Big Red Software | |
Type | Private |
Industry | Video games |
Founded | 16 October 1989 |
Founder | Paul Ranson |
Defunct | 31 May 1996 |
Fate | Merged into Eidos Interactive |
Headquarters | , England |
The Big Red Software Company Limited, doing business as Big Red Software, was a British video game developer based in Leamington Spa, England, that was founded by Paul Ranson in October 1989.
Big Red Software was incorporated on 16 October 1989 [1] by Paul Ranson, [2] and was based in Leamington Spa, England. [3] [4] In their early years, they focused on the 8-bit home computer game market, especially for ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC. During this time, they formed a close relationship with Codemasters, who published many of their games. [2] This relationship was sufficiently close that Codemasters turned to them to develop the next Dizzy game after the series' creators, the Oliver Twins, moved onto other projects. [5] The resulting game, Magicland Dizzy , was a critical and commercial success. When Retro Gamer released a special retrospective edition of Your Sinclair in 2004, they rated it the 12th best game for ZX Spectrum of all time. [6] Other games released in collaboration with Codemasters include further Dizzy games, the Seymour series, and the PC port of Micro Machines . [2]
In the mid-1990s, as the industry moved away from the older 8-bit computers, Big Red Software started developing games such as Tank Commander and Big Red Racing for MS-DOS, with both these titles being published by Domark. On 25 September 1995, publicly traded Eidos Public Limited Company acquired Domark and Big Red Software, alongside Simis, for a total of GB£12.9 million. [7] The latter two were merged into Domark to create Eidos Interactive on 31 May 1996. [2] [8] [9]
Year | Title |
---|---|
1990 | Wacky Darts |
Raster Runner | |
NY Warriors | |
Magicland Dizzy | |
1991 | Fun School 4 |
Dizzy Panic | |
Seymour Goes to Hollywood | |
Spellbound Dizzy | |
Super Seymour Saves the Planet | |
Kamikaze | |
CJ's Elephant Antics | |
CJ in the USA | |
Dizzy: Prince of the Yolkfolk | |
1992 | Wild West Seymour |
Steg the Slug | |
Grell and Fella | |
Sergeant Seymour: Robot Cop | |
1994 | CJ: Elephant Fugitive |
Pete Sampras Tennis | |
Sink or Swim | |
Dropzone | |
Micro Machines | |
1995 | Tank Commander |
Big Red Racing |
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer developed by Sinclair Research. It was first released in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1982. Many unofficial clones were released around the world throughout the 1980s.
Treasure Island Dizzy is a computer puzzle game published in 1988 by Codemasters for ZX Spectrum, and later ported to the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, NES, Amiga, Atari ST, Microsoft Windows and Atari Jaguar.
Andrew Nicholas Oliver and Philip Edward Oliver, together known as the Oliver Twins, are British twin brothers and video game designers.
Dizzy is a series of video games, created by the Oliver Twins and published by Codemasters. It was one of the most successful British video game franchises of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Originally created for the ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC, the series appeared on multiple home computer and video game console formats, with over a dozen games being published between 1987 and 1992.
Dizzy, or Dizzy – The Ultimate Cartoon Adventure, was the first video game featuring the character Dizzy, an anthropomorphic egg. The game was designed by two British brothers, the Oliver Twins. Dizzy was published by Codemasters and was released in June, 1987.
Fantasy World Dizzy is an arcade adventure video game released in October 1989 by Codemasters and designed by the Oliver Twins.
Magicland Dizzy is a platform adventure game published in Europe in 1990 by Codemasters for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and Amiga platforms. By 1992 there were also MS-DOS, Atari ST and Amstrad CPC versions available. It is the sixth game in the Dizzy series, and the fourth adventure-based Dizzy title. The story, set in a fantasy world called Magicland, follows on from the events of Fantasy World Dizzy, the previous adventure title. In Magicland Dizzy the player controls Dizzy, an egg-shaped character, who is trying to save six of his friends who have been placed under spells by the Evil Wizard Zaks.
Dizzy: Prince of the Yolkfolk is an adventure video game published in December 1991 by Codemasters for the Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, MS-DOS, NES and Amiga. It was the sixth game in the Dizzy adventure series. Initially it was only released as part of the Dizzy's Excellent Adventures compilation.
