Real world history/Pre-2000s

This page details the real world history of the MediEvil series and the studios behind it; from the inception of Millennium Interactive in 1989 up to the end of the year 1999 when the promotional push for MediEvil 2 began. For years after 1999, see 2000s, 2010s and 2020s.

Legend

• - Events related to E3. [hideshow]
• - Events related to Millennium Interactive. [hideshow]
• - Events related to MediEvil. [hideshow]
• - Events related to MediEvil 2. [hideshow]
• - Events related to Sony. [hideshow]
• - Events related to SCEE Cambridge Studio. [hideshow]

Timeline

1988

• Date unknown:
  • Millennium Interactive is co-founded by Michael Hayward and Ian Saunter. It is formed from the remnants of Logotron and initially focuses on distributing and publishing games picked up on an ad-hoc basis, usually from "bedroom independents."

1989

• July 27:
  •  Millennium Interactive is legally incorporated.

1990

• Date unknown:
  •  Jason Wilson begins working for Millennium as a freelancer.

1993

• Date unknown:
  • Jason Riley and Katie Sorrell (née Lea) join Millennium.
  • Millennium shifts its focus entirely towards game development and abandons its publishing arm.

• November:
  • Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) is established as a joint venture between Sony Corporation and Sony Music Entertainment Inc.

• November 9:
  • The registered office of Millennium Interactive is changed to Quern House, Mill Court in Great Shelford.

1994

• July:
  • Chris Sorrell leaves Vectordean and joins Millennium.

• May 18:
  • Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) is established, a division of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
• December 3:
  • The first PlayStation launches in Japan.

1995

• Date unknown:
  • Andrew Barnabas joins Millennium straight out of university.

• January 5:
  • Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) is established, as a division of Sony Electronic Publishing Ltd.

• September:
  • Paul Donovan joins Millennium.

• September 9:
  • The PlayStation launches in North America.
• September 29:
  • The PlayStation launches in Europe.

• December:
  • MediEvil is conceptualised by Chris Sorrell after he is finished working on The Snowman and Father Christmas edutainment games.

• December 8:
  • The Snowman and Father Christmas are released in Japan, for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn respectively.

• December 21:
  • Version 2.2 of the MediEvil Design Document is completed.

1996

• Date unknown:
  • Nina Kristensen and Mike Philbin join Millennium.

• January:
  •  MediEvil enters development, with art design being the main focus. Jason Wilson creates elaborate level design maps.
• February:
  • Matt Johnson, already a part of Millennium, joins the MediEvil development team.
• March:
  • James Busby joins the MediEvil development team.
• August:
  • MediEvil is discussed in an Edge magazine interview with Millennium's business development manager, Anil Malhotra. The game is said to be targeting both Windows 95 and the Sega Saturn.
• September:
  • Millennium secures Sony as MediEvil's publisher.
  • The PlayStation version of MediEvil enters development.
  • Development of the Windows 95 and Sega Saturn versions of MediEvil ceases.

• October 25:
  • Millennium Interactive is legally renamed to CyberLife Technology.
• November 11:
  • CyberLife Technology release Creatures. An image of Zarok can be found under the Windmill in Albia. This is due to Jason Riley being responsible for touching up the game's background model after it had been scanned in and digitised.

1997

• January:
  • SCEE launches the PlayStation Platinum software range.
• March 26:
  • SCEA launches the PlayStation Underground (PSU) Club along with a CD magazine of the same name.

• May 16:
  • This is the last day people could have pre-registered for the Electronic Entertainment Expo 1997 (E3 1997).
• June 2:
  • Admission badges to E3 1997 are mailed out around this time.
• June 19 - June 21:
  • A prototype version of MediEvil is playable at the third E3 in Atlanta, Georgia.
  • Sony throw an invite-only party on Friday 20th June at 7:30 PM, located at 311 Marietta Street.

• June 25:
  • Edge issue 47 goes on sale. It is bundled with Edge CD1, which contains some MediEvil footage.

• July 4:
  •  SCEE buys the Millennium game development studio from CyberLife Technology for about £6 million, due to their experience of working with the team through the preliminary months of MediEvil. The Sony Computer Entertainment Cambridge Studio is formed. At this time, the studio works on MediEvil to be published by SCEE, and Beast Wars and Frogger to be published by Hasbro.

• July 15:
  • Creatures is released in the United States of America.

• July 17:
  • Sony's acquisition of Millennium is covered by The Times.

• September 7 - September 9:
  • A pre-alpha version of MediEvil is available to play at the European Computer Trade Show (ECTS).
  • The Winter Releases '97 demo disc containing the MediEvil Rolling Demo is also given out at ECTS.
• December:
  • A preview of MediEvil is published in issue 50 of the Australian magazine Hyper.

