French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
companies, founded in
1983
The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...
by , joined a year later by
Philippe Ulrich
Philippe Ulrich (born March 28, 1951) is a composer, producer, programmer, video game creator and entrepreneur.
In March 1999 he was made a knight of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
References
1951 births
Living people
Place o ...
. The company hired freelance game programmers that received royalties for their creations.
History
Initially, the company published titles for the
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC (short for ''Colour Personal Computer'') is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sin ...
,
Spectrum
A spectrum (plural ''spectra'' or ''spectrums'') is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary, without gaps, across a continuum. The word was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of colors i ...
and
Oric
Oric was the name used by UK-based Tangerine Computer Systems for a series of 6502-based home computers sold in the 1980s, primarily in Europe.
With the success of the ZX Spectrum from Sinclair Research, Tangerine's backers suggested a hom ...
home computers. In 1984 they published their first national hit, a flight simulator created by Marc André Rampon: ''Intercepteur Cobalt'' for Sinclair ZX81 and Spectrum, also known under the name of ' for Oric, Amstrad and Thomson MO5. Rampon also acquired some shares of the company owned by Viau and established the company's first distribution network.
Their first international hit, topping many international sales list for several months, was ''
Macadam Bumper
''Macadam Bumper'' (also released as ''Pinball Wizard'') is a video pinball simulation construction set developed by ERE Informatique in France. It was first released for 8-bit computers in 1985, the Atari ST in 1986 and MS-DOS in 1987. The Atari ...
'' (1985), a pinball simulation programmed by Rémi Herbulot, a self-taught ex-employee of Valeo living in
Caen
Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,PSS in the United Kingdom, thanks to a mutual distribution agreement.
ERE underwent serious financial problems due to some distributors delaying payments (and some ultimately entering bankruptcy), and was looking to partner with a company able to ensure a secure distribution. FIL and
Infogrames
Atari SA (formerly Infogrames Entertainment SA) is a French video game holding company headquartered in Paris. Its subsidiaries include Atari Interactive and Atari, Inc. It is the current owner of the Atari brand through Atari Interactive. Bec ...
went into competitive bidding and eventually Infogrames entered Ere's share capital by buying out Rampon's shares by the end of 1986. Infogrames later acquired complete control of ERE in June, 1987.
Its Exxos label, announced in
1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...
would produce their most famous and creative games. Due to financial problems, chiefly royalty inpayment, ERE's members left Infogrames in
1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...
to form an independent developer group named Cryo, that would be made into an official company in 1992 as
Cryo Interactive Entertainment
Cryo Interactive Entertainment was a French video game developer, video game development and video game publisher, publishing company founded in 1990, but existing unofficially since 1989 as a developer group under the name Cryo.
History
Cryo ...
.
Exxos
The development label Exxos was announced to the press in a ceremony at
Champs Elysées
Champs may refer to:
Music
* The Champs, a U.S. instrumental music group
* Champs (Brazilian band), a Brazilian boy band
* Champs (British band), a British folk- and indie rock-influenced band
* The Fucking Champs, a U.S. progressive heavy metal ...
ERE Studio 102 on June 12, 1988.Daniel Ichbiah (2004). ''La saga des jeux vidéo'', Vuibert. .
Philippe Ulrich
Philippe Ulrich (born March 28, 1951) is a composer, producer, programmer, video game creator and entrepreneur.
In March 1999 he was made a knight of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
References
1951 births
Living people
Place o ...
delivered the following
litany
Litany, in Christian worship and some forms of Judaic worship, is a form of prayer used in services and processions, and consisting of a number of petitions. The word comes through Latin ''litania'' from Ancient Greek λιτανεία (''litan ...
to the press (translated from French):
The new label would release games with two requisites: original stories and worlds drawn from
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
— a running interest among many members of ERE — or fantasy and translated to various languages, to achieve wide international distribution.
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
) (also known as ''Intercepteur Cobalt'')
* ''
Macadam Bumper
''Macadam Bumper'' (also released as ''Pinball Wizard'') is a video pinball simulation construction set developed by ERE Informatique in France. It was first released for 8-bit computers in 1985, the Atari ST in 1986 and MS-DOS in 1987. The Atari ...
'' (
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
) (also known as ''Pinball Wizard'')
* '' Painting Joe''
* ''
Contamination
Contamination is the presence of a constituent, impurity, or some other undesirable element that spoils, corrupts, infects, makes unfit, or makes inferior a material, physical body, natural environment, workplace, etc.
Types of contamination
W ...
'' (1985).
* ''
Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
'' (
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal ente ...
)
* '' 1001 BC'' (1986)
* '' Sram I'' (1986)
* '' Sram II'' (1986)
* '' Get Dexter'' (1986) (also known as its French title ''Crafton & Xunk'')
* '' Phalsberg'' (
1987
File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...
1987
File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...
)
* ''
Bubble Ghost
''Bubble Ghost'' is an action video game originally created by Christophe Andréani for the Atari ST and published by ERE Informatique in 1987. The player controls a ghost who guides a floating bubble by blowing on it.
Gameplay
The objective i ...
Qin Qin may refer to:
Dynasties and states
* Qin (state) (秦), a major state during the Zhou Dynasty of ancient China
* Qin dynasty (秦), founded by the Qin state in 221 BC and ended in 206 BC
* Daqin (大秦), ancient Chinese name for the Roman Emp ...
1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...
) (also known as its French title ''L'Ange de Cristal'')
* '' RoBBBoT'' (1988)
* ''
Apocalypse
Apocalypse () is a literary genre in which a supernatural being reveals cosmic mysteries or the future to a human intermediary. The means of mediation include dreams, visions and heavenly journeys, and they typically feature symbolic imager ...
'' (1988)
* ''
Teenage Queen
''Teenage Queen'' is an EP by new wave band Bow Wow Wow, released in 1982 by RCA Records. It was commissioned for advertising use by the Japanese cosmetic brand Perky Jean by Shiseido.
Sung to the music from the band's then-current single "Bab ...
'' (1988)
ERE label utils
* ''VOX'' (1984) speech, Sound Manipulation
* '' ZX Spectrum Compilateur'' (1985) (re-release by PSSS with name McoderIII)
1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...
1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...