Difference between revisions of "Virgin Interactive"

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{{CompanyBob
 
{{CompanyBob
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| logo=Virgininteractive_logo.png
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| logo=VirginInteractiveEntertainment logo.png
 
| width=250
 
| width=250
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| founded=1981
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| founded=1983{{intref|Interview: Nick Alexander (2008-09-17) by Sega-16}}
 
| defunct=
 
| defunct=
 
| tseries=T-70
 
| tseries=T-70
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| headquarters=London, United Kingdom/Irvine, CA
 
| headquarters=London, United Kingdom/Irvine, CA
 
}}
 
}}
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'''Virgin Interactive''' was a British video game developer and publisher. Founded in 1983{{intref|Interview: Nick Alexander (2008-09-17) by Sega-16}} as '''Virgin Games Ltd.''', it was the [[wikipedia:Virgin Group|Virgin Group]]'s first foray into the video game market.
  
−
'''Virgin Interactive''' was a British video game publisher. It was formed as '''Virgin Games Ltd.''' in 1981. The company became much larger after purchasing budget label [[Mastertronic]] in 1988 to form '''Virgin Mastertronic'''. It was part of the [[wikipedia:Virgin Group|Virgin Group]]. In 1994, it was renamed Virgin Interactive.
+
==History==
 +
In its initial form, Virgin Games, like many British video game companies of the day, developed and published video games for home computer platforms, such as the [[ZX Spectrum]] and [[Commodore 64]].
  
−
It published games for PC and systems, including the Amiga, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, C64, [[Sega Master System]], [[Sega Mega Drive]], [[Sega Game Gear]], [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]], [[Sega Saturn]], [[Sony PlayStation]], [[Nintendo 64]] and [[Dreamcast]].
 
  
−
It helped the career of many developers, including [[Westwood Studios]] (who developed the ''Command & Conquer'' series and the PC port of ''[[Resident Evil]]'') and Synergistic. Also, many workers for [[Shiny Entertainment]], including David Perry, worked for Virgin before splitting off to create ''[[Earthworm Jim]]''. Also among Virgin Interactive alumni are famed video game composer [[sonic:Tommy Tallarico|Tommy Tallarico]], artist Doug TenNapel, designer David Bishop, animator Bill Kroyer, animator/artists Andy Luckey and Mike Dietz and programmer Andy Astor.
+
In 1987, Virgin Games bought a minority stake in budget label cash-strapped [[Mastertronic]], as Virgin Games wanted to be in the budget computer games business{{intref|Interview: Nick Alexander (2008-09-17) by Sega-16}}. Mastertronic, set to be the official distributor of the [[Sega Master System]] in the UK, suffered a setback after Sega delivered the first order of consoles too late, leading to Virgin Games acquiring the company in full later in the year, creating '''Virgin Mastertronic, Ltd.''' in the process{{intref|Interview: Nick Alexander (2008-09-17) by Sega-16}}.
  
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In 1993 Virgin Interactive created the "Digicel" process, originally for an unpublished game called "Dynoblaze". Key to developing the process were Dr. Stephen Clarke-Willson, David Perry, designer David Bishop, animator Bill Kroyer, animator artists Andy Luckey, animator Mike Dietz and programmer Andy Astor. The technology was first released to the general public in Disney's Aladdin for the Sega Mega Drive/Sega Genesis and subsequently on such projects as The Lion King video game.
 
  
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The British studio operations were acquired in a management buyout led by former Managing Director Tim Chaney in 1998. The U.S. operations were sold to [[Electronic Arts]] as part of its acquisition of Westwood Studios that same year. The company's assets were acquired in 1999 by the French publisher Titus Software—its name was changed to Avalon Interactive on July 1, 2003.
+
Virgin Mastertronic, essentially given free reign over Sega's products after they left Japan, was extremely successful at marketing the Master System in the region. It took over distribution in France and Germany in mid-1988, with Spain to follow in 1990{{intref|Interview: Nick Alexander (2008-09-17) by Sega-16}}. Whilst in mid-1989 they tied up a 5 year extension for their European [[Sega Master System]] distribution rights, also adding the [[Sega Mega Drive]] rights, which they would eventually release in 1990. The deal was said to be worth £100 million{{magref|nce|31|2}}, and included over one million units of hardware and seven million units of software{{magref|tgm|20|8}} until 1994, figures that they would sail through by just the end of 1990.
  
