 | |
| Formerly | Software Creations (1985–2002) |
|---|---|
| Type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Video game industry |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Founder | Richard Kay |
| Defunct | 27 August 2004 |
| Fate | Dissolved |
| Headquarters | , England |
| Parent | Acclaim Entertainment (2002–2004) |
Acclaim Studios Manchester (formerly Software Creations) was a British video game developer based in Manchester, England. The company was established in 1985 by Richard Kay. They were primarily known for their video games based on movie and comic licences like Marvel Comics, Cutthroat Island, Disney's Beauty and the Beast and the original titles Plok, Solstice, and its sequel Equinox.
History[]
According to Richard Kay, Software Creations began in 1986 when Steve Ruddy responded to an advertisement he had placed in the Manchester Evening News: Page Template:Blockquote/styles.css must have content model "Sanitized CSS" for TemplateStyles (current model is "wikitext").
Steve and I hit it off right away. He worked from home, and he did a boxing game called The Big KO. We worked very closely with each other for about 12 months. I hired Mike Ager and Andrew Threlfall, and we were the first four at Software Creations. I got an office on Oxford Road and it was above a computer shop directly opposite the BBC. We did a lot of games for Firebird - they were all for about three or four hundred pounds.[1]
— Richard Kay, Retro Gamer
Most of these early games were ports of budget titles to other platforms such as the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amiga, Atari ST, NES and the Game Boy. The company's breakthrough game was the Commodore 64 version of the arcade hit Bubble Bobble, a conversion which won critical acclaim and commercial success, and led to Software Creations being asked to do many more ports of popular arcade games.[1] By this time the company had grown to include brothers Mike, Tim, and Geoff Follin, and artist Mark Wilson.[1]
An early demo of Solstice won Software Creations a contract with Nintendo, leading to some high-profile NES and Super NES games.[1]
During the early 1990s, Software Creations was responsible for the development of sound tools used in the creation of music for the Nintendo 64 and its development systems.[2]
On 1 May 2002 Acclaim announced that they had acquired Software Creations, which was renamed Acclaim Studios Manchester.[3][4] At the time, Software Creations had approximately 70 employees.[5] Acclaim Studios Manchester was closed as part of Acclaim Studios and all of its development facilities on 27 August 2004.[6] Rod Cousens and Barry Jafrato, who served as chief executive officer and head of publishing, respectively, for Acclaim, announced in September 2004 that they were planning to create as new video game publisher, Exclaim, with the help of Europlay Capital Advisers.[7] Exclaim was set to acquire and reinstantiate Acclaim's two UK studios, namely Manchester and Cheltenham, and re-employ their roughly 160.[8] Exclaim's opening was expected on 11 October,[9] however, Cousen's ownership over the two studios was challenged by Acclaim's liquidator, Allan Mendelsohn, leaving the UK staff in a state of limbo.[10] A successor to Acclaim Studios Manchester, SilverBack Studios, was founded by Jon Oldham in April 2005 and employed 15 former Acclaim Studios Manchester staff.[11][12]
Notable games[]
| Title | Year | Platforms |
|---|---|---|
| Aigina's Prophecy | 1988 | Commodore 64 |
| Bionic Commando | 1988 | Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum |
| Ghouls 'n Ghosts | 1989 | Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum |
| Plotting | 1989 | Amiga, Atari ST |
| Sky Shark | 1989 | NES |
| Magic Johnson's Fast Break | 1990 | NES |
| Target: Renegade | 1990 | NES |
| Solstice | 1990 | NES |
| Pictionary | 1990 | NES |
| Silver Surfer | 1990 | NES |
| Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade | 1991 | NES |
| Kiwi Kraze | 1991 | NES |
| Wolverine | 1991 | NES |
| Tom and Jerry (and Tuffy) | 1991 | NES |
| Altered Space | 1991 | Game Boy |
