Gaming Companies

[Chadwiick]

Hey guys, Lately I have been looking up old games I used to love to play when I was younger. I found out that most of them died. So I wanted to know, what were some of your favorite gaming companies that died off and what games did they make that you missed specifically?

I'll start, mine were-
Acclaim (I hope I spelt it right) Studios - Turok: Rage Wars.
New World Computing - Heroes of Might and Magic I-III I think.
PANDEMIC - Star Wars Battlefront I & II.
2015 Inc. - Medal of Honor: Allied Assault (I know they ended up becoming IW, but before they became IW)

People who reminded of some of my favorite companies.
Sierra - Empire Earth (thanks to Nimsky.)
Westwood - Self explanitory (Thank to smokeythebear)

That's all I can remember at the moment, I'll update it if I remember or look up some more.

 

[Nimsky]

Sierra (adventure games like Police Quest and Leisure Suit Larry)
Looking Glass Studios (Thief games)
Red Storm (the old company that made the first Tom Clancy games)

 

[Chadwiick]

Sierra (adventure games like Police Quest and Leisure Suit Larry)
Looking Glass Studios (Thief games)
Red Storm (the old company that made the first Tom Clancy games)

Sierra also made Empire Earth right?

 

[Shadrach]

My favorite ever games developer/publisher is Microprose, they meant a lot to me, and still do.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microprose_Software

For a period in the late 80s and early 90s I bought almost everything they released, first on the C64, then Amiga (and PC to a lesser extent). From the list on the Wiki page, I owned (not pirated mind!) *all* the games they released 1986-1991- when it seems to me they lost the track somewhat. They continued to release classics after that though, like Colonization, X-Com, Transport Tycoon, Falcon 4.0 ...

Just a quick glance at this list shows you what a place in the history of video games they have:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_MicroProse_games

They were the uncontested masters of simulations and tactical games in that period, and were responsible to I guess thats where my love of smart wargames comes from. For me, that love of clever games led me directly to RO much later

The manuals that came with the games were massive, high quality tomes, and often contained detailed Jane-style military reference sheets for stuff in the game. As well as a keyboard overlay - and you *really* needed it for those games, believe me.

Just look at this:

MAN, I wish I'd held on to those boxes...

I can still remember the wonderful smell of opening a new Microprose game - a mix of immaculate paper and fresh plastic

 

[Harb]

These are pretty much defunct. Either closed, changed name or have been bought out and disbanded.

Sensible Software (Mega Lo Mania, Sensible Soccer, Cannon Fodder. Behind some of the greatest Amiga games. Bought by Codemasters)
Delphine Software (Future Wars, Another World, Flashback, Cruise for a Corpse. Great French Developer which sadly went bankrupt)
Sierra Entertainment (King's Quest, Gabriel Knight, Space Quest. Part of the golden age of adventure games. Now a subsidiary of Activision)
Bullfrog (Syndicate, Populous, Theme Park, Dungeon Keeper. Bought out by EA and merged with EA UK. Lionhead Studios keeps the spirit alive)
The Bitmap Brothers (Speedball, The Chaos Engine, Gods. Still around but without the original people)

 

[UncleDrax]

How about game companies that drastically changed over the years for whatever reason.. namely, Origin :[
(and lesser so, Bungie, and actually back when EA actually MADE games, I liked them.. but now they just are about churn-and-burn game IP... blech).. incidently Totally Games fits this now (makers of X-Wing series and SWOTL... but now just a mobile/web game company)

Aside from that, I really do miss Bullfrog and Microprose... thanks guys.. jackasses.. :]

 

[smokeythebear]

Westwood

Bought out by EA then driven into the ground. Red alert 2 is still one of my favorite games.

 

[I Faw Down]

The only one off the top of my head that hasn't already been mentioned yet is Elixer Studios, who went defunct a year or so after releasing my favorite game ever, Evil Genius.

 

[slavek]

3DO, I mean, how could you not like being a plastic army man and melting your enemies into puddles of bubbling plastic with a virtual flamethrower?


And sorry to beat a dead horse but . . . Westwood. Shame they got bought out and then dissolved, leaving EA to drag a great franchise through the mud.

 

[LemoN]

SSI


:IS2:The one and only:IS2:
​

 

[Peter.Steele]

My favorite ever games developer/publisher is Microprose, they meant a lot to me, and still do.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microprose_Software

For a period in the late 80s and early 90s I bought almost everything they released, first on the C64, then Amiga (and PC to a lesser extent). From the list on the Wiki page, I owned (not pirated mind!) *all* the games they released 1986-1991- when it seems to me they lost the track somewhat. They continued to release classics after that though, like Colonization, X-Com, Transport Tycoon, Falcon 4.0 ...

Just a quick glance at this list shows you what a place in the history of video games they have:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_MicroProse_games

They were the uncontested masters of simulations and tactical games in that period, and were responsible to I guess thats where my love of smart wargames comes from. For me, that love of clever games led me directly to RO much later

The manuals that came with the games were massive, high quality tomes, and often contained detailed Jane-style military reference sheets for stuff in the game. As well as a keyboard overlay - and you *really* needed it for those games, believe me.

Just look at this:

MAN, I wish I'd held on to those boxes...

I can still remember the wonderful smell of opening a new Microprose game - a mix of immaculate paper and fresh plastic

Oh, man, I had many many MANY hours of fun with Gunship, in CGA, on an 8088-10mHz. I actually really miss that ...

re: Falcon 4.0 ... it's still the best flight sim ever made, so far as I know. (I haven't played A-10CS yet though.) BUT don't forget the ones that came before - Falcon, Falcon AT, Falcon 3.0.

How about game companies that drastically changed over the years for whatever reason.. namely, Origin :[
(and lesser so, Bungie, and actually back when EA actually MADE games, I liked them.. but now they just are about churn-and-burn game IP... blech).. incidently Totally Games fits this now (makers of X-Wing series and SWOTL... but now just a mobile/web game company)

Aside from that, I really do miss Bullfrog and Microprose... thanks guys.. jackasses.. :]

EA used to be pretty brilliant - 688 Attack Sub consumed just as many hours as Gunship did, when I was a kid.

About X-Wing series ... I thought that was done in-house by LucasArts?

 

[PNV]

Talonsoft

 

[Amerikaner]

Ensemble Studios - Age of Empires series
989 Studios - Syphon Filter
id Software (spiritually defunct) - Wolfenstein, Doom, Quake

 

[dogbadger]

MAN, I wish I'd held on to those boxes...

yeah i've still got absolutely loads of them.
one day i'll post a pic of my pc collection - or just my 'big box' collection:
Some my find it impressive, whilst others will find it obsessive.

 

[BlackLabel]

I still have all the original Disks from X-wing inclueding the b-wing and a-wing extensions Testing them once a year for functionality...

 

[Shadrach]

Eaglesoft INC, this logo always meant quality.

/runs away

 

[Grobut]

Psygnosis made some good games way back when.
Troika also, it was quite sad they didn't get to finish Vampire Bloodlines.

And amazingly enough, Activision, remeber when they where publishing things like Mech Warrior 2?
And EA, i remember when they where making things like Chuck Yeagers Air Combat, and The Need For Speed 3..

Ohh how things have changed

 

[fiftyone]

Bullfrog for me.
Magic Carpet for example.

I got a soft spot for id software, 20 years later I'm still fragging their stuff.

Go figure .

 

[dogbadger]

And EA, i remember when they where making things like Chuck Yeagers Air Combat, and The Need For Speed 3..

and skate or die

 

[Mormegil]

Jordan Mechner (a one man game company) - for Karateka and Prince of Persia
Epyx - for Summer Games and derivatives
Cinemaware - for Three Stooges and It Came from the Desert
Origin - Wing Commander series
Lucas Arts in the 90's - for The Secret of Monkey Island, Grim Fandango, and Sam and Max series