−
In May 2002, the Spanish division of Virgin Interactive, known as Virgin Interactive España, was purchased by Tim Chaney along with former Spanish president and founder Paco Encinas. The branch was then separated from the main Virgin Interactive company, already part of [[Titus Software]], and kept its own identity as a Virgin brand. Renamed Virgin Play in October 2002, this Spanish publisher remained as the sole representation of the Virgin Group in the video game industry until it filed for liquidation in 2009. Virgin Play distributed the PSP version of [[Puyo Pop Fever]] in the spanish market.
 
  
−
==Softography==
+
In 1990 Sega appointed Virgin as a third party publisher{{magref|nce|99|9}}.
−
{{Multicol|
+
 
−
===[[Master System]]===
 
−
* ''[[Speedball]]'' (1990)
 
−
* ''[[Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe]]'' (1991)
 
−
* ''[[Xenon 2: Megablast]]'' (1991)
 
−
* ''[[Chuck Rock]]'' (1992)
 
−
* ''[[Marble Madness]]'' (1992)
 
−
* ''[[Super Off Road]]'' (1992)
 
−
* ''[[Mick & Mack as the Global Gladiators]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[Wolfchild]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[Cool Spot]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[The Jungle Book]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[RoboCop Versus The Terminator]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[The Lion King]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[Fire & Ice]]'' (1995)
 
−
* ''[[Battletoads in Battlemaniacs]]'' (1996)
 
  
−
===[[Mega Drive]]===
+
Seeing its success, Sega acquired the publishing arm of Virgin Mastertronic in 1991, turning it into [[Sega Europe]]{{magref|nce|142|4}}{{intref|Interview: Nick Alexander (2008-09-17) by Sega-16}}. The development arm, which Sega was not interested in, returned to its original name as Virgin Games. Over the next few years, Virgin Games would see a string of successes, the most notable of which being the hand-animated ''[[Disney's Aladdin]]'' which redefined computer animation in games.
−
* ''[[Xenon 2: Megablast]]'' (1990)
 
−
* ''[[Chuck Rock]]'' (1991)
 
−
* ''[[Cyber-Cop]]'' (1992)
 
−
* ''[[Mega lo Mania]]'' (1992)
 
−
* ''[[Muhammad Ali Heavyweight Boxing]]'' (1992)
 
−
* ''[[Out of This World]]'' (1992)
 
−
* ''[[The Terminator]]'' (1992)
 
−
*''[[European Club Soccer]]'' (1992)
 
−
*''[[World Trophy Soccer]]'' (1992)
 
−
* ''[[Disney's Aladdin]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[Caesars Palace]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[Chi Chi's Pro Challenge Golf]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[Chuck Rock II: Son of Chuck]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[Cool Spot]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[Mick & Mack as the Global Gladiators]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[RoboCop Versus The Terminator]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[Two Tribes: Populous II]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[Dune: The Battle for Arrakis]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[Jammit]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[Jimmy White's Whirlwind Snooker]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[The Jungle Book]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[The Lion King]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[Earthworm Jim 2]]'' (1995)
 
−
* ''[[Flux]]'' (1995)
 
−
* ''[[Pinocchio]]'' (1995)
 
−
* ''[[Spot Goes to Hollywood]]'' (1995)
 
  
−
===[[Mega-CD]]===
 
−
* ''[[Chuck Rock II: Son of Chuck]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[Dune]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[The Terminator]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[Heart of the Alien: Out of This World Parts I and II]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[Links: The Challenge of Golf]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[Trivial Pursuit Interactive Multimedia Game]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[Demolition Man]]'' (1995)
 
  
−
===[[Game Gear]]===
+
1993 saw the company rename itself as '''Virgin Interactive Entertainment'''. During this period it capitalised on the work of [[Westwood Studios]], among others. Virgin Interactive would transition more towards a publishing and distribution company in the years which followed. In late 1995 it acquired the distribution rights for [[Capcom]] titles in Europe{{magref|ssm|2|10}}.
−
* ''[[Super Off Road]]'' (1992)
 
−
* ''[[Chuck Rock II: Son of Chuck]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[Mick & Mack as the Global Gladiators]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[Wolfchild]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[Cool Spot]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[The Jungle Book]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[RoboCop Versus The Terminator]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[The Lion King]]'' (1994)
 
  
−
===[[Saturn]]===
 
−
* ''[[Chaos Control]]'' (1995, Japanese publishing rights only)
 
−
* ''[[Black Fire]]'' (1995, Japanese and European publishing rights only)
 
−
* ''[[Black Dawn]]'' (1996)
 
−
* ''[[Earthworm Jim 2]]'' (1996, European Publishing Rights only)
 
−
* ''[[F1 Challenge]]'' (1996, North American distribution only)
 
−
* ''[[Grid Runner]]'' (1996)
 
−
* ''[[hyper 3-D Pinball]]'' (1996)
 