Tornado Low Level is a multidirectional shooter developed by Costa Panayi and published in 1984 by the company he co-founded, Vortex Software. The game was released for the ZX Spectrum in 1984, with ports for the Amstrad CPC and Commodore 64 in 1985.
Cauldron is a two-dimensional (2D) shoot 'em up/platformer computer game developed and published by British developer Palace Software (Palace). The game was released in 1985 for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and Amstrad CPC home computers. Players control a witch, who aims to become the "Witch Queen" by defeating an enemy called the "Pumpking".
Dun Darach is an arcade adventure developed and published in 1985 by Gargoyle Games for the ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC computers. It is a prequel to the 1984 game Tir Na Nog. The plot has Celtic hero Cuchulainn on a search to find his companion Lóeg in the mysterious city of Dun Darach. Inspiration for the game came from the works of Fritz Lieber and Michael Moorcock.
Spindizzy is an isometric computer game released for several 8-bit home computer formats in 1986 by Electric Dreams Software. It combines action and puzzle game elements. Players must navigate a series of screens to explore a landscape suspended in a three-dimensional space. Development was headed by Paul Shirley, who drew inspiration from Ultimate Play the Game games that feature an isometric projection.
Cauldron II: The Pumpkin Strikes Back is a computer game developed and published by British developer Palace Software (Palace) as a sequel to their 1985 title Cauldron. The two-dimensional (2D) platform game was released in 1986 for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and Amstrad CPC home computers. Players control a bouncing pumpkin that is on a quest of vengeance against the "Witch Queen". The roles of the two were reversed from the first game, in which the witch defeated a monstrous pumpkin.
Turbo Esprit is a video game published by Durell Software in 1986 for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, and Amstrad CPC. The game was very detailed and advanced for its time, featuring car indicator lights, pedestrians, traffic lights, and a view of the car's interior controls. Turbo Esprit was the first free-roaming driving game, and has been cited as a major influence on the later Grand Theft Auto series.
Crystal Computing, later renamed Design Design, was a British video game developer founded in 1982 by Chris Clarke and Ian Stamp while students at the University of Manchester. Graham Stafford, Neil Mottershead, Simon Brattel and Martin Horsley, joined the company as it expanded. The company's first software release was a compilation of games for the Sinclair ZX81, though it was with the ZX Spectrum that Crystal found its greatest success. A deal with the machine's manufacturer Sinclair to distribute Crystal's Zeus Assembler gave the company sufficient funds for a major marketing campaign for their next product, Halls of the Things, an arcade adventure game that became their most successful title.
Deactivators is a 1986 puzzle video game designed by David Bishop and Chris Palmer, developed by Tigress Marketing and System Software, and published by Ariolasoft's action game imprint Reaktor. The player controls bomb disposal robots known as deactivators and must use them to deactivate bombs planted by terrorists in five research complexes. The concept for the game came from a brainstorming session between Bishop and Palmer; its design and development took five to six months to complete. It was released for the Amstrad CPC 464, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum platforms in October 1986.
RoboCop is a beat 'em up/run-and-gun arcade game developed and published by Data East in 1988, based on the 1987 film of the same name. It was sub-licensed to Data East by Ocean Software, who obtained the rights from Orion Pictures at the script stage. Data East and Ocean Software subsequently adapted the arcade game for home computers.
Grand Prix Simulator is a racing game developed by The Oliver Twins and published by Codemasters for the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 and Atari 8-bit family. The ZX Spectrum conversion was done by Serge Dosang. The game was endorsed by Ayrton Senna's 1986 Formula One teammate Johnny Dumfries.
Seymour Goes to Hollywood, also known as Seymour at the Movies, is a platform and adventure game developed by Big Red Software and originally published in Europe by Codemasters in 1991. Players control Seymour, a small potato-like creature who wishes to be a film star. The film's script has been locked in a safe, meaning Seymour must solve puzzles by collecting and using objects scattered throughout the game in order to progress, ultimately retrieving the script and allowing filming to start.
The Race Against Time is a 1988 adventure video game designed by the Oliver Twins, and developed and published by Codemasters. The player controls Sudanese runner Omar Khalifa, who has to venture to six continents to light torch bowls and raise flags to begin the 1988 Sport Aid, a sport-themed charity organization. A tie-in to the Sport Aid charity, all proceeds were donated to the campaign. The game was released for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum platforms.