Tynesoft
 | |
| Industry | Video game industry |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1983 |
| Defunct | 1990 |
| Headquarters | , |
| Products | Computer games |
Tynesoft Computer Software was a software developer and publisher in the 1980s and early 1990s.
History[edit]
The company was originally set up in 1983 by Colin Courtney and Trevor Scott[1] to release educational software but soon moved into the video games market on which it concentrated for most of its time. It developed numerous games for a wide variety of 8-bit micros, particularly those less well catered for by other publishers such as the Commodore 16, BBC Micro and Atari 8-bit. They also had a budget label, MicroValue, that issued compilations, reissues and some original games.[1]
They had most success with their multi-load games such as Summer Olympiad, Circus Games and Rodeo Games. They also released licensed ports to smaller systems such as Software Projects' Jet Set Willy (Atari 8-bit, Commodore 16/Plus/4, BBC Micro and Acorn Electron), First Star Software's Boulder Dash (BBC, Electron) and Spy vs. Spy (C16/+4, BBC, Electron) and Mindscape's Indoor Sports (C16/+4, BBC, Electron). From the late 1980s, they released games for the 16-bit computers Amiga and Atari ST as well as PC but failed to capture a large share of this new market and with the demise of the 8-bit games scene, their sales fell. The company went bankrupt in June 1990[2] when its sister printing business incurred massive debts.[1]
Legacy[edit]
Programmer Brian Jobling left the company in 1988 to set up Zeppelin Games with programmer and journalist Derek Brewster.[1]
Colin Courtney set up a new company, Flair Software, which continued to use the MicroValue label for budget releases. Flair published one title that had originally been scheduled for release by Tynesoft, Elvira: The Arcade Game,[1] but a reported conversion of Games Workshop's Blood Bowl[3][4] never appeared. The company currently operates under the name Casual Arts and releases games for PC, Mac, Nintendo DS/3DS, iOS, Android and Kindle.[5]
Select titles[edit]
- 1984 Auf Wiedersehen Pet (Acorn Electron, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum)
- 1984 Bingo (C64, Spectrum)
- 1984 Rig Attack (Electron, BBC, Commodore 16, Commodore Plus/4)
- 1984 Olympiad (C16/+4)
- 1984 US Drag Racing (Electron, BBC, C16/+4)
- 1985 Ian Botham's Test Match (Electron, BBC, C64, Spectrum, C16/+4, Amstrad CPC)
- 1985 Super Gran (C64, Spectrum, C16/+4, CPC)
- 1985 Super Gran: The Adventure (Electron, BBC, C64, Spectrum, C16/+4)
- 1986 Future Shock (Electron, BBC, C16/+4)
- 1986 Commonwealth Games aka European Games (Electron, BBC, C64, C16/+4, MSX)
- 1986 Mouse Trap (Electron, BBC, C64, Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, Amiga)
- 1986 Winter Olympics (Electron, BBC, C16/+4, Atari 8-bit, MSX)
- 1986 The Big KO (Electron, BBC, C64)
- 1987 Phantom (Electron, BBC, C64, C16/+4, Atari 8-bit)
- 1987 Mirax Force (Atari 8-bit)
- 1987 Who Dares Wins II (Atari 8-bit)
- 1988 Summer Olympiad (Electron, BBC, C64, Spectrum, ST, Amiga)
- 1988 Winter Olympiad '88 (Electron, BBC, C64, Spectrum, Atari 8-bit, ST, Amiga)
- 1989 Circus Games (Electron, BBC, C64, Spectrum, CPC, ST, Amiga, Apple II, PC)
- 1989 Superman: The Man of Steel (Electron, BBC, C64, Spectrum, CPC, ST, Amiga, MSX, Apple II, PC)
- 1989 Buffalo Bill's Rodeo Games aka Buffalo Bill's Wild West Rodeo Show (Electron, BBC, C64, Spectrum, CPC, ST, Amiga, Apple II, PC)
- 1989 Roller Coaster Rumbler (C64, ST, Amiga, PC)
- 1989 Mayday Squad (C64, ST, Amiga, PC)
- 1990 Beverly Hills Cop (BBC, C64, Spectrum, CPC, ST, Amiga, PC)
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e "From the Archives: Tynesoft". Retro Gamer. No. 75. Imagine. 31 March 2010. pp. 82–87.
- ^ "The Obituary Column". Computer and Video Games. No. 105. EMAP. August 1990. p. 10. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
- ^ "Beverly Hills Geordies!". Zzap. No. 53. Newsfield. September 1990. p. 8. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
- ^ "Grave Yardage". Zzap. No. 63. Newsfield. June 1990. p. 73. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
- ^ "FAQ". Casual Arts. Retrieved 16 February 2024..