−
* ''[[Ryougae Puzzle Game Moudjiya]]'' (1996, Japan Only)
 
−
* ''[[Spot Goes to Hollywood (Saturn)|Spot Goes to Hollywood]]'' (1997)
 
−
* ''[[Crimewave]]'' (1997, Japanese Publishing Rights Only)
 
−
* ''[[Grand Slam (Saturn)|Grand Slam]]'' (1997, North America Only)
 
−
* ''[[NHL Powerplay '96]]'' (1997)
 
  
−
===[[Saturn]] (Capcom Titles Europe)===
+
The British studio operations were acquired in a management buyout led by former Managing Director Tim Chaney in 1998. The U.S. operations were sold to [[Electronic Arts]] as part of its acquisition of Westwood Studios that same year. The company's assets were acquired in 1999 by the French publisher Titus Software, with its name being changed to Avalon Interactive on July 1, 2003.
−
* ''[[Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams]]'' (1996)
 
−
* ''[[Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge]]'' (1996)
 
−
* ''[[Mega Man X3]]'' (1996)
 
−
* ''[[Street Fighter Alpha 2]]'' (1996)
 
−
* ''[[Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo]]'' (1996)
 
−
* ''[[Marvel Super Heroes]]'' (1997)
 
−
* ''[[Street Fighter Collection]]'' (1998, not mentioned on packaging)
 
  
−
===[[Dreamcast]]===
 
−
* ''[[MDK 2]]'' (2000, European distribution only)
 
−
* ''[[Super Runabout: San Francisco Edition]]'' (2000, Europe only)
 
−
* ''[[Jimmy White's 2: Cueball]]'' (2000)
 
−
* ''[[Mr. Driller]]'' (2000, Europe Only)
 
−
* ''[[Caesars Palace 2000: Millennium Gold Edition]]'' (2000, European distribution only)
 
−
* ''[[Bangai-O]]'' (2000, European distribution only)
 
−
* ''[[Dragon's Blood]]'' (2000, European distribution only)
 
−
* ''[[Kao the Kangaroo]]'' (2000, European distribution only)
 
−
* ''[[European Super League]]'' (2001)
 
−
* ''[[Exhibition of Speed]]'' (2001, European distribution only)
 
−
* ''[[Worms World Party]]'' (2001, European distribution only)
 
  
−
===[[Dreamcast]] (Capcom Titles Europe)===
+
In May 2002, the Spanish division of Virgin Interactive, known as Virgin Interactive España, was purchased by Tim Chaney along with former Spanish president and founder Paco Encinas. The branch was then separated from the main Virgin Interactive company, already part of [[Titus Software]], and kept its own identity as a Virgin brand. Renamed Virgin Play in October 2002, this Spanish publisher remained as the sole representation of the Virgin Group in the video game industry until it filed for liquidation in 2009. Virgin Play distributed the PSP version of [[Puyo Pop Fever]] in the spanish market.
−
* ''[[Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes]]'' (1999)
+
 
−
* ''[[Street Fighter Alpha 3]]'' (1999)
+
==Softography==
−
* ''[[Giga Wing]]'' (1999)
+
{{CompanyHistoryAll|Virgin Interactive|Virgin Mastertronic|Virgin Games|Virgin Interactive Entertainment}}
−
* ''[[JoJo's Bizarre Adventure]]'' (1999)
 
−
* ''[[Plasma Sword: Nightmare of Bilstein]]'' (1999)
 
−
* ''[[Street Fighter III: Double Impact]]'' (1999)
 
−
* ''[[Resident Evil 2]]'' (1999)
 
−
* ''[[Tech Romancer]]'' (2000)
 
−
* ''[[Gunbird 2]]'' (2000)
 
−
* ''[[Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes]]'' (2000)
 
−
* ''[[Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike]]'' (2000)
 
−
* ''[[Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000]]'' (2000)
 
−
* ''[[Dino Crisis]]'' (2000)
 
−
* ''[[Resident Evil 3: Nemesis]]'' (2000)
 
−
* ''[[Project Justice]]'' (2000)
 
−
}}
 
  
 
==Promotional material==
 
==Promotional material==
 
{{gallery
 
{{gallery
 
|{{galleryPrintAd
 
|{{galleryPrintAd
−
|CVG UK 134.pdf|cvg|134|116
+
|cvg|134|116
 
|text=Mega Drive/Master System software library print advert
 
|text=Mega Drive/Master System software library print advert
 
}}
 
}}
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VirginMastertronic logo.png|Virgin Mastertronic logo
 
