Developed by
Tiwak, a group founded by former
Ubisoft Montpellier employees,
Tork was originally planned to be published by
Microsoft Studios for release in 2004. However, following
Ed Fries' departure from the company, Microsoft dropped the game (though retained the rights to
Tork intellectual property). On April 21, 2004,
Ubisoft announced that it had acquired the publishing rights from Microsoft after purchasing Tiwak. The game was released in
North America in January 2005 for the budget retail price of $19.99. ==Critical response==