Distinctive Software

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Distinctive Software
Founded: 1982
Merged into: Electronic Arts (1991)
Headquarters: Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

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Distinctive Software Inc. was a Canadian video game developer active during the late 1980s and early 1990s, founded by future Electronic Arts and Microsoft executive Don Mattrick. Known for their Test Drive series of racing games, the company also ran a successful game porting sub-label named Unlimited Software Inc., which produced the MS-DOS versions of several Activision-published Sega arcade games.

In 1991, the company was acquired by American video game developer Electronic Arts in a deal worth $10 million and became Electronic Arts Canada. Two years later, an internal development team dedicated to the production of Electronic Arts sports games was founded under the name Extended Play Productions.

History

According to programmer Mark Lesser, Electronic Arts had assigned EA Canada to take on the production and development responsibilities for Sega's popular Madden franchise sometime in the early 1990s. Whether this came to fruition to any degree is currently unknown.

Softography

Mega Drive

• (1992)
• (1992) (as Electronic Arts Canada)
• (1992)
• (1995) (as Electronic Arts Canada)

Game Gear

• (1995) (as Electronic Arts Canada)

IBM PC

• (1989) (as Unlimited Software)
• (1989) (as Unlimited Software)
• (1990) (as Unlimited Software)

Saturn

• (1995) (as Electronic Arts Canada)
• (1996) (as Electronic Arts Canada)
• (1996) (as Electronic Arts Canada)
• (1997) (as EA Canada)
• (1997) (as EA Canada)
• (1997) (as Electronic Arts Canada)
• (1998) (as Electronic Arts Canada)

Dreamcast

• (unreleased) (as EA Canada)