Iconic Gamedev Studios of the 90s and How They Disappeared
The history of computer games isn't only about fondly-remembered titles and their sequels, but also about the studios and publishers behind them. Let's recall those most notable companies from the 1990s that, for various reasons, failed to survive.
Table of Contents
- Iconic Gamedev Studios of the 90s and How They Disappeared
- MicroProse
- Origin Systems
- Psygnosis
- Bullfrog Productions
- Sensible Software
- Westwood Studios
- Strategic Simulations, Inc. (aka SSI)
- Interplay Productions / Interplay Entertainment
- LucasArts Entertainment
- Other notable studios
Sensible Software
What we remember it for: funny games with little humans
Years active: 1986–1999
British studio Sensible Software was founded in 1986. Over the following years, it developed their hallmark small people, generated in large quantities on the screen. Productions in this style were, firstly, really amusing, but on the other hand also incredibly playable. Probably the biggest hit was Sensible Soccer, which in the times before FIFA and PES was the most addictive version of soccer on home computers. Then there was the Sensible Golf in the same style, as well as Mega Lo Mania , which – although similar to Populous – was the first full-fledged RTS (a year before the release of Dune II). We also must mention the shooter Cannon Fodder – a game full of their iconic humor, that also had a clear anti-war message.
How did the studio disappear?
The nail in the coffin of Sensible Software turned out to be its distinctive graphic style based on tiny, 2D figures. The rapid development of 3D graphics in the era of 32-bit computers made this type of productions obsolete – they were no longer relevant in the new technological reality. Sensible Soccer paled in comparison to the three-dimensional matches in Actua Soccer and FIFA. In 1999, the studio and its IPs were purchased by Codemasters. In 2020, the British Post Office issued postal stamps featuring Sensible Soccer as a tribute to one of the most important franchises in the history of British video game development.
