Spectrum HoloByte
 | |
| Formerly | Spectrum HoloByte, Inc. (1983-1996) |
|---|---|
| Type | Public |
| Nasdaq: SYBT[1] | |
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 1983 |
| Founders | Jeff Sauter, Phil Adam and Mike Franklin |
| Defunct | 1999 |
| Fate | Absorbed into Hasbro Interactive |
| Successor | Hasbro Interactive |
| Headquarters | , US |
Key people | Gilman Louie Phil Adam |
| Parent |
|
Spectrum HoloByte, Inc. (later known as MicroProse Alameda) was an American video game developer and publisher. The company, founded in 1983, was known for its simulation games, notably the Falcon series of combat flight simulators, and for publishing the first version of Tetris outside the Soviet Union (in 1988 for MS-DOS). Spectrum HoloByte published games for various home computers and video game consoles.
History
[edit]Origins
[edit]Spectrum HoloByte was founded in 1983 in Boulder, Colorado, by Jeff Sauter, Phil Adam and Mike Franklin. The name came from terms, spectrum was coming from the color, holo was meant to be 3D or holography and byte meaning computer.[2]
The company's first hit was a game caled GATO, which was a hit for learners.[3] The company made another hit with the game without copy protection, Orbiter, which was another breakout.[4]
Merger with Nexa
[edit]In 1987 Spectrum HoloByte merged with another game developer, Nexa Corporation, forming a common holding company, Sphere, Inc., which was owned by Pergamon Press, who had a 89% share in the company,[5] and prompting the company's move from Colorado to California, with Nexa and Spectrum HoloByte as brands.[6] Nexa founder Gilman Louie served as chairman of the combined company.[7]
The company then signed a distribution deal with distributor Mirrorsoft to become the company's European distributor, while the company begin distributing Mirrorsoft's titles for North America.[8][5] The company made its biggest move and breakout success when its title Tetris become the company's best-selling title for home computers.[9][5] The success led to a sequel to Tetris for home computers, called Welltris.[10]
In 1989, the company was awarded a third-party license for the Sega Genesis, and its first title was intended to be Falcon, but scrapped at the last minute.[11] In 1990, the company made its move when the company licensed Vette to Sega of America for the Sega Genesis, but never came to fruition.[12]
In April 1991, the company, via Sphere, Inc. launched a joint venture with Mirrorsoft, Arena Entertainment to release games for platforms like Amiga and Sega Genesis, before Mirrorsoft was sold to Acclaim in 1992, allowing Acclaim to purchase Arena Entertainment from Mirrorsoft and Spectrum HoloByte.[13][14][15][16][17][18][19] Only three games were released under the venture, including Back to the Future Part III, Battlemaster, and Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe, all for the Genesis, before Arena was sold to Acclaim.[20][21]
Reorganization, merger with MicroProse and closure
[edit]In 1992, Spectrum HoloByte received an investment from Kleiner Perkins, which let the company repurchase shares formerly owned by Robert Maxwell's companies, after the death of Robert Maxwell, ending its ties to their bankruptcies.[22] In early 1992, the company entered into an agreement with Horizon Entertainment and W Industries to create a new firm Cyberstudio, designed to create firms for the Virtuality Entertainment System.[23]
