilation video game for the Nintendo 3DS, titled ''Atooi Collection''<ref>{{cite web |last1=Craddock |first1=Ryan |title=Atooi Collection Keeps The 3DS Alive By Throwing Five Games On One Physical Cart |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2019/06/atooi_collection_keeps_the_3ds_alive_by_throwing_five_games_on_one_physical_cart |website=Nintendo Life |access-date=14 September 2021 |date=11 June 2019}}</ref> and released on August 7, 2020<ref>{{cite web |title=Official website |url=https://www.atooi.com/atooicollection |website=Atooi |access-date=14 September 2021}}</ref> by Limited Run Games as the 3DS' final physical title prior to Nintendo's official discontinuation of the system.
In September 2018, Hargrove died of pancreatic cancer.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Watsham |first1=Jools |title=It saddens me to share the news that we have lost a great friend. Gregg Hargrove passed away yesterday after a valiant battle with pancreatic cancer. The world is a better place because Gregg was in it. I will miss him dearly and cherish our friendship. |url=https://twitter.com/joolswatsham/status/1042056762906566656?lang=en |website=Twitter |access-date=16 September 2021}}</ref> Watsham negotiated with Hargrove's widow to acquire Infitizmo's intellectual properties and subsequently released remasters of the ''Dementium'' games.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reynolds |first=Ollie |date=2023-09-30 |title="We Wouldn’t Give The Silent Hill IP To A Team Like Yours" - Dementium: The Ward's Origins And Switch Return |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/features/we-wouldnrt-give-the-silent-hill-ip-to-a-team-like-yours-dementium-the-wards-origins-and-switch-return |access-date=2025-03-05 |website=Nintendo Life |language=en-GB}}</ref>
== Games == {| class="wikitable sortable" ! Year ! Title ! Platform(s) ! Publisher(s) |- | 2007 | ''Dementium: The Ward'' | rowspan="4" | Nintendo DS | Gamecock Media Group, SouthPeak Games |- | 2009 | ''Moon'' | Mastiff, Gamebridge |- | 2010 | ''Dementium II'' | SouthPeak Games |- | rowspan="2" | 2011 | ''ATV Wild Ride'' | Destineer |- | ''Face Racers: Photo Finish'' | Nintendo 3DS | Majesco Entertainment |- | rowspan="3" | 2012 | ''Mutant Mudds'' | iOS, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 3DS | rowspan="2" | Renegade Kid |- | ''Bomb Monkey'' | rowspan="3" | Nintendo 3DS |- | ''Planet Crashers'' | UTV Ignition Games |- | rowspan="2" | 2013 | ''ATV Wild Ride 3D'' | rowspan="3" | Renegade Kid |- | ''Mutant Mudds Deluxe'' | iOS, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Wii U |- | rowspan="2" | 2014 | ''Moon Chronicles'' | Nintendo 3DS |- | ''Xeodrifter'' | Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Wii U | Renegade Kid, Gambitious Digital Entertainment, Atooi |- | 2015 | ''Dementium Remastered'' | Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 | rowspan="2" | Renegade Kid, Atooi |- | 2016 | ''Mutant Mudds Super Challenge'' | Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Wii U |- | 2017 | ''ATV Renegades'' | PlayStation 4, Xbox One | Nighthawk Interactive |}
=== Unreleased === * ''Demon's Crest'' (Game Boy Advance)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2016/03/renegade_kid_once_pitched_a_gba_port_of_demons_crest_to_capcom_but_was_rebuffed |title=Renegade Kid Once Pitched A GBA Port Of Demon's Crest To Capcom, But Was Rebuffed |first=Damien |last=McFerran |date=March 14, 2016 |website=Nintendo Life}}</ref> * ''Son of the Dragon'' (Wii)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://gamasutra.com/view/news/113261/Renegade_Kid_Cancels_Son_of_the_Dragon.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510203515/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/113261/Renegade_Kid_Cancels_Son_of_the_Dragon.php |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 10, 2012 |title=Renegade Kid Cancels ''Son of the Dragon'' |first=Eric |last=Caoili |date=February 13, 2009 |website=Gamasutra}}</ref> * ''Crash Landed'' (Nintendo DS)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.engadget.com/2013/01/11/renegade-kids-lost-crash-bandicoot-ds-prototype-revealed/ |title=Renegade Kid's lost Crash Bandicoot DS prototype revealed |first=JC |last=Fletcher |date=January 11, 2013 |website=Engadget}}</ref> * ''Maximilian and the Rise of the Mutant Mudds'' (Nintendo DS)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2011/01/mudds_wont_be_making_a_splash_on_dsiware_after_all |title=MUDDS Won't Be Making a Splash on DSiWare After All |first=James |last=Newton |date=January 12, 2011 |website=Nintendo Life}}</ref> * ''Razor Global Domination Pro Tour'' (PlayStation 4, Wii U, Xbox One)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.polygon.com/2014/2/26/5450914/razor-global-domination-pro-tour-headed-to-consoles-in-2015 |title=Razor Global Domination Pro Tour headed to consoles in 2015 |first=Megan |last=Farokhmanesh |date=February 26, 2014 |website=Polygon}}</ref> * ''Cult County'' (macOS, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 3DS, Linux, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, Xbox One)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.polygon.com/2014/4/16/5621372/cult-county-launch-nintendo-3ds-renegade-kid |title=Cult County to launch on Nintendo 3DS if minimum crowdfunding goal is met |first=Megan |last=Farokhmanesh |date=April 16, 2014 |website=Polygon}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/05/cult_county_kickstarter_ends_without_success_developer_discussing_other_options |title=Cult County Kickstarter Ends Without Success, Developer "Discussing Other Options" |first=Thomas |last=Whitehead |date=May 3, 2014 |website=Nintendo Life}}</ref> * ''Dementium II Remastered'' (Nintendo 3DS)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2016/01/dementium_remastered_targets_a_february_release_in_europe_and_australia_dementium_ii_remastered_nears_completion |title=Dementium Remastered Targets a February Release in Europe and Australia, Dementium II Remastered Nears Completion |first=Thomas |last=Whitehead |date=January 22, 2016 |website=Nintendo Life}}</ref>
== External links == * {{Official website|https://www.renegadekid.com/}}
== References == {{Reflist}}
Category:Companies based in Austin, Texas Category:Defunct companies based in Texas Category:American companies established in 2007 Category:American companies disestablished in 2016 Category:Video game companies established in 2007 Category:Video game companies disestablished in 2016 Category:Defunct video game companies of the United States Category:Video game development companies Category:2007 establishments in Texas Category:2016 disestablishments in Texas