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
Interplay Productions / Interplay Entertainment
What we remember it for: the isometric RPG of all time
Years active: 1983–1998
Interplay is a cult producer and an even more recognized publisher that went down in history forever. The company was founded in 1983, and one of its founders was the legendary Brian Fargo18×16 svg – the future creator of the post-apocalyptic Wasteland, Fallout, Stonekeep and many other classics. Interplay first looked for publishers for its games, who included Electronic Arts, and then became a publisher itself, releasing some BioWare games. They even established branch specialized in production of RPGs – Black Isle Studios.
This resulted in some of the most legendary games ever released, including Baldur's Gate, Planescape: Torment, Icewind Dale, Descent, MDK by Shiny Entertainment, or Mortyr. These are, of course, only some Interplay games – the full list would take a good while to renumerate.
How did the studio disappear?
Interplay's situation is complicated because the company hasn't officially ended its operations, but has also remained on the verge of bankruptcy for years. The decline began in 1998, just as the company was celebrating its greatest successes. In order to avoid court hearings, the company entered the US stock exchange under a new name, Interplay Entertainment. A large part of its property was acquired by the French company Titus Software, handing over the rights to distribute their games to Vivendi Universal Games. Meanwhile, Brian Fargo left Interplay after the failure of the plan to switch from PC to console games.
The troubles only grew from then on. The share price fell to such a low level that the company was removed from the NASDAQ list. Debts and losses piled up, as Titus Software also went bankrupt in the meantime. Interplay was firing people left and right, closing studios (including Black Isle), selling rights to iconic brands (that's how Bethesda acquired Fallout...). In 2016, the intention was announced to sell Interplay's entire intellectual property, amounting to about 70 titles (sic). The latest news is an attempt to co-publish a remake of Kingpin: Life of Crime. The company also released a console conversion of Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance for PC and some classic titles on current digital platforms.