Also in 1992, the company signed a deal with MicroProse where it became its new European distributor after Mirrorsoft was sold to Acclaim, signed a licensing deal with Paramount Pictures to make video games based on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and then the company then made their first true home console game in 1992, Wordtris, for the SNES and Game Boy, a port of the home computer game.[24]
In late 1992, the parent company was reincorporated from Sphere, Inc. to Spectrum HoloByte, Inc. to reflect the business.[25] In 1993, the company acquired the North American business of video game publisher Bullet-Proof Software.[26][27] In December 1993, Spectrum HoloByte, Inc. merged with MicroProse, who was distributing Spectrum HoloByte's games in Europe, to form MicroProse Inc.[28]
For the following years, games from both companies were published under their respective brands, but in 1996 all titles were consolidated under the MicroProse brand, with the Alameda headquarters continued to be used on its titles developed at the former Spectrum HoloByte sttaff.[29] In 1995, the company had bought out Simtex.[30] The company was an early adapter of Nintendo 64, as no titles came out under the label.[31]
Hasbro Interactive acquired the merged company in 1998, and what had been Spectrum HoloByte ceased to exist when the development studio in Alameda, California, was closed in 1999.[32]
Games
[edit]| Title | Year and platform | Developer | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| GATO | 1984 (MS-DOS, Mac) 1985 (Apple II, C64) 1986 (Atari ST) 1987 (Atari 8-bit) |
Spectrum HoloByte | Spectrum HoloByte Atari Corporation (Atari 8-bit) |
| Orbiter | 1986 (MS-DOS, MacOS) 1988 (Atari ST) |
Spectrum HoloByte Sphere, Inc. (Atari ST) |
Spectrum HoloByte |
| Intrigue! | 1986 (Apple II, C64) | Kinemation | Spectrum HoloByte |
| Lunar Explorer: A Space Flight Simulator | 1986 (Apple II, DOS) | Spectrum HoloByte | Electric Transit |
| Solitaire Royale | 1987 (MS-DOS, Mac) 1988 (Amiga) 1989 (Apple IIGS), MS-DOS, Mac, MSX, PC-88, PC-98, Sharp X1 |
Software Resources International | Spectrum HoloByte |
| Falcon | 1987 (MS-DOS, Mac) 1988 (Atari ST) 1989 (Amiga) 1991 (CDTV) |
Sphere, Inc. | Spectrum HoloByte |
| Dondra: A New Beginning | 1987 (Apple II) 1988 (Apple IIGS) 1989 (MS-DOS) |
Spectrum HoloByte | Spectrum HoloByte Electronic Arts (MS-DOS) |
| PT-109 | 1987 (MS-DOS, Mac) | Digital Illusions | Spectrum HoloByte |
| Zig Zag | 1987 (C64) | Zig Zag Software | Spectrum HoloByte |
| Tetris | 1988 (Amiga, Apple II, Apple IIGS, MS-DOS, Mac) 1989 (Atari ST) |
Spectrum HoloByte | Spectrum HoloByte |
| Soko-Ban | 1988 (MS-DOS) 1988 (Apple II, C64) |
ASCII, Thinking Rabbit | Spectrum HoloByte |
| Falcon A.T. | 1988 (MS-DOS) | Sphere, Inc. | Spectrum HoloByte |
| Vette! | 1989 (MS-DOS) 1991 (MacOS) |
Sphere, Inc. | Spectrum HoloByte |
| Falcon Operation: Counterstrike | 1989 (Amiga, Atari ST) | Rowan Software | Spectrum HoloByte |
| Tank: The M1A1 Abrams Battle Tank Simulation | 1989 (MS-DOS) | Sphere, Inc. | Spectrum HoloByte |
| Welltris | 1989 (MS-DOS) 1990 (Mac, Amiga, Atari ST) |
Doka, Sphere, Inc. | Spectrum HoloByte Infogrames (Amiga, Atari ST) |
| Faces...tris III | 1990 (MS-DOS, Mac) 1991 (Amiga) |
Sphere, Inc. | Spectrum HoloByte |
| Stunt Driver | 1990 (MS-DOS) | Sphere, Inc. | Spectrum HoloByte |
| Flight of the Intruder | 1990 (MS-DOS) 1991 (Amiga, Atari ST) |
Rowan Software Spectrum Holobyte (Amiga, Atari ST) |
Spectrum Holobyte Mirrorsoft (Amiga, Atari ST) |
| Falcon Operation: Firefight | 1990 (Amiga, Atari ST) | Rowan Software Sphere, Inc. |
