 | |
| Formerly | Software Creations (1985–2002) |
|---|---|
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 1985; 41 years ago (1985) |
| Founder | Richard Kay |
| Defunct | 27 August 2004; 21 years ago (2004-08-27) |
| Fate | Dissolved |
| Headquarters | , England |
| Parent | Acclaim Entertainment (2002–2004) |
Acclaim Studios Manchester (formerlySoftware Creations) was a Britishvideo game developer based inManchester, England. The company was established in 1985 by Richard Kay. They were primarily known for their video games based on movie and comic licences likeMarvel Comics,Cutthroat Island, Disney'sBeauty and the Beast and the original titlesPlok!,Solstice, and its sequelEquinox.
According to Richard Kay, Software Creations began in 1986 when Steve Ruddy responded to an advertisement he had placed in theManchester Evening News:
Steve and I hit it off right away. He worked from home, and he did a boxing game calledThe Big KO. We worked very closely with each other for about 12 months. I hired Mike Ager and Andrew Threlfall, and we were the first four at Software Creations. I got an office onOxford Road and it was above a computer shop directly opposite theBBC. We did a lot of games forFirebird - they were all for about three or four hundred pounds.[1]
— Richard Kay,Retro Gamer
Most of these early games were ports of budget titles to other platforms such as theCommodore 64,ZX Spectrum,Amiga,Atari ST,NES and theGame Boy. The company's breakthrough game was the Commodore 64 version of the arcade hitBubble Bobble, a conversion which won critical acclaim and commercial success, and led to Software Creations being asked to do many more ports of popular arcade games.[1] By this time the company had grown to include brothersMike,Tim, and Geoff Follin, and artist Mark Wilson.[1]
An early demo ofSolstice won Software Creations a contract withNintendo, leading to some high-profile NES andSuper NES games.[1]
During the mid-1990s, Software Creations was responsible for the development of sound tools used in the creation of music for theNintendo 64 and itsdevelopment systems.[2]
On 1 May 2002 Acclaim announced that they had acquired Software Creations, which was renamed Acclaim Studios Manchester.[3][4] At the time, Software Creations had approximately 70 employees.[5] Acclaim Studios Manchester was closed as part of Acclaim Studios and all of its development facilities on 27 August 2004.[6]
Rod Cousens and Barry Jafrato, who served aschief executive officer and head of publishing for Acclaim, respectively, announced in September 2004 that they were planning to create Exclaim as a new video game publisher with the help of Europlay Capital Advisers.[7] Exclaim was set to acquire and reinstantiate Acclaim's two UK studios, namely Manchester and Cheltenham, and re-employ their roughly 160 previous members.[8] Exclaim's opening was expected on 11 October,[9] however, Cousen's ownership over the two studios was challenged by Acclaim's liquidator, Allan Mendelsohn, leaving the UK staff in a state of limbo.[10] A successor to Acclaim Studios Manchester, SilverBack Studios, was founded by Jon Oldham in April 2005 and employed 15 former Acclaim Studios Manchester staff.[11][12]
| Year | Title | Platforms |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | The Ripping Friends | Game Boy Advance |
| All-Star Baseball 2003 | ||
| 2002 FIFA World Cup | GameCube, PlayStation,PlayStation 2, Windows,Xbox | |
| Stuart Little 2 | Game Boy Advance | |
| Super Monkey Ball Jr. |
| Year | Title | Platforms |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance | PlayStation 2, Windows, Xbox |
| All-Star Baseball 2004 | Game Boy Advance | |
| Cancelled | Interview with a Made Man | PlayStation 2, Windows, Xbox |
| ATV Quad Power Racing 3 | PlayStation 2, Xbox |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
