HotGen

Credits

Captures by
OmegaPC777, Camenati and Chow Woon Gan

Editions by
OmegaPC777 and Chow Woon Gan

Video captures courtesy of
Jake Sharratt

Background

In 1995, HotGen was founded in London by Fergus McGovern (who previously founded Probe Entertainment). The company is best known for developing Jakks Pacific plug-and-play games.

1st Logo (December 16, 1999)

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Visuals: On a white background, a dual-colored rectangle, with teal on the left side and white on the right side, fades in. A smaller rectangle with inverted colors is attached directly below it. On the teal side is the white text "HOT" and the white side has "GEN". Below "GEN" is the small printed "s t u d i o s" in white. All of this forms the name "HOTGEN studios". Below it is a copyright reading "© 1999 HOTGEN STUDIOS LIMITED." in black.

Technique: A still, computerized graphic.

Audio: None.

Availability: Only seen on UNO for Game Boy Color.

2nd Logo (February 11, 2000-2003)

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Visuals: On a black background, the camera swoops underneath a strange molten steel structure, floating over a white plate. As the camera pans above it, the structure is revealed to be a strange-looking man made out of a deformed "H" for its body and a "G" for its head. The man has also cooled down to a normal steel color with some rust patches. Below the man is the text "HOTGEN" with the "H" and "G" larger than the rest of the letters, in a steel Arial font and "S T U D I O S" below that in a smaller print. The logo then transitions to the print logo.

Variants:

• On the American release of Mobil 1 Rally Championship, copyright notice for the company and Actualize Ltd. appears below after the transitioning to the print logo.
• The logo is usually still, with the background now white.
• On Barbie: Pet Rescue for Game Boy Color, there's the same copyright from the first logo below it.
• On Hot Wheels: Extreme Racing, the logo is formed from molten embers falling from the sky and then flashing in. After it forms, the plate flashes in, cooling the man and causing it to shine.
• On Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX and Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX 2 on the GBA, the man is seen performing a trick on a bicycle.
• On the SpongeBob SquarePants plug & play console, the in-credit notice features a flat-colored version of the logo beside it.

Technique: CGI for the animated version, or a still, digital graphic for the still version.

Audio: A mixed synth drone with a wind gusting about. When the logo is revealed, a one-note synth tune with twinkling is heard. None for the still version.

Availability: The original version only appears on Mobil 1 Rally Championship for PlayStation, while the still version appears on a number of games, mainly GBC and GBA games.

3rd Logo (2005-2009)

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Visuals: On a black or white background, there's a silver oblong plate that's about half filled with steel and half filled with white. On the left is "Hot", and on the right is "Gen". The "G" is solid and placed in its own space, while "en" are carved into the plate. The "TM" symbol is also carved into it.

Variants:

• The Plug & Play Bejeweled game has the text "Developed by HotGen Limited, London." below it.
• On To-Fu Fury, the logo is made of leather, sewn onto the background in pink and blue colors. The "o" is replaced with the titular tofu character.

Technique: A still, digital graphic.

Audio: None.

Availability: Seen only on a few Plug and Play consoles and Petz: Pony Beauty Pageant, but later reappeared on To-Fu Fury.