| Treasure Master | 1991 | NES |
| Terminator 2: Judgment Day | 1992 | NES |
| Spider-Man and the X-Men in Arcade's Revenge | 1992 | Super NES, Genesis, Game Gear |
| Double Dragon 3: The Arcade Game | 1992 | Genesis |
| Blaster Master 2 | 1993 | Genesis |
| Disney's Beauty and the Beast: Belle's Quest | 1993 | Genesis |
| Disney's Beauty and the Beast: Roar of the Beast | 1993 | Genesis |
| Plok | 1993 | Super NES |
| Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends | 1993 | NES (cancelled), Super NES |
| The Incredible Crash Dummies | 1993 | NES, Super NES, Game Boy, Genesis |
| Equinox (Solstice 2) | 1993 | Super NES |
| Spider-Man & Venom: Maximum Carnage | 1994 | Genesis, Super NES |
| The Tick | 1994 | Genesis, Super NES |
| Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball | 1994 | Super NES |
| The Simpsons: Bart and the Beanstalk | 1994 | Game Boy |
| Tin Star | 1994 | Super NES |
| Spider-Man & Venom: Separation Anxiety | 1995 | Genesis, Super NES |
| Foreman for Real | 1995 | Super NES |
| Cutthroat Island | 1996 | Super NES, Genesis, Game Boy, Game Gear |
| Hexen: Beyond Heretic | 1997 | Nintendo 64 |
| Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey '98 | 1997 | Nintendo 64, PlayStation |
| The Rugrats Movie | 1998 | Game Boy, Game Boy Color |
| Carmageddon 64 | 1999 | Nintendo 64 |
| NASCAR 2000 | 1999 | Game Boy Color |
| Boarder Zone | 1999 | Game Boy Color |
| Rugrats: Time Travelers | 1999 | Game Boy Color |
| Ken Griffey Jr.'s Slugfest | 1999 | Game Boy Color |
| Nicktoons Racing | 2000 | Windows, PlayStation, Arcade |
| NASCAR Racers | 2000 | Windows |
| Rugrats in Paris: The Movie | 2000 | Game Boy Color |
| The Simpsons: Night of the Living Treehouse of Horror | 2001 | Game Boy Color |
| Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase | 2001 | Game Boy Advance |
| Rugrats: Castle Capers | 2001 | Game Boy Advance |
| The Ripping Friends (as Creations) | 2002 | Game Boy Advance |
| All-Star Baseball 2003 (as Creations) | 2002 | Game Boy Advance |
| 2002 FIFA World Cup (as Creations) | 2002 | Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Windows, Xbox |
| Stuart Little 2 (as Creations) | 2002 | Game Boy Advance |
| Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance (as Acclaim Studios Manchester) | 2003 | PlayStation 2, Windows, Xbox |
| All-Star Baseball 2004 (as Acclaim Studios Manchester) | 2003 | Game Boy Advance |
| Interview with a Made Man (as Acclaim Studios Manchester) | Cancelled | PlayStation 2, Windows, Xbox |
| ATV Quad Power Racing 3 (as Acclaim Studios Manchester) | Cancelled | PlayStation 2, Xbox |
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Bevan, Mike (13 December 2013). "Bubbles, Baseball and Buzz Saws...". Retro Gamer (Imagine Publishing) (122): 74–79.
- ↑ Gaming Gossip. Electronic Gaming Monthly. Issue 69. Pg.52. April 1995.
- ↑ Staff, I. G. N. (1 May 2002). "Acclaim Acquires New Studio". ign.com. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "Acclaim Studios Manchester formed". eurogamer.net. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "Acclaim Launches New Studio In Manchester, UK". gamasutra.com. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ Perry, Douglass C. (27 August 2004). "Acclaim Closes Offices". ign.com. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ Jenkins, David. "Gamasutra - The Art & Business of Making Games". www.gamasutra.com. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "Former Acclaim boss in rescue bid for UK studios". eurogamer.net. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "Acclaim CEO's new company plans to launch next week". gamesindustry.biz. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "Acclaim UK studios' future unclear as Exclaim deal stalls". gamesindustry.biz. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "Former Acclaim title returns". eurogamer.net. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "SilverBack Studios launches from the ashes of Acclaim UK". gamesindustry.biz. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
{{cite web}}: