Accolade (game company)
 | |
| Defunct | |
| Industry | Video game development and publishing |
| Fate | Acquired |
| Successor | Infogrames |
| Founded | 1984 |
| Defunct | 1999 |
| Headquarters | San Jose, California |
Key people | Alan Miller and Bob Whitehead, founders |
| Products | Star Control, Test Drive, Jack Nicklaus, HardBall!, Bubsy |
| Website | accolade.com |
Accolade, Inc. was an American video game developer and publisher of the 1980s and 1990s. Headquartered in San Jose, California,[1] it was founded in 1984 by Alan Miller and Bob Whitehead after leaving another game developer and publisher they had founded, Activision.
History
Early years
According to legend, Miller and Whitehead named their company "Accolade" because it came before "Activision" alphabetically—implying that Accolade was superior to their previous company, as reportedly the name Activision was chosen as it came before Atari. Later, a new game development company, Acclaim, another company formed from ex-Activision employees, apparently formulated their name because it came before "Accolade."[2] Absolute Entertainment, again, a third company formed from ex-Activision people, ended up being first with the 'first in the alphabet' race.
Accolade's revenues grew from $1.5 million in 1985 to $5 million in 1986.[3] It developed for most 1980s-era home computers, including the Commodore 64, Atari 400 & 800, the Amiga, Apple II and the PC. Some of their first titles include Law of the West, Psi-5 Trading Company, The Dam Busters, Mean 18 Golf, Test Drive, and HardBall!. Test Drive and HardBall! went on to become two of Accolade's longest-running franchises.
As the popularity of other systems waned, Accolade focused on PC and console development, including the Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Genesis, Super NES and PlayStation.
All of Accolade's initial titles were developed in-house. But being a publisher as well as a developer, Accolade began to publish titles produced by other developers as well. By the mid-1990s, most of Accolade software development was done by third-party developers.
In October 1991, Accolade was served with a lawsuit regarding copyright infringement, that eventually led to the concept of reverse engineering for interoperability purposes. Sega wanted to keep a hold on their consoles, and wanted all its games exclusive to Sega. Unwilling to conform to single platform games, Accolade engineers reverse engineered the Genesis console and created their own development systems; until then, game developers had to obtain the systems from Sega in order to develop games for the platform. Sega sued Accolade over the practice and won an initial injunction, forcing Accolade to remove all Genesis product from store shelves. Accolade, however, won on appeal and reached an out of court settlement with Sega that allowed Accolade to continue building their own Genesis cartridges, but as an official licensee.
Demise
The company had marginal successes during the early 1990s. Bubsy for the Genesis and Super NES sold well and was the company's best-selling game until Test Drive 4 came out in 1997. Star Control 2 for the PC (1992, DOS) is still very well regarded and was one of the highest rated games of its time.
However, beginning in the mid-1990s, Accolade started publishing a variety of games of differing genres which were perceived to be indistinguishing and lacking polish.
During a conference of management and producers, Accolade decided to focus only on sports and action games. Accolade already had several franchises based in these categories. Franchises in the sports genre included HardBall!, Unnecessary Roughness and Jack Nicklaus Golf. In the broad "action" category they had the long-running franchise Test Drive.
Bob Whitehead left Accolade shortly after its founding; Alan Miller left in 1995. Before Miller left, the position of CEO was taken over by Peter Harris, who was placed there by Prudential Investments (Prudential had made a US$10 million investment in the company). Harris was on the board of directors and was formerly the CEO of FAO Schwarz and after Accolade, became the president of the San Francisco 49ers. Harris left the fate of the company in the hands of game industry neophyte, Jim Barnett. Under Barnett's direction, the company relaunched the successful Test Drive series, began the Test Drive Offroad series and introduced both series to the PlayStation platform.
Accolade did well in its early years, but by the 1990s, Accolade's sales suffered and several rounds of lay-offs ensued. Under Barnett's direction, Accolade was rebuilt around action games and published Test Drive 4, 5 and 6 as well as Test Drive Offroad, all of which sold millions of units and become part of Sony's greatest hits program. Accolade was eventually purchased by French publisher Infogrames in 1999, right after publishing their last game Redline. Accolade was the entry point for Infogrames' North America expansion and was merged with Infogrames' other operations and moved to Los Angeles. All of Accolade's assets are now owned by Tommo, Inc. .[4]
Many employees from the time of the acquisition still work for both Tommo and Atari.
Games
Accolade was responsible for publishing many influential games. Some of the best known and best-selling series include Star Control, Test Drive, Jack Nicklaus Golf, HardBall and Bubsy.
| Name | Year | Platforms | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4th & Inches | 1988 | Amiga | A critically hailed American football sports game |
| 1987 | Commodore 64 | ||
| 1988 | Apple II | ||
| Apple IIGS | |||
| DOS | |||
| 4th & Inches Team Construction Disk | 1988 | An expansion that allowed for the editing and creation of teams for 4th & Inches | |
| Accolade Comics | 1987 | Apple II | An adventure game with arcade sequences. Allows players to affect the story with branching choices. |
| Commodore 64 | |||
| Accolade In Action | 1990 | ||
| Ace of Aces | 1986 | Amstrad CPC | A World War II combat flight simulator where the player pilots a RAF Mosquito fighter-bomber |
| Atari 8-bit | |||
| Atari 7800 | |||
| Commodore 64 | |||
| DOS | |||
| MSX | |||
| Master System | |||
| ZX Spectrum | |||
| Altered Destiny | 1991 | Amiga | A graphic adventure game featuring an average man sucked into an alien world who has to save the galaxy |
| 1990 | DOS | ||
| Anatomic Man | 1988 | ||
| Apollo 18: Mission to the Moon | 1987 | ||
| Ballz | 1995 | 3DO | A widely derided fighting game where the fighters are represented as a collection of spheres |
| 1994 | Genesis | ||
| Super NES | |||
| Bar Games | 1989 | DOS | A collection of games typical of a bar, such as darts and pool, including picking up women |
| Barkley Shut Up and Jam! | 1994 | |
A basketball sports game featuring Charles Barkley |
| Genesis | |||
| Super NES | |||
| Battle Isle 2200 | 1993 | DOS | A turn-based tactics game; released as Battle Isle 2 in Europe |
| Big Air | 1999 | PlayStation | A sports game |
| Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure | 1991 | Based on the movie of the same name | |
| Blue Angels: Formation Flight Simulation | 1989 | ||
| Brett Hull Hockey 95 | 1994 | DOS | An ice hockey sports game |
| Genesis | |||
| Super NES | |||
| Bubble Ghost | 1987 | Amiga | An arcade/action game where the player controls a ghost trying to protect a bubble |
| Amstrad CPC | |||
| Apple IIGS | |||
| Atari ST | |||
| Commodore 64 | |||
| DOS | |||
| 1990 | Game Boy | ||
| Bubsy 3D: Furbitten Planet | 1996 | PlayStation | A widely derided and last entry in the Bubsy series of games |
| Bubsy II | 1995 | Game Boy | A widely derided sequel to 1993's Bubsy |
| 1994 | Genesis | ||
| Super NES | |||
| Bubsy in Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind | 1993 | Genesis | A highly anticipated, but ultimately just warmly received debut of the Bubsy series of games |
| Super NES | |||
| 1995 | Windows | ||
| Bubsy in Fractured Furry Tales | 1994 | Atari Jaguar | The only Bubsy game released exclusively for the Atari Jaguar |
| Card Sharks | 1987 | ||
| Cardinal of the Kremlin, TheThe Cardinal of the Kremlin | 1990 | ||
| Combat Cars | 1994 | Sega Genesis/Mega Drive | A racing and vehicular combat game |
| Cyclemania | 1994 | DOS | A motorcycle racing game |
| The Cycles: International Grand Prix Racing | 1989 | Amiga | A motorcycle racing game featuring all the tracks of the 1989 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season |
| Amstrad CPC | |||
| Commodore 64 | |||
| DOS | |||
| ZX Spectrum | |||
| Dam Busters, TheThe Dam Busters | 1984 | Apple II | A World War II combat flight simulator |
| ColecoVision | |||
| Commodore 64 | |||
| DOS | |||
| Day of the Viper | 1989 | Amiga | A first-person shooter adventure game where the user plays a robot |
| Atari ST | |||
| DOS | |||
| Deadlock: Planetary Conquest | 1996 | Windows | An ambitious turn-based strategy game that failed to impress critics |
| Deadlock II: Shrine Wars | 1998 | Windows | A sequel to the earlier Deadlock |
| Don't Go Alone | 1989 | ||
| Double Dragon | 1992 | Sega Genesis/Mega Drive | Based on the original arcade game, of all the ports of this game, this one comes closest to the original game |
| Elvira: Mistress of the Dark | 1990 | Amiga | Generally better received than its namesake, the 1988 film, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark |
| Atari ST | |||
| Commodore 64 | |||
| DOS | |||
| Elvira II: The Jaws of Cerberus | 1991 | Amiga | A disappointing sequel to the first game, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark |
| Atari ST | |||
| Commodore 64 | |||
| DOS | |||
| Eradicator | 1996 | DOS | A first and third-person shooter |
| Fast Break | 1989 | Amiga | A basketball sports game |
| Apple IIGS | |||
| Commodore 64 | |||
| DOS | |||
| Macintosh | |||
| Fight Night | 1985 | Apple II | A boxing sports game |
| Atari 7800 | |||
| Atari 8-bit | |||
| Atari ST | |||
| Atari XEGS | |||
| Commodore 64 | |||
| Fireteam Rogue | 1995 | Genesis | An unreleased action game |
| Super NES | |||
| Game of Harmony, TheThe Game of Harmony | 1990 | Amiga | A puzzle, strategy and action game involving manipulating spheres |
| Amstrad CPC | |||
| Atari ST | |||
| Commodore 64 | |||
| DOS | |||
| Game Boy | |||
| ZX Spectrum | |||
| Games: Summer Challenge, TheThe Games: Summer Challenge | 1991 | ||
| Games: Winter Challenge, TheThe Games: Winter Challenge | 1992 | ||
| Grand Prix Circuit | 1987 | Amiga | A Grand Prix motor racing game |
| Amstrad CPC | |||
| Apple IIGS | |||
| Commodore 64 | |||
| DOS | |||
| Macintosh | |||
| ZX Spectrum | |||
| Grand Prix Unlimited | 1992 | ||
| Gunboat | 1990 | Amiga | A warmly received combat simulation of a PBR during the Vietnam War. |
| DOS | |||
| TurboGrafx-16 | |||
| ZX Spectrum | |||
| Hardball! | 1987 | Amiga | A successful title for Accolade, a baseball game that incorporates managerial aspects as well as arcade action |
| Amstrad CPC | |||
| Apple II | |||
| Apple IIGS | |||
| Atari 8-bit | |||
| Atari ST | |||
| Commodore 64 | |||
| DOS | |||
| Macintosh | |||
| MSX | |||
| Sega Genesis/Mega Drive | |||
| ZX Spectrum | |||
| Hardball II | 1989 | Amiga | A baseball game, the 1989 entry in the Hardball! series of games |
| DOS | |||
| Macintosh | |||
| Hardball III | 1992 | DOS | A baseball game, the 1992 entry in the Hardball! series the console versions which, due to a lack of secondary storage, saved season stats via a lengthy password |
| Genesis | |||
| Super NES | |||
| HardBall 4 | 1994 | A baseball game, the 1994 entry in the Hardball! series of games | |
| HardBall 5 | 1995 | A baseball game, the 1995 entry in the Hardball! series of games, which introduced some innovative features which have now become commonplace for all baseball video games | |
| HardBall 6 | 1998 | A baseball game, the penultimate entry of the long-running Hardball! series of games | |
| HardBall 6 - 2000 Edition | 1999 | A baseball game, a revamping of Hardball 6 for the turn of the century | |
| Heat Wave | 1989 | ||
| Hoverforce | 1990 | ||
| Ishido: The Way of Stones | 1990 | Amiga | A puzzle/board game based on matching stones |
| 1991 | Atari Lynx | ||
| 1990 | DOS | ||
| Game Boy | |||
| Macintosh | |||
| 1991 | NES | ||
| 1990 | Sega Genesis | ||
| 1995 | Windows | ||
| Jack Nicklaus 4 | 1997 | Macintosh | A golf sports game featuring the eponymous golfer |
| Windows | |||
| Jack Nicklaus 5 | 1998 | Windows | A golf sports game featuring the eponymous golfer |
| Jack Nicklaus Golf & Course Design: Signature Edition | 1992 | DOS | A golf course designer for the related Jack Nicklaus Golf games |
| Jack Nicklaus' Greatest 18 Holes of Major Championship Golf | 1998 | DOS | Eighteen favorite holes of the eponymous golfer |
| Jack Nicklaus' Unlimited Golf & Course Design | 1990 | DOS | A golf course designer for the related Jack Nicklaus Golf games |
| Killed Until Dead | 1986 | ||
| Law of the West | 1985 | Apple II | A graphical adventure/action game where the player is the sheriff in an Old West town |
| Commodore 64 | |||
| Nintendo Entertainment System | |||
| Les Manley in: Lost in L.A. | 1992 | A graphical adventure game featuring a risqué theme, the second (and last) in the series | |
| Les Manley in: Search for the King | 1990 | A risqué graphical adventure game, Accolade's attempt to duplicate the success of the Leisure Suit Larry series of games | |
| Mean 18 | 1986 | Amiga | A launch title for Accolade, a sports golf game featuring critically hailed innovative features |
| Apple IIGS | |||
| Atari 7800 | |||
| Atari ST | |||
| DOS | |||
| Mike Ditka Power Football | 1991 | A sports game of American football | |
| Mini-Putt | 1987 | Commodore 64 | A sports game of miniature golf |
| DOS | |||
| Macintosh | |||
| ZX Spectrum | |||
| Pelé! | 1993 | Sega Genesis/Mega Drive | An association football sports game featuring the famed Brazilian player |
| Pelé II: World Tournament Soccer | 1994 | Sega Genesis/Mega Drive | An association football sports game featuring Pelé, a sequel to 1993's Pelé!, released as Pelé's World Tournament Soccer in Europe |
| Pinball Wizard | 1985 | Amstrad CPC | A pinball game and construction set |
| 1986 | Atari ST | ||
| 1985 | Commodore 64 | ||
| 1987 | DOS | ||
| 1985 | MSX | ||
| Oric-1/Atmos | |||
| ZX Spectrum | |||
| PO'ed | 1995 | 3DO | A first-person shooter where the player is a cook on a crashed spaceship fighting for his life on a hostile alien planet |
| 1996 | PlayStation | ||
| Power at Sea | 1988 | Commodore 64 | A strategy video game, a simulation of the Battle of Leyte Gulf where the player commands several WWII naval vessels |
| Powerboat | 1990 | ||
| Pro Sport Challenge | 1991 | ||
| Project: Space Station | 1985 | ||
| Psi-5 Trading Company | 1985 | Amstrad CPC | A space trading and combat game where the player must command a crew of a spaceship trying to deliver cargo |
| Apple II | |||
| Commodore 64 | |||
| DOS | |||
| ZX Spectrum | |||
| Rack 'Em | 1988 | Commodore 64 | A cue sports simulator with a variety of game types available |
| DOS | |||
| Redline | 1999 | Windows | A post-apocalyptic combination first-person shooter/racing video game |
| Road & Car | 1991 | ||
| Serve & Volley | 1988 | ||
| Slave Zero | 1999 | Dreamcast | An action game where the player controls a 60-foot-tall humanoid robot, released to mixed reviews |
| Windows | |||
| Snoopy's Game Club | 1992 | ||
| Speed Racer in My Most Dangerous Adventures | 1994 | Super NES | A racing action game based on the eponymous anime/manga series |
| Speed Racer in The Challenge of Racer X | 1992 | DOS | A racing action game based on the eponymous anime/manga series |
| Star Control | 1990 | Amiga | A well-received science fiction action/strategy game that laid the ground for the more successful sequel soon afterwards |
| 1991 | Amstrad CPC | ||
| Commodore 64 | |||
| 1990 | DOS | ||
| 1991 | Sega Genesis/Mega Drive | ||
| ZX Spectrum | |||
| Star Control II | 1994 | 3DO | A science fiction space, adventure shoot 'em up, widely hailed as one of the greatest PC games ever |
| 1992 | DOS | ||
| Star Control 1 & 2 CD Compendium | A combination packaging of Star Control and Star Control II | ||
| Star Control 3 | 1996 | DOS | A largely ignored sci-fi real-time strategy sequel to Star Control II |
| Mac OS | |||
| Star Control Collection | |||
| Steel Thunder | 1988 | ||
| Stratego | 1991 | ||
| Strike Aces | 1990 | ||
| SunDog: Frozen Legacy | 1984 | Apple II | Pioneering space trading game which implemented an advanced user interface that is now standard on most modern operating systems |
| 1985 | Atari ST | ||
| Test Drive | 1987 | Amiga | A racing game where the player "test drives" a high-end sports car along a serpentine mountainside freeway at unsafe, high speeds in order to win the car for free |
| Amstrad CPC | |||
| Apple II | |||
| Atari ST | |||
| Commodore 64 | |||
| DOS | |||
