Young gamers today just don’t know how easy they have it. Video games are everywhere and have become a part of popular culture. Finding games you’re interested in is as easy as firing up the internet and purchasing games is as easy as clicking on a link.
Back in the day, finding a game that you liked and purchasing it wasn’t so easy, but somehow we managed. We started out with text-based games – many which came on a floppy disk (some of you may not even know what that is). But eventually, gaming got better and the golden age of gaming began. In the early 1990′s, graphical PC adventure games began to be released by what were then the “big” gaming developers – studios like Virgin, Sierra Online and Westwood.
Westwood Studios, Pandemic Studios, and Clover Studio, among others, had a lot going for them back in the day, but here we are.
Psygnosis is one of them for me. I sure miss some Wipeout, but would not be surprised if it's handed off to another studio. *Fingers Crossed*
The list is missing NeverSoft, I miss them so much, and I feel they don't get the credit they deserve.
They created an open world western game years before Red Dead Redemption, they made a great 3D Spiderman game, one of the first ever good 3D superhero games. And of course the Pro Skater franchise, where many other developers attempted to make their own 'extreme sports' games, but all failed in comparison to what NeverSoft offered.
Then Activision had to shut them down so they could be apart of the endless Call of Duty workforce. What a shame.
NeverSoft is definitely missing, and missed! The western game you mentioned is Gun. And what an amazing game it was.
The open world truly was remarkable for its time. I still remember riding to places being a Joy!
That list hit hard. Some really good names and games there.
It’s just not right that so many gem studios end up in closure.
I was sad about volition and visceral. Yes the saints row reboot sucked but I was holding out hope of a remake of the first two. And I loved visceral for the dead space games.
Seeing Clover Studio up there, takes me back to Viewtiful Joe 1 an 2. Love them so much on GameCube, we really need a remake of both games and also Viewtiful Joe 3 on Switch 2. This needs to happen.😞
During a talk at GDC 2022, Wolfenstein 3D and DOOM designer John Romero recalled how only $100,000 stood between Sierra On-Line purchasing id Software in 1992.
Imagine how different the industry would be today if this had happened. Weird to think about what snowball effects this acquisition would've had.
Today marks 20 years since "Chainsaw Monday" where Major Layoffs occurred on February 22nd, 1999 at Yosemite Entertainment, the former Headquarters of Sierra On-Line in Oakhurst, CA and two thirds of Sierra's employees lost their jobs!
