| The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay | |
|---|---|
 North American cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Starbreeze Studios Tigon Studios |
| Publisher(s) | Vivendi Universal Games[a] |
| Producer(s) | Lars Johansson |
| Designer(s) |
|
| Programmer(s) |
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| Artist(s) | Jens Matthies |
| Writer(s) |
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| Composer(s) | Gustaf Grefberg |
| Series | The Chronicles of Riddick |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | XboxWindows |
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure, stealth |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay is a first-person action and stealth video game developed by Starbreeze Studios and Tigon Studios and published by Vivendi Universal Games. Released for the Xbox and Microsoft Windows in 2004, the game's story is a prequel to the futuristic science fiction film Pitch Black. Actor Vin Diesel—who was involved in the game's development—reprises his role as that film's protagonist, Richard B. Riddick.
The game follows Riddick, the anti-hero of the two films Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick, as he attempts to escape from a maximum-security prison called Butcher Bay. Escape from Butcher Bay's designers focused on exploring Riddick's character in a prison break setting to differentiate the game from the film. The game's influences include the film Escape from Alcatraz, and video games such as Half-Life and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell.
Escape from Butcher Bay received acclaim by critics, who lauded its graphics and its implementation of stealth, action and adventure elements. Some critics consider the game superior to the film, a rarity among film tie-in games. However, they commonly lamented its brevity and lack of multiplayer components. The game has garnered a cult following and is often cited as one of the greatest video games ever made. It went on to win several accolades, including the Golden Joystick Award for Unsung Hero Game of the Year and the Spike Video Game Award for Best Game Based on a Movie. In 2009, the game was included in The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, with enhanced visuals.
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