The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay

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)	Fredrik Ljungdahl Jens Andersson
Programmer(s)	Magnus Högdahl Jens Andersson
Artist(s)	Jens Matthies
Writer(s)	Mikael Säker John Zuur Platten Flint Dille
Composer(s)	Gustaf Grefberg
Series	The Chronicles of Riddick
Platform(s)	Xbox Microsoft Windows
Release	Xbox NA: June 1, 2004 EU: August 13, 2004 Windows EU: December 3, 2004 NA: December 8, 2004
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 was 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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