Epyx reportedly used more than three man-years to develop California Games, including a surfer who wrote the surfing game.[13] Several members of the development team moved on to other projects. Chuck Sommerville, the designer of the half-pipe game in California Games, later developed the game Chip's Challenge, while Ken Nicholson, the designer of the footbag game, would go on to invent of the technology used in Microsoft's DirectX. Kevin Norman, the designer of the BMX game, went on to found the educational science software company Norman & Globus, makers of the ElectroWiz series of products.
The sound design for the original version of California Games was done by Chris Grigg, a member of the band Negativland.[citation needed]
California Games was a commercial blockbuster.[29] With more than 300,000 copies sold in the first nine months, it was the most successful Epyx game, outselling each of the four previous and two subsequent titles in the company's "Games" series.[30][31] CEO Dave Morse said that it was the first Epyx game to appeal equally to boys and girls during playtesting.[32] The game topped 500,000 units sold by 1989, at which time Video Games & Computer Entertainment reported that sales were "still mounting".[29]
Computer Gaming World recommended the game, calling it fun.[33]Compute! called California Games "both inventive and charming".[34] "Epyx Software gives us a refreshing treat", PC Magazine said of the PC version, citing the surfing game's "outstanding animation and realistic graphics".[13] In a capsule review for STart, Clayton Walnum said California Games "isn't a bad package, especially since it comes free with the Lynx". He found the BMX and surfing events great fun but deemed the skateboarding event frustrating and said the foot-bag event is pleasant but quickly wears thin.[35]
In 1996, Next Generation listed the "Games" series collectively as number 89 on its "Top 100 Games of All Time". The magazine stated that though the games had great graphics for their time, their most defining qualities were their competitive multiplayer modes and "level of control that has yet to be equaled".[36] In 2004, the Atari Lynx version of California Games was inducted into GameSpot's list of the greatest games of all time.[37]
Legacy
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The video game was followed in 1988 by VCR California Games - a board game with a companion VCR tape featuring short clips of various sports.[38][39] The game was followed in 1990 by California Games II, but the sequel failed to match the original's success.
A California Games television series was considered in the late 1980s as part of the Super Mario Bros. Power Hour, a one-hour animation block of Nintendo-focused video game adaptations. Concept art was produced for the project by DIC Animation City. Only the Mario and Zelda segments for the block were ultimately produced, airing in 1989 as part of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!.[40]
The game was released for mobile phones in the Java format[citation needed]. The Commodore 64 version was released for the Wii's Virtual Console service in Europe on April 11, 2008, and in North America on July 6, 2009.[41]. The current rights holder is Epyx Games, LLC and they are working on a revival of this title with one of their existing development partners.[42]
1 2 "Atari and Epix Team Up"(PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. No.3. Sendai Publications. September 1989. pp.70–72. Among the first games, which will retail for $19.95, are Epyx's Impossible Mission and California Games (which comes bundled with the system) [...]
↑ "LYNX Soft" (in Japanese). GAME Data Room. Archived from the original on 2018-04-08.
↑ "The Release Schedule"(PDF). Computer Trade Weekly. No.366. Opportunity Publishing. 9 December 1991. p.27.
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