THE DNA OF MONOLITH PRODUCTIONS

START BIG

■ Few studios start as ‘big’ as Monolith, with its multi-building office complex, sound studios and rapid acquisition of talent. The studio built up its start-up pot so that it could afford to go in all guns blazing, and that helped it make all the moves it wanted to once it started working independently.

GAMER CAMARADERIE

■ Many people who left Monolith would later end up coming back. The studio had a strong camaraderie, fuelled by the fact that Monolith would make games based around its personal interests than the wider market. It was a paradise for passionate, talented developers.

CREATIVE SCHIZOPHRENIA

■ Toby Gladwell described the early days of Monolith as a kind of “creative schizophrenia” – meant in the best possible way. The studio never went for the generic and never made games that suggested some kind of formulaic approach or rhythm. It was a studio of diverse, wild ideas and that’s reflected in its eclectic output.

SOUND STRATEGY

■ Monolith was a studio of audiophiles as much as a studio of gamers. The in-house sound studio gave its games an unusual level of sound fidelity as well as great sound design – from the dialogue of Blood, through to the soundtrack of No One Lives Forever and the terrifying scurrying and radar plips of Aliens Versus Predator 2.

LITHTECH ENGINE

■ Monolith was never content with following the pack, so when 3D graphics came around, the studio jumped in at the deep end by getting to work on its own engine. This was tough at first, but eventually paid off, giving the studio more freedom with its game design later on.