Epyx
Epyx
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|
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legal form | Incorporated |
founding | 1978 (as Automated Simulations) |
resolution | 1993 |
Reason for dissolution | Sold to Bridgestone Multimedia Group |
Seat | San Francisco , California , United States |
Branch | Software development |
Epyx was an American developer and manufacturer of computer games .
history
Epyx was founded as Automated Simulations in 1978 by computer role-playing game developers Jon Freeman and Jim Connelley, who left the company in the early 1980s. Under new management, the company was renamed Epyx and focused on the development of action games . With Jumpman by Randy Glover , the first worldwide Epyx success appeared in 1983. Jumpman Jr followed in the same year .
The games Pitstop and Pitstop II followed . The special thing about these racing games is that the tires wear out during the race and the player is forced to make a pit stop . The second part contains a two-player mode with a horizontally split screen , is considered visually successful, but has deficiencies in the controls. In 1984 Epyx bought the software and hardware manufacturer Starpath . The 1984 Olympic Games also took place in Los Angeles . Epyx decided to develop Summer Games . The basis was the game Sweat! by Scott Nelson, a former Starpath programmer. The game was written entirely in assembly language, and for the first time a graphic artist was involved in its development. It was completed in just six months and sold over 100,000 times. After Summer Games and Summer Games II , Winter Games , World Games and California Games appeared in the following years . Impossible Mission , one of the most successful jump 'n' runs of the 1980s, was also completed in 1984 . Impossible Mission lived up to its name, for the players the high level of difficulty represented a special challenge. The animation of the character and the clear voice output were positive. In 1988 Impossible Mission II followed , which was easier to play, but featured less complex graphics. Nelson's FastLoad module for the slow C64 floppy drive VC1541 , which Epyx delivered in 1984, is successful . The "golden" era ended a year later when its competitor Electronic Arts pulled the Summer Games designers and other experienced programmers from Epyx and used them to set up EA's first in-house development department.
In 1989 a handheld was developed by Epyx under the project name "Handy". As Epyx got worse and worse financially, the project was sold to the Atari Corporation . The company developed the later Atari Lynx from this . The number of employees at Epyx fell in the following years from 200 to 20 employees. A few more insignificant titles for the PC followed until Epyx finally ceased operations. The rights to Epyx went to the Bridgestone Multimedia Group , the rights to the games were largely sold to Atari, but changed hands frequently in the 1990s. Today parts of the rights are with System 3 . In Europe, Magnussoft has the rights to "epyx".
Title overview
- 4x4 Offroad Racing (1988)
- Alien Garden (1982)
- Armor Assault (1982)
- Ax of Rage (1988)
- Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior (1987)
- Barbarian II: Dungeons of Drax (1988)
- Barbie (1984)
- Battle Bugs (1994)
- Blue Lightning (1989)
- Break Dance (1984)
- California Games (1987)
- California Games 2 (1993)
- Championship Wrestling (1986)
- Chip's Challenge (1989)
- Crush, Crumble and Chomp (1981)
- Crypt of the Undead (1982)
- Curse of Ra (1982)
- Danger in Drindisti (1981)
- The Datestones of Ryn (1979)
- Death Sword (1988)
- Destroyer (1986)
- Dragon's Eye (1981)
- Dragonriders of Pern (1983)
- ElectroCop (1989)
- Escape from Vulcan's Isle (1982)
- Fax (1983)
- Final Assault (1987)
- Fore!
- GI Joe (1985), see also GI Joe (action figure)
- Gates of Zendocon (1989)
- Gateway to Apshai (1983)
- Hellfire Warrior (1980)
- Hot Wheels (1985)
- Impossible Mission (1983)
- Impossible Mission II (1988)
- Invasion Orion (1979)
- Jabbertalky (1982)
- Jumpman (1983)
- Jumpman Jr. (1983)
- The Keys of Acheron (1981)
- King Arthur's Heir (1982)
- LA Crackdown (1988)
- Legend of Blacksilver (1988)
- Mind Roll (1988)
- Monster Maze (1982)
- Morloc's Tower (1979)
- The Movie Monster Game (1986)
- New World (1982)
- The Nightmare (1982)
- Oil Barons (1983)
- Omnicron Conspiracy (1989)
- Pitstop (1983)
- Pitstop II (1984)
- PlatterMania (1982)
- Project Neptune (1989)
- Purple Saturn Day (1989)
- Puzzle Panic (1984)
- Wheel Warrior (1986)
- Rescue at Rigel (1980)
- Revenge of Defender (1988)
- Ricochet (1981)
- Rogue (1985)
- Silicon Warrior (1984)
- Snow Strike (1990)
- Sorcerer of Siva (1981)
- Space Station Oblivion (1987)
- Spiderbot (1988)
- The Sporting News Baseball (1988)
- Sports-A-Roni (1988)
- Spy vs. Spy III: Arctic Antics (1986)
- Starfire and Fire One (1983)
- Starfleet Orion (1978)
- StarQuest: Rescue at Rigel (1980)
- StarQuest: Star Warrior (1980)
- Street Cat (1988)
- Street Sports Baseball (1987)
- Street Sports Basketball (1987)
- Street Sports Football (1988)
- Street Sports Soccer (1988)
- Sub Battle Simulator (1988)
- Summer Games (1984)
- Summer Games II (1985)
- Super Cycle (1986)
- The Sword of Fargoal (1982)
- Techno Cop (1988)
- Temple of Apshai (1979)
- Temple of Apshai Trilogy (1985)
- Winter Games (1987)
- World Games (1986)
- The World's Greatest Baseball Game (1984)
- World Karate Championship (1986)
- Zarlor Mercenary (1990)
literature
- Winnie Forster : Lexicon of computer and video game makers. , 1st edition, Utting: Gameplan, 2008, ISBN 978-3-00-021584-1 .
- Christian Keichel: Epyx Computer Software. From the beginning until the bitter end. In: Retro # 8 (2008). ISSN 1862-2348 . Pp. 34-36.
Web links
- Epyx at MobyGames (English)
- Information about Epyx and the Summer Games series
- Epyx on C64-Wiki
- The Epyx story on 8bit-museum.de
Individual evidence
- ↑ Interview with Stephen H. Landrum - The Unofficial Epyx & SummerGames Homepage ( Memento from May 4, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) (English)