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Five That Fell

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the insert-quarter dept.

Ground Glass writes "The games industry is as cutthroat as any in entertainment or tech, and it so happens that many loved, respected, and influential companies nevertheless get crushed in the waves of hardware transitions or left behind by market forces. Given that one of those shifts is rapidly approaching, now is as good a time as any to look at five such companies that are no longer with us, but are still remembered and revered by their fans."

7 of 114 comments (clear)

  1. Other ones I miss: by Rocky · · Score: 3, Informative

    Infocom

    Sir-Tech

    Guess I'm a bit old school :)

    --
    "I'm an old-fashioned type of guy. I worship the Sun and Moon as gods. And fear them."
  2. here by Dance_Dance_Karnov · · Score: 5, Informative

    Atari
    origin
    serria on line
    black isle
    looking glass

    there I just saved you from having to trudge through a horribly formated article. (ad impressions ftw). We really should be linking to the multi-page spanning articles. Link to the printer friendly or not at all.

    1. Re:here by roger6106 · · Score: 5, Informative

      Print version

  3. Re:Ugh by MarkByers · · Score: 2, Informative

    If you hadn't tried to get First Post (and by the way, you failed) you would have had time to make a link.

    --
    I'll probably be modded down for this...
  4. The market condenses by Opportunist · · Score: 3, Informative

    Like every market where money is to be made, it condenses down to a few global players.

    Time warp back to the 80s. The game market was fractured, many, many small companies puttering along, some creating great games, some creating mediocre games, and even the odd gem surfacing every now and then made by a handful of freaks. The market was small, there wasn't a lot of money in it, and thus everyone took the share they could. There were EA (yeah, they already existed. But back then they actually even made games), Accolade, Bullfrog, all of them were more or less "small" businesses.

    Snap back to today. The game market exploded, literally. Games ain't anymore something for the geeks in an age range of about 12 to about 18, it's gone mainstream. It's become everyone's pastime, age independent. As soon as a market appears to actually generate revenue, money is being pumped in. As soon as money is blown into a market, small companies are hoovered up in the process by the companies that let the money flood in.

    That's pretty much what happened.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  5. Re:Don't forget LucasArts by jkmullins · · Score: 2, Informative

    I agree with the sentiment, even if it doesn't apply to the article. LucasFilm Games (anyone else remember when they were called that?) made some outstanding adventures. I recently paid $70 for a copy of Monkey Island 1&2, and didn't feel ripped off in the least.

  6. Re:And a moment of Silence for... by p0tat03 · · Score: 2, Informative

    Don't forget Origin, the geniuses who brought us Wing Commander.

    And Bullfrog, who made my two favorite games when I was a kid: Theme Park, and later, Theme Hospital. RIP Bullfrog :(