| Posted By
(no name)
on 2024-05-06
|  (no topic)
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Posted By
retroscener
on 2014-09-22
10:40:56
 | Re: what eight bit software houses still exist?
Well Codemasters and EA are the obvious ones from the 8-bit microcomputer platforms that's still around today. 1980's software houses still around today are very few and far between.
First Star Software are still around making games for android devices.
Cinemaware are still around making games after a bit of a hiatus, they have since been taken over by an American developer called eGames, and are still releasing titles under the Cinemaware label. They are now developing games for PC, tablet & mobile games.
Although, the original Mastertronic has long since gone, another British company has acquired the rights to the name to launch (or is that relaunch?) their own game software brand in 2004 and are still around today.
Surprisingly Virgin Games/Interactive are no longer in the computer/video gaming industry finally disappearing in 2003, Richard Branson's multi-billion pound industry is still one of the biggest companies in the world.
Can't think of anymore at the top of my head right now.
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Posted By
Csabo
on 2014-09-21
20:54:18
| Re: What eight bit software houses still exist?
Define "8 bit software houses". If you mean companies that used to produce software for 8 bit machines, and they still exists, the ones Baz listed would quality. However, CodeMasters and EA are no longer produce anything for 8 bit computers.
Otherwise, there's Psytronik, maybe a few more like that one.
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Posted By
retroscener
on 2014-09-21
21:26:19
| Re: What eight bit software houses still exist?
^I forgot to mention them. There's also Binary Zone (if they count) which has also been around since the very early 1990's.
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Posted By
TMR
on 2014-09-22
07:09:01
 | Re: What eight bit software houses still exist?
Psytronik is actually Binary Zone's publishing arm, two parts of the same one-man company (lovely chap too =-)
Off the top of my head... on the current 8-bit front there's also Cronosoft (multi-format, but primarily Spectrum), Protovision (C64 and expanded C64), RGCD (mostly C64 and usually on cartridge), Atari Age (unsurprisingly, Atari but they lean towards consoles), GR8 (Atari 8-bit), Revival Studios (mostly systems like the PET and ZX81), Retro Software (BBC Micro and Acorn Electron), Flimsoft (C64), a fair few others i've no doubt forgotten (there's a vague memory of a German group doing text adventures for the C64...?) and the odd person self publishing a single release here and there.
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Posted By
commodore69
on 2014-09-22
14:59:44
| Re: What eight bit software houses still exist?
well the obvious ones are still around but some long thought dead ones theres MICROMEGA they still exist and make games I thought they died years ago! MASTERTRONIC is a new company as the guy who founded the original company purchased the name from SEGA so yes its back but the old MASTERTRONIC is SEGA EUROPE so really id like to see more games done for my plus 4 as it would be great for some new games!
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Posted By
retroscener
on 2014-09-22
20:50:19
| Re: What eight bit software houses still exist?
I'm afraid to say that we will see no C16/Plus4 games from any current professional software houses anymore on the retail shelves, not even as mail order or downloads 
It's because we are very much a smaller niche market now, and companies such as Psytronik cater for that so their profit turn-outs won't be as high, but thankfully enough to keep them going, it's more a labour of love. It's just not worth it for the bigger more commerical software publishers which now cater for modern machines.
Psytronik, other smaller retro game publishers like them plus the homebrew scene is really as good as it gets for us now, where unfortunately our 264 series scene is so much more smaller now (and it was small back in the 80's compared to the bigger systems then) that Psytronik has only one commerical release with Adventures In Time so far. But all this isn't really a terrible thing. The C16/Plus4 gaming scene is still very much alive. There's probably more than double the games now for our system than there were in 1988, and I don't see that waning anytime soon 
edit:
vvvvvvvvvv lol, think we found our troll vvvvvvvvvv (although he's only half using CAPS instead of the whole post this time)
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Posted By
commodore69
on 2014-09-22
16:36:41
| Re: What eight bit software houses still exist?
BAZ I was very surprised I found the number for MICROMEGA on the back of a tape case I have so I called them they said WE ARE MICROMEGA WE STILL MAKE GAMES FOR THE COMMODORE PLUS 4 as we have done since 1984 we are here to stay unlike many of our competitors who have gone bust or merged with MONSTERS like SEGA, ELECTRONIC ARTS, CODEMASTERS and others so you want COMMODORE PLUS 4 GAMES then MICROMEGA has got em!!
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Posted By
commodore69
on 2014-09-22
18:16:02
| Re: What eight bit software houses still exist?
CASUALTIES that went bust were MICROPOWER, MIKROGEN. TYNESOFT, CRL GROUP PLC, GRANDSLAM MEDIA, BLUE RIBBON GAMES and many more the tragedy is when many of these software houses went bust many of the games as a lot were purchased by ALTERNATIVE SOFTWARE and ELITE SYSTEMS but one of the biggest demises was HI TEC SOFTWARE in Sheffield and also ATLANTIS SOFTWARE sadly the days are gone were legends like MASTERTRONIC or BUG BYTE were making tons of games all I can say is there are lost games out there if we all dig around the TREASURES will be found!
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