{{Short description|British video game developer}}

{{Use British English|date=November 2017}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}}

{{Infobox company

| name = Lost Toys Ltd.

| logo = Lost Toys.png

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| fate = Dissolved

| predecessor = [[Bullfrog Productions]]

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| foundation = April 2000

| founders = {{unbulleted list|[[Glenn Corpes]]|Jeremy Longley|Darran Thomas}}

| defunct = {{end date|2004|11|04|df=yes}}

| location_city = [[Guildford]]

| location_country = England<ref name=Inside />

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| key_people = {{unbulleted list|[[Glenn Corpes]] ([[Director (business)|director]] and lead designer)<ref name=Inside />|Jeremy Longley ([[managing director]])<ref name="SCRPGS">{{cite web|author1=Justin Calvert|title=Lost Toys to work on Stunt Car Racer Pro|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/lost-toys-to-work-on-stunt-car-racer-pro/1100-6026300/|website=[[GameSpot]]|accessdate=4 November 2017|date=6 May 2003}}</ref>|Darran Thomas (director and head of art)<ref name=World /><ref name=Inside />}}

| industry = [[Interactive entertainment]]

| products = ''[[Ball Breakers]]''<br />''[[Battle Engine Aquila]]''

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| homepage = [https://web.archive.org/web/20030806160908/http://www.losttoys.com/ Official website]

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}}

'''Lost Toys Ltd.''' was a British [[video game developer]] founded in March 1999 by [[Glenn Corpes]], Jeremy Longley, and Darran Thomas, all of whom had previously worked for [[Bullfrog Productions]].<ref name=Audience/><ref name=Inside /> [[Les Edgar]] helped by providing financial support. Lost Toys was the third Bullfrog break-off group, after [[Mucky Foot Productions]] and [[Lionhead Studios]],<ref name=Audience /> and was founded due to disillusionment after [[Electronic Arts]] purchased Bullfrog.

The company produced two games: ''[[Ball Breakers]]'' (''Moho'' in Europe), and ''[[Battle Engine Aquila]]''. In May 2003, [[Geoff Crammond]] chose Lost Toys as a partner to develop ''Stunt Car Racer Pro''. Lost Toys closed on 2 October of the same year, and the game was never released.

== History ==

Thomas stated that Bullfrog's working culture changed considerably after Electronic Arts' takeover, and Corpes believed that is more efficient to develop games on one's own.<ref name=Inside>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]]|publisher=[[Future plc]]|title=Inside... Lost Toys|pages=38–42|issue=107|date=February 2002|ISSN=1350-1593|location=Bath}}</ref> He also said that, with [[Mucky Foot Productions]] and [[Lionhead Studios]] running their own affairs the way Bullfrog used to, it was "quite embarrassing to still be working for the Borg".<ref name=Inside /> Alex Trowers, a designer at Bullfrog who joined Lost Toys, said that the reason people were leaving Bullfrog was "because it was EA, not Bullfrog", and that Lost Toys intended to go back to developing games for its own sake rather than to keep shareholders satisfied.<ref name=Inside /> Corpes also commented that Lost Toys was partially his take on what Bullfrog was, as opposed to Mucky Foot, which he said was Guy Simmons, Mike Diskett, and Fin McGechie's take, and Lionhead, which he said was [[Peter Molyneux]]'s take.<ref name=World>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[PC Zone]]|publisher=[[Dennis Publishing]]|ISSN=0967-8220|pages=158–161|issue=88|date=April 2000|title=The World According To Lost Toys|location=London}}</ref> Longley believed that small teams (Corpes said that they intended to have a maximum of 20 employees<ref name=Audience />) were valuable to the gaming industry and that they could work creatively like Bullfrog.<ref name=Inside /> He also said that it was encouraging to see Mucky Foot and Lionhead break off from Bullfrog successfully.<ref name=Audience>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]]|publisher=[[Future plc]]|ISSN=1350-1593|department=Audience|pages=107–111|issue=71|date=May 1999|title=An Audience With Lost Toys|location=Bath}}</ref> Early on, [[Les Edgar]] provided financial support to the group.<ref name=Inside /><ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]]|publisher=[[Future plc]]|ISSN=1350-1593|department=Audience|pages=120–125|issue=74|date=August 1999|title=An Audience With Les Edgar|location=Bath}}</ref>