Spectrum HoloByte |
| Super Tetris | 1991 (MS-DOS, Windows 3.x) 1992 (Amiga, Mac) |
Sphere, Inc. | Spectrum HoloByte |
| Falcon 3.0 | 1991 (MS-DOS) 1992 (TG-16) |
Sphere, Inc. Spectrum HoloByte (TG-16) |
Spectrum HoloByte Turbo Technologies (TG-16) |
| Falcon MC (Macintosh Color) | 1992 (Mac) | Spectrum HoloByte | Spectrum HoloByte |
| Crisis in the Kremlin | 1992 (MS-DOS) | Barbu Corporation, Spectrum HoloByte | Spectrum HoloByte |
| Wordtris | 1991 (MS-DOS) 1992 (Game Boy, SNES) 1993 (Mac) |
Spectrum HoloByte Armenica (MS-DOS) |
Spectrum HoloByte Sphere, Inc. (Game Boy) Nintendo (SNES) |
| Falcon 3.0: Operation: Fighting Tiger | 1992 (MS-DOS) | Sphere, Inc. | Spectrum HoloByte |
| Tetris Classic | 1992 (MS-DOS, Windows 3.x) | Spectrum HoloByte | Spectrum HoloByte |
| Iron Helix | 1993 (Mac, Windows 3.x) 1994 (Sega CD) |
Drew Pictures | Spectrum HoloByte |
| Tetris Gold | 1993 (MS-DOS, Mac, Windows 3.x) | Sphere, Inc. | Spectrum HoloByte |
| Hornet: Naval Strike Fighter | 1993 (MS-DOS) | Spectrum HoloByte | Spectrum HoloByte |
| National Lampoon's Chess Maniac 5 Billion and 1 | 1993 (MS-DOS) | Spectrum HoloByte | Spectrum HoloByte |
| TinHead | 1993 (Genesis) | MicroProse | Ballistic |
| Soldiers of Fortune | 1993 (Genesis, SNES) | The Bitmap Brothers | Spectrum HoloByte |
| MiG-29: Deadly Adversary of Falcon 3.0 | 1993 (MS-DOS) | Spectrum HoloByte | Spectrum HoloByte |
| Tornado | 1993 (MS-DOS) | Digital Integration | Spectrum HoloByte |
| Gazillionaire | 1994 (Windows 3.x) | LavaMind | Spectrum HoloByte |
| Out of the Sun | 1994 (MaS) | Domark | Eidos Interactive |
| Formula One | 1994 (MS-DOS) | Lankhor | Domark |
| Star Trek: The Next Generation - Futures Past | 1994 (Genesis, SNES) | Spectrum HoloByte | Spectrum HoloByte Sega (Genesis) |
| BreakThru! | 1994 (SNES, Windows 3.x, MS-DOS) 1995 (GB) |
Zoo Corporation (Windows, MS-DOS) Artech Digital Entertainment (SNES) Realtime Associates Seattle Division (GB) |
Spectrum HoloByte |
| Falcon Gold | 1994 (MS-DOS) | Spectrum HoloByte | Spectrum HoloByte |
| Fields of Glory | 1994 (MS-DOS) | MicroProse | Spectrum HoloByte |
| WildSnake | 1994 (Game Boy, SNES) | Bullet-Proof Software (GB) Manley & Associates (SNES) |
Spectrum HoloByte |
| Lords of Midnight | 1995 (MS-DOS) | Maelstrom Games | Domark |
| ClockWerx | 1995 (Mac, Windows) | Callisto Corporation | Spectrum HoloByte |
| Reflux: Issue.01 - "The Becoming" | 1995 (Mac, Windows 3.x) | Inverse Ink | Inverse Ink |
| Reflux: Issue.02 - "The Threshold" | 1995 (Windows 3.x) | Inverse Ink | Inverse Ink |
| Star Trek: The Next Generation – A Final Unity | 1995 (MS-DOS, Mac) | Spectrum HoloByte | Spectrum HoloByte |
| Qwirks | 1995 (Mac, Windows, Windows 3.x) | Big Bang Software | Spectrum HoloByte |
| Perfect Partner Bridge | 1995 (Mac, Windows 3.x) | Positronic Software | Spectrum HoloByte |
| Absolute Zero | 1995 (MS-DOS, Mac) | Domark | Domark |
| Knight Moves | 1995 (Windows) | Kinesoft | Spectrum HoloByte |
| Curse of Dragor | 1995 (Mac) | Banshee Software | Domark |
| Top Gun: Fire at Will! | 1996 (MS-DOS, Mac, PlayStation, Windows) | Spectrum HoloByte | Spectrum HoloByte MacSoft (Mac) |
| Star Trek: Generations | 1997 (Windows) | MicroProse Alameda | MicroProse |
| Falcon 4.0 | 1998 (Mac, Windows) | MicroProse Alameda | Hasbro Interactive |
| Star Trek: Birth of the Federation | 1999 (Windows) | MicroProse Alameda | Hasbro Interactive |
References
[edit]- ↑ "Microprose Inc/DE - '10-K' for 3/31/97". SEC Info.
