Antic Software was a software company associated with Antic , a magazine for Atari 8-bit computers. Bound into issues of the magazine, the Antic Software catalog initially sold Atari 8-bit games, applications, and utilities from the recently defunct Atari Program Exchange. Original submissions were later added, as well as public domain collections, with all software provided on self-documented disk. When the Atari ST was released, it became a mixture of Atari 8-bit and Atari ST software and sold some major Atari ST titles such as CAD-3D. The magazine insert changed names several times, eventually being branded as The Catalog.
Antic assistant editor Gigi Bisson wrote in the May 1986 issue that, "[Antic Software] kept the magazine afloat during the lean year," referring to the period following Atari, Inc.'s financial collapse. [1]
When the Atari Program Exchange (APX) was shut down by Atari CEO James J. Morgan in 1984, Gary Yost convinced Antic magazine's publisher, James Capparell, to create Antic Software. Yost contacted many of the programmers from APX to re-publish their works with Antic. The APX software was rebranded in mid-1984 as APX Classics from Antic. In 1985 the magazine insert was called Antic Arcade (despite including more than games). [2] By 1986 it was branded The Catalog with the emphasis on Atari ST applications.
Antic Software’s Atari 8-bit catalog featured:
As the Atari ST emerged, Antic expanded into 16-bit software:
Antic Software combined repackaged APX classics (branded as “APX Classics from Antic”) with new original and public-domain content. Beginning as cover-mounted floppy disks, the software collection expanded into a 40-page mail-order “Catalog”, reaching over 250 titles—credited with sustaining the magazine through Atari’s collapse. [10]
Marketing director Gary Yost led the initiative—recruiting APX authors, growing the catalog, and spearheading ST software development. [11] In a 2016 interview, Yost recalled founding the Catalog as a survival strategy, then moving into 3D graphics and stereoscopic accessories. [11] After Antic, he formed The Yost Group, producing Autodesk Animator and 3D Studio and guiding the evolution of CAD-3D into today's Autodesk 3ds Max.
Antic Software’s merging of reissued, original, and freeware content prefigured future shareware/catalog paradigms. CAD‑3D’s robust toolkit and modular design directly influenced mainstream 3D authoring tools on DOS/Windows. [7]
Gary Yost went on to form The Yost Group which created and licensed products to Autodesk: Autodesk Animator, Autodesk Animator Pro, Autodesk 3D Studio, and Autodesk 3DS MAX. 3D Studio is a direct successor of CAD-3D.