Z-Axis Ltd.
The final Z-Axis Games logo
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| Subsidiary of Activision | |
| Industry | Computer and video games |
| Founded | 1994 |
| Defunct | February 11, 2010 |
| Headquarters | Redwood Shores, California |
| Owner | Activision Blizzard |
| Parent | Activision |
| Website | Underground Development Homepage |
Underground Development (formerly known as Z-Axis Games) was a video game developer founded in 1994 by David Luntz. The first game they began developing was Madden NFL '96 for the Sega Genesis. The studio continued to make primarily sports and extreme sport games for the rest of its career. The first extreme sports game Z-Axis created was Thrasher: Skate and Destroy, published by Rockstar Games.
They were later acquired by Activision in May 2002, and in 2005 Z-Axis relocated to Foster City, California. In early 2008, the studio was renamed to Underground Development in response to changes in both direction and personnel. On April 19, 2008, parent company Activision announced that the studio would close after completing development on the PlayStation 3 version of Enemy Territory: Quake Wars. However, the studio remained open and moved to a new office in the Redwood Shores area of Redwood City, California in February 2009.
Activision closed the studio on February 11, 2010 as part of a cost-cutting plan under Vivendi. Many of the members have since relocated to Visceral Games and Sledgehammer Games.
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