VirginMastertronic logo.png|Virgin Mastertronic logo
 
VirginGames logo.png|Virgin Games logo
 
VirginGames logo.png|Virgin Games logo
−
Virgininteractive logo.png|Virgin Interactive logo (1993)
+
VirginInteractiveEntertainment logo.png|Virgin Interactive logo (1993)
−
VirginInteractive logo 2000.png|Virgin Interactive logo (2000)
+
VirginInteractive logo 2000.png|Virgin Interactive logo (1999)
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  

Revision as of 09:37, 25 April 2020

https://retrocdn.net/images/4/4e/VirginInteractiveEntertainment_logo.png

VirginInteractiveEntertainment logo.png
Virgin Interactive
Founded: 1983[1]
T-series code: T-70
Merged into: Titus (UK division), EA (US division)
Headquarters:
London, United Kingdom/Irvine, CA

Virgin Interactive was a British video game developer and publisher. Founded in 1983[1] as Virgin Games Ltd., it was the Virgin Group's first foray into the video game market.

History

In its initial form, Virgin Games, like many British video game companies of the day, developed and published video games for home computer platforms, such as the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64.


In 1987, Virgin Games bought a minority stake in budget label cash-strapped Mastertronic, as Virgin Games wanted to be in the budget computer games business[1]. Mastertronic, set to be the official distributor of the Sega Master System in the UK, suffered a setback after Sega delivered the first order of consoles too late, leading to Virgin Games acquiring the company in full later in the year, creating Virgin Mastertronic, Ltd. in the process[1].


Virgin Mastertronic, essentially given free reign over Sega's products after they left Japan, was extremely successful at marketing the Master System in the region. It took over distribution in France and Germany in mid-1988, with Spain to follow in 1990[1]. Whilst in mid-1989 they tied up a 5 year extension for their European Sega Master System distribution rights, also adding the Sega Mega Drive rights, which they would eventually release in 1990. The deal was said to be worth £100 million[2], and included over one million units of hardware and seven million units of software[3] until 1994, figures that they would sail through by just the end of 1990.


In 1990 Sega appointed Virgin as a third party publisher[4].


Seeing its success, Sega acquired the publishing arm of Virgin Mastertronic in 1991, turning it into Sega Europe[5][1]. The development arm, which Sega was not interested in, returned to its original name as Virgin Games. Over the next few years, Virgin Games would see a string of successes, the most notable of which being the hand-animated Disney's Aladdin which redefined computer animation in games.


1993 saw the company rename itself as Virgin Interactive Entertainment. During this period it capitalised on the work of Westwood Studios, among others. Virgin Interactive would transition more towards a publishing and distribution company in the years which followed. In late 1995 it acquired the distribution rights for Capcom titles in Europe[6].


The British studio operations were acquired in a management buyout led by former Managing Director Tim Chaney in 1998. The U.S. operations were sold to Electronic Arts as part of its acquisition of Westwood Studios that same year. The company's assets were acquired in 1999 by the French publisher Titus Software, with its name being changed to Avalon Interactive on July 1, 2003.


In May 2002, the Spanish division of Virgin Interactive, known as Virgin Interactive España, was purchased by Tim Chaney along with former Spanish president and founder Paco Encinas. The branch was then separated from the main Virgin Interactive company, already part of Titus Software, and kept its own identity as a Virgin brand. Renamed Virgin Play in October 2002, this Spanish publisher remained as the sole representation of the Virgin Group in the video game industry until it filed for liquidation in 2009. Virgin Play distributed the PSP version of Puyo Pop Fever in the spanish market.

Softography

Master System

Mega Drive

Game Gear

Mega-CD

32X

Saturn

Dreamcast

Amiga

Amstrad CPC

Atari ST

Commodore 64

IBM PC

ZX Spectrum

Promotional material

Logo-pdf.svg
Mega Drive/Master System software library print advert in Computer & Video Games (UK) #134: "January 1993" (1992-12-15)
Logo-pdf.svg

Gallery

  • Virgin Mastertronic logo

  • Virgin Games logo

  • Virgin Interactive logo (1993)

  • Virgin Interactive logo (1999)

References

Necretro-round.svg
NEC Retro has more information related to Virgin Interactive Entertainment
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Interview: Nick Alexander (2008-09-17) by Sega-16
  2. ↑ New Computer Express, "June 10, 1989" (UK; 1989-06-08), page 2
  3. ↑ New Computer Express, "June 10, 1989" (UK; 1989-06-08), page 8
  4. ↑ New Computer Express, "29 September 1990" (UK; 1990-09-27), page 9
  5. ↑ New Computer Express, "27th July 1991" (UK; 1991-07-25), page 4
  6. ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "December 1995" (UK; 1995-11-24), page 10
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