1998

• January:
  •  Joypad CD Vol.4 - Les musiques de MediEvil is released in France with issue 71 of Joypad magazine.
• January 9:
  • MediEvil is classified as a PG game by the Australian Classification Board.

• April 24:
  • This was the deadline for discounted registration for the Electronic Entertainment Expo 1998.

• May 28:
  • SCEA publish a press release about MediEvil in North America, announcing the game's October release date.

• May 28 - May 30:
  • A demo of MediEvil is playable at the fourth E3 in Atlanta, Georgia.
  • Sony throw an invite-only party on Friday 29th May at 7:30 PM, located at 311 Marietta Street.

• June:
  • PlayStation Underground Volume 2.2 is sent out to PSU subscribers. Disc 1 contains a video interview with Chris Sorrell and Jason Wilson.
• August 8:
  • MediEvil is classified as a game suitable for children aged 12 or above by the German Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle.

• September: 

• • PlayStation Underground Volume 2.3 is sent out to PSU subscribers. Disc 2 contains a release of the 0.32 demo of MediEvil.

• •  A sequel to MediEvil is first considered at this time.

• September 6 - September 9:
  • A demo of MediEvil is playable at ECTS.
  • A demo disc featuring a MediEvil demo, and a MediEvil sticker kit for the PlayStation console are given away for free at ECTS.
• September 23:
  • The first online review of MediEvil is seen by the development team. The review was published on Game-Online.
• September 25:
  • Total Play issue 10 is published in France. A standalone demo version of MediEvil is bundled with it.
• October 8:
  • Chris Sorrell and Jason Wilson answer questions in the MediEvil Team On-line Interview on the official MediEvil website.
• October 9: 
  •  MediEvil is released in Europe. It is the first European PlayStation title to launch with LibCrypt, a type of copy protection. Certain releases of the game are also bundled with the Winter Releases '98 demo disc, which contains a demo of the game.
• October 19:
  • The Funeral advert, created by TBWA Simons Palmer to promote MediEvil in the United Kingdom, is classified as suitable for viewing by people aged 15 or above by the British Board of Film Classification.
• October 21: 
  •  MediEvil is released in North America.
• October 22: 
  •  IGN's review of MediEvil is published.
• October 23: 
  •  GameSpot's review of MediEvil is published.
• November: 
  •  Absolute PlayStation's review of MediEvil is published.
• November 9:
  • PlayStation Underground JamPack Winter '98 is released in stores across North America as a sampler for the PlayStation Underground CD magazine. It features a demo of MediEvil.
• November 16:
  • All entries into the MediEvil Hangman contest were to be received by this date.
• November 19:
  • SCEA and Pizza Hut announce a nationwide promotion. Customers who bought Pizza Hut Stuffed Crust Pizza had the opportunity to win a grand prize cash jackpot of $200,000 and a wide assortment of PlayStation prizes, including 100 PlayStation game consoles with Crash Bandicoot: WARPED, as well as 2,000 copies of PlayStation's most popular games, including MediEvil.
• November 22:
  • The nationwide promotion by SCEA and Pizza Hut begins. As part of this promotion, consumers were able to sample some PlayStation-exclusive titles when they received one of the 3.5 million PlayStation demo discs available through Pizza Hut, the largest number of discs ever manufactured by SCEA at the time.
• November 23 - December 26:
  • SCEA advertises the nationwide promotion with Pizza Hut using TV adverts and one million direct mail pieces.
• December 3:
  • The Toronto Star runs a PlayStation Giveaway, giving people who send in a postcard the chance to win a Sony PlayStation game console with Dual Shock controller, memory card, and three games: Crash Bandicoot: Warped, MediEvil, and Gran Turismo.
• December 17:
  • This was the cut-off date for the Toronto Star's PlayStation Giveaway.
• December 24:
  • The winner of Toronto Star's PlayStation Giveaway is announced on this day.

1999

• February 26:
  • The official PlayStation website begins stocking strategy guides in its online store, including MediEvil: The Official Strategy Guide.
• June 17: 
  •  MediEvil is released in Japan.

• July:
  • Work begins on Common Tales, a joint research project of the National Film and Television School London, SCEE Cambridge Studio, and the Cambridge University Moving Image Studio as part of the Digital Studios. Common Tales is realised using the engine developed for MediEvil.

• July 7: 
  •  PSX Extreme's review of MediEvil is published.

• September 5 - September 7:
  • MediEvil 2 is unveiled at the year's ECTS.

• October:
  •   MediEvil is re-released as a Platinum title in Europe and Australia. The re-release includes a poster of MediEvil 2.

• November 1: 
  •  SCEE publishes a press release about MediEvil 2.
• November 18: 
  •  The MediEvil 2 website's domain name is registered.
• December 15:
  • An interview with James Shepherd is published on the GameSpot News website.