Lost Toys' first title, ''MoHo'' (known in North America as ''[[Ball Breakers]]''<ref>{{cite web|author1=Sam Bishop|title=Ball Breakers|url=http://uk.ign.com/articles/2000/08/29/ball-breakers|website=[[IGN]]|accessdate=4 November 2017|date=28 August 2000}}</ref>) was released by [[Take Two Interactive]] for the Sony [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] in August 2000 under the [[Rockstar Games|Rockstar]] label,<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]]|publisher=[[Future plc]]|title=Moho|department=Testscreen|pages=88, 89|issue=87|date=August 2000|ISSN=1350-1593|location=Bath}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author1=Yukiyoshi Ike Sato|title=Take Two to Publish Lost Toys|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/take-two-to-publish-lost-toys/1100-2541641/|website=[[GameSpot]]|accessdate=4 November 2017|date=26 April 2000}}</ref><ref name=IGNLTPS>{{cite web|title=Toys Lost on PS|url=http://uk.ign.com/articles/2000/03/03/toys-lost-on-ps|website=[[IGN]]|accessdate=4 November 2017|date=2 March 2000}}</ref> with PC and [[Sega Dreamcast]] versions following later that year.<ref>{{cite web|title=MoHo Review - Lost Toys' oddball action game reaches the PC - we check it out|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_moho_pc|website=[[Eurogamer]]|accessdate=4 November 2017|date=26 December 2000}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Coming Soon - November 2000|magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]|issue=136 |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]]|date=November 2000|issn=1058-918X|page=57|url=https://retrocdn.net/images/c/c0/EGM_US_136.pdf#page=63|accessdate=4 November 2017}}</ref> European president of Take Two, Kelly Summer, stated that they were impressed with the game's style and design, and that they had found "the best of the best" with Lost Toys.<ref name=IGNLTPS /> Corpes said that it was "a cool little game" and that it was inspired by ''[[Marble Madness]]''.<ref name=ChairGC /> In April 2000, Longley said that ''MoHo'' is "a next-generation game on a now-generation platform".<ref name=MoHoEG>{{cite web|author1=Tom Bramwell|title=MoHo|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/moho_psx_prev|website=[[Eurogamer]]|accessdate=4 November 2017|date=20 April 2000}}</ref> ''MoHo'' is targeted toward all gamers, and the minimal violence was in line with Bullfrog's philosophy.<ref name=MoHoEG /> By early 2002, Lost Toys had 17 employees.<ref name=Inside />

Lost Toys's second title, ''[[Battle Engine Aquila]]'' was released on the [[Xbox]] and [[PlayStation 2]] by [[Infogrames]] in January 2003.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]]|publisher=[[Future plc]]|ISSN=1350-1593|department=Testscreen|page=931|issue=119|date=January 2003|title=Battle Engine Aquila|location=Bath}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Battle Engine Aquila|url=http://uk.ign.com/games/battle-engine-aquila/ps2-17314|website=[[IGN]]|accessdate=4 November 2017}}</ref> According to ''[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]]'', Lost Toys' philosophy and small team structure influenced its inception.<ref name=BEAEdgeRev /> Longley said that Lost Toys were tempted to have it feature an apple with a worm, referring to ''[[Black & White (video game)|Black & White]]'' demos.<ref name=BEAEdgeRev>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]]|publisher=[[Future plc]]|title=Battle Engine Aquila|page=38|issue=111|date=June 2002|ISSN=1350-1593|location=Bath|department=Prescreen}}</ref> In May 2003, it was revealed that Lost Toys had created an enhanced version for [[NVIDIA]]'s [[GeForce FX 5900]] and signed an OEM deal,<ref>{{cite web|author1=Rob Fahley|title=Lost Toys sign NV35 OEM deal for Battle Engine|url=http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/lost-toys-sign-nv35-oem-deal-for-battle-engine|website=GamesIndustry.biz|accessdate=4 November 2017|date=20 May 2003}}</ref> and that [[Geoff Crammond]] has selected Lost Toys to be his company Simergy's partner in developing ''Stunt Car Racer Pro'', and would be responsible for its art and graphics.<ref name=SCRPGS /> Crammond chose Lost Toys because of their "proven track record of producing great multiformat titles on time and to budget".<ref name=SCRPGS /> In August, Encore signed a publishing deal with Lost Toys to publish the PC version of ''Battle Engine Aquila''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Encore Signs Publishing Agreement with Lost Toys|url=http://www.gamezone.com/news/encore_signs_publishing_agreement_with_lost_toys|website=GameZone|accessdate=4 November 2017|date=20 August 2003}}</ref> Corpes said that ''Battle Engine Aquila'' was "the best thing I ever worked on".<ref name=ChairGC>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Retro Gamer]]|publisher=[[Imagine Publishing]]|location=Bournemouth|ISSN=1742-3155|title=In The Chair With Glenn Corpes|pages=92–97|issue=160|date=October 2016}}</ref>

On 2 October of the same year, Lost Toys closed, and all staff were made redundant.<ref name="CloseIGN">{{cite web|author1=Andrew Burnes|title=Lost Toys Latest UK-Based Studio To Close|url=http://uk.ign.com/articles/2003/10/02/lost-toys-latest-uk-based-studio-to-close|website=[[IGN]]|accessdate=4 November 2017|date=2 October 2003}}</ref><ref name="CloseGI">{{cite web|author1=Rob Fahley|title=More UK development woe as Lost Toys shuts its doors|url=http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/more-uk-development-woe-as-lost-toys-shuts-its-doors|website=GamesIndustry.biz|accessdate=4 November 2017|date=2 October 2003}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author1=David Jenkins|title=Lost Toys Studio Closes|url=https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/93137/Lost_Toys_Studio_Closes.php|website=[[Gamasutra]]|accessdate=4 November 2017|date=2 October 2003}}</ref> ''Stunt Car Racer Pro'' was cancelled, and Crammond's business manager said it was "the best game he never sold".<ref name=ChairCrammond>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Retro Gamer]]|publisher=[[Imagine Publishing]]|location=Bournemouth|ISSN=1742-3155|title=In The Chair With Geoff Crammond|pages=82–89|issue=69}}</ref> According to Crammond, the game had reached a "working demo stage".<ref name=ChairCrammond />

== References ==

{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Defunct video game companies of the United Kingdom]]

[[Category:Video game companies established in 1999]]

[[Category:Video game companies disestablished in 2003]]

[[Category:Companies based in Guildford]]

[[Category:Defunct companies based in Surrey]]

[[Category:British companies established in 1999]]