| Test Drive II: The Duel | 1989 | Amiga | Also known as The Duel: Test Drive II, the second game in the Test Drive series of racing games |
| Amstrad CPC | |||
| Apple IIGS | |||
| Atari ST | |||
| Commodore 64 | |||
| DOS | |||
| Macintosh | |||
| MSX | |||
| Genesis | |||
| Super NES | |||
| ZX Spectrum | |||
| Test Drive II Car Disk: Musclecars | 1989 | An expansion pack for Test Drive II that adds some classic muscle cars from the 1960s | |
| Test Drive II Car Disk: The Supercars | 1989 | An expansion pack for Test Drive II that adds some an additional high-performance cars | |
| Test Drive II Scenery Disk: California Challenge | 1990 | An expansion pack for Test Drive II that adds an additional course with several California themes | |
| Test Drive II Scenery Disk: European Challenge | 1990 | An expansion pack for Test Drive II that adds six additional course through several European countries | |
| Test Drive II: The Collection | 1991 | A collection of Test Drive II and all its expansion packs | |
| Test Drive III: The Passion | 1990 | DOS | The first Test Drive series of racing games to use 3D graphics instead of sprites |
| Test Drive 4 | 1997 | PlayStation | The fourth game in the Test Drive series of racing games |
| Windows | |||
| Test Drive 5 | 1998 | PlayStation | The fifth game in the Test Drive series of racing games |
| Windows | |||
| Test Drive 6 | 1999 | Dreamcast | The sixth game in the Test Drive series of racing games |
| Game Boy Color | |||
| PlayStation | |||
| Windows | |||
| Test Drive: Off-Road | 1997 | PlayStation | The first game in the Off-Road spin-off series from the Test Drive series of racing games |
| Windows | |||
| Test Drive: Off-Road 2 | 1998 | PlayStation | The second game in the Off-Road spin-off series from the Test Drive series of racing games |
| Windows | |||
| Test Drive: Off-Road 3 | 1999 | Game Boy Color | The third and last game in the Off-Road spin-off series from the Test Drive series of racing games |
| PlayStation | |||
| Windows | |||
| Third Courier, TheThe Third Courier | 1990 | ||
| TKO | 1988 | ||
| Train: Escape to Normandy, TheThe Train: Escape to Normandy | 1987 | Apple II | An action game where the player commandeers a Nazi train and uses it to try and escape Nazi Germany during World War II |
| Amstrad CPC | |||
| Commodore 64 | |||
| DOS | |||
| ZX Spectrum | |||
| Turrican | 1991 | Game Boy | A science fiction run and gun with multiple inspirations |
| Genesis | |||
| TG-16 | |||
| Universal Soldier | 1992 | Game Boy | Released as Turrican II on other platforms, this game is a sequel to Turrican |
| Genesis | |||
| Unnecessary Roughness | The first in the much maligned series of American football games by the company | ||
| Unnecessary Roughness '95 | 1995 | DOS | A poorly received sequel to the first game in the Unnecessary Roughness series |
| Genesis | |||
| Unnecessary Roughness '96 | 1996 | ||
| Waxworks | 1992 | Amiga | A favorably received horror-themed, puzzle role-playing video game |
| DOS | |||
| Warp Speed | Genesis | ||
| Winter Challenge | 1991 | DOS | A sports game, a collection of Olympic themed winter events |
| Genesis | |||
| Zero Tolerance | 1994 | Genesis | One of the few first-person shooters released for this Sega console |
| Zyconix | 1992 | Amiga | A puzzle game |
References
- ↑ "Accolade Great Jobs Page." Accolade. February 21, 1997. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
- ↑ Activision company profile from MobyGames
- ↑ Wilson, Johnny L. (November 1991). "A History of Computer Games". Computer Gaming World. p. 10. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ↑ "Purchase Agreement between Atari, Inc. and Rebellion Developments, Stardock & Tommo" (PDF). BMC Group. 2013-07-22.
External links
- Official website at the Wayback Machine (archived April 29, 1999)
- Accolade at MobyGames
- Accolade at World of Spectrum
- Adventureland: Accolade's adventure games
- Sega vs Accolade details