- ↑ "Spectrum HoloByte". The One for Amiga Games. May 1991. p. 33. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
- ↑ "Sierra Emphasizes 128K". Computer Entertainer. June 1985. p. 2. Retrieved August 3, 2026.
- ↑ "To Slip the Surly Bounds of Earth". Computer Gaming World. August 1986. pp. 36–37. Retrieved August 3, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Wade, Alex (December 2021). "Red Threads: Robert Maxwell and the Early UK and International Videogames Industry". Game Studies. 21 (4). ISSN 1604-7982.
- ↑ Krogtoft, Ernst (2025-04-29). "Vette!, Silicon Dreams on the Streets of San Francisco". Retro365. Retrieved 2026-08-03.
- ↑ "Spectrum HoloByte/Nexa Merger". MicroTimes. March 1987. p. 18. Retrieved August 3, 2026.
- ↑ "Desktop Publishing". STart. 1987. p. 26. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
- ↑ "Tetris and Its Connection to Asian American History: Nexa the AAPI Company that Helped to Develop and Market Tetris In America". asianamericanbooks.com. Retrieved 2026-08-03.
- ↑ "MS-DOS Review". Computer Entertainer. October 1989. p. 8. Retrieved August 3, 2026.
- ↑ "Lots of New Games from Sega". Computer Entertainer. June 1989. p. 11. Retrieved August 3, 2026.
- ↑ "Sega for the '90s". Computer Entertainer. January 1990. p. 12. Retrieved August 3, 2026.
- ↑ "Joined Forces". .info Wrap-Up. May 1991. p. 2. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
- ↑ "Consumer Electronics Show". Computer Gaming World. April 1991. p. 43. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
- ↑ "Cyberplay". info. July 1991. p. 28. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
- ↑ "Entertainment". AC's Guide to the Commodore Amiga. Summer 1991. p. 72. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
- ↑ Hewison, Richard. "Reflections of Mirrorsoft". Retro Gamer. No. 9. Imagine Publishing. pp. 82–97.
- ↑ "Acclaim Entertainment Purchases Mirrorsoft LTD.; Also Acquires U.S. Subsidiary, Arena Entertainment". PR Newswire. January 6, 1992. Archived from the original on March 17, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2022 – via TheFreeLibrary.
- ↑ "Arena's Uncertain Future". Electronic Gaming Retail News. January 1992. p. 11. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
- ↑ "Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe". Sega Visions. August 1991. p. 14. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
- ↑ "Party Line". Sega Visions. December 1991. p. 12. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
- ↑ "Spectrum HoloByte Buy-Back Launches Next Generation". Computer Gaming World. December 1992. p. 116. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
- ↑ "Spectrum HoloByte Joins "Virtuality" Group". VideoGames & Computer Entertainment. February 1992. p. 22. Retrieved August 3, 2026.
- ↑ "Spectrum HoloByte Titles Now Available in Europe". VideoGames & Computer Entertainment. May 1992. p. 24. Retrieved August 3, 2026.
- ↑ "SPHERE, INC. - TERMINATION". California Secretary of State. September 24, 1992. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
- ↑ "Industry News". Game Players PC Entertainment. July–August 1993. p. 8. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
- ↑ "Spectrum HoloByte Buys Bullet-Proof". VideoGames & Computer Entertainment. July 1993. pp. 26, 28. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
- ↑ "Spectrum + MicroProse = MicroProse Inc". GamePro. No. 56. IDG. March 1994. p. 186.
- ↑ "Stop Press: The Name Game". Next Generation. No. 19. Imagine Media. July 1996. p. 17.
- ↑ "Corporate Background". MicroProse. Archived from the original on December 21, 1996. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
- ↑ Oxford, David (2018-12-27). "Remembering the Nintendo Ultra 64 Dream Team: Spectrum HoloByte". Old School Gamer Magazine. Retrieved 2026-08-03.
- ↑ Freudenheim, Milt (8 December 1999). "Hasbro to Cut 20% of Its Jobs and Take $97 Million Charge". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
