Antic Software

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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.

Contents

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]

History

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.

Software

Atari 8-bit computers

Antic Software’s Atari 8-bit catalog featured:

Atari ST

As the Atari ST emerged, Antic expanded into 16-bit software:

Distribution model & impact

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]

Personnel & legacy

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.

Notable influence

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]

Legacy

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.

References

  1. Bisson, Gigi (May 1986). "Antic Then & Now". Antic. pp. 16–23. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  2. "Antic Arcade catalog". archive.org. September 1985.
  3. "HomeCard advertisement". Antic. 4 (3): 26. July 1985.
  4. "RAMbrandt". Atari Mania. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
  5. "Tales of Adventures PD disk". Internet Archive. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
  6. "Antic PD Library manual". Internet Archive. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
  7. 1 2 Doudoroff, Martin. "The Antic Cyber Graphics Software and the Pre-history of Autodesk 3D Studio" . Retrieved 25 June 2025.
  8. "Spectrum 512". Atari Mania. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
  9. Doudoroff, Martin. "Cyber suite history" . Retrieved 25 June 2025.
  10. "Antic Then & Now". Atari Magazines. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
  11. 1 2 "Gary Yost Interview". Internet Archive. Retrieved 25 June 2025.