Underground Development, Ltd. (formerly Z-Axis, Ltd.) was an American video game developer based in Foster City, California. It was founded in 1994 by David Luntz and sold to Activision in May 2002. Following a rebranding to Underground Development in February 2008, the company was closed in February 2010.

History

Z-Axis was founded by David Luntz in 1994, originally located in San Mateo, California. On May 22, 2002, Activision announced that they had acquired Z-Axis in exchange for a payment of US$20.5 million in cash and stock, and up to 93,446 additional shares in Activision linked to the studio's performance. At the time, the studio was located in Hayward, California. In February 2008, Z-Axis was rebranded as Underground Development.

Activision reported in April 2008 that they were closing Underground Development, which had the time had under 45 employees in a Foster City, California office, at the end of the coming May. The studio was fully closed on February 12, 2010.

Games developed as Z-Axis

YearTitlePlatform(s)
1996Madden NFL '96Sega Genesis
1998Fox Sports College Hoops '99Nintendo 64
1999Alexi Lalas International SoccerPlayStation, Microsoft Windows, Game Boy Color
Space InvadersPlayStation, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 64
Thrasher Presents Skate and DestroyPlayStation
2000Freestyle Motocross: McGrath vs PastranaPlayStation
Dave Mirra Freestyle BMXPlayStation, Game Boy Color, Dreamcast, Microsoft Windows
2001Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX: Maximum RemixPlayStation
Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2PlayStation 2, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Xbox
2002Aggressive InlinePlayStation 2, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Xbox
BMX XXXPlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox
2006X-Men: The Official GamePlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360
CancelledMat Hoffman's Pro BMX 3PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox
Iron ManPlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox

Games developed as Underground Development

YearTitlePlatform(s)
2009Guitar Hero: Van HalenPlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360
CancelledCall of Duty: Devil's BrigadeXbox 360