MicroProse

MicroProse Software, Inc. (also known as MicroProse Simulation Software) was an American video game developer, founded in 1982 by Sid Meier and Bill Stealey. It was initially a publisher of flight and military simulation titles for 8-bit home computers such as the Commodore 64, Apple II and Atari 8-bit family, but soon supported IBM PC compatibles and 68000-based machines like the Amiga and Atari ST. The company became known for Meier's hit computer games, including Pirates, Railroad Tycoon, Silent Service, Civilization, and the sci-fi X-COM.

In 1993, MicroProse was acquired by Spectrum Holobyte. Both brand names continued until 1996, when the combined company consolidated all of its titles under the MicroProse brand. Sid Meier and Jeff Briggs departed the company after the buyout, forming a new company called Firaxis Games. The post-merger MicroProse in turn was acquired by Hasbro Interactive, a short-lived division of U.S. toy maker Hasbro, in 1998. In 2001, after French game publisher Infogrames (now Atari) took over Hasbro Interactive, the label ceased to exist entirely, with remaining titles in its catalog being re-labeled and re-released.

MicroProse also had a label called MicroStyle in the UK. This label released games like Rick Dangerous 2, Stunt Car Racer and Xenophobe. In the US the respective label was called MicroPlay.

Notable Games

• 1942:The Pacific Air War (1994)
• 7th Legion (1997)
• Across the Rhine (1995)
• Airborne Ranger (1988)
• B-17 Flying Fortress (computer game) (1992)
• B-17 Flying Fortress (computer game) The Mighty 8th (2000)
• BloodNet (1993)
• Civilization (1991)
• Colonization (1994)
• Covert Action (1990)
• Darklands (1992)
• Dogfight : 80 Years of Aerial Warfare (1993)
• Dragonsphere (1994)
• European Air War (1998)
• F-15 Strike Eagle (1985)
• F-15 Strike Eagle II (1989)
• F-15 Strike Eagle III (1993)
• F-19 Stealth Fighter (1987)
• Falcon 4.0 (1998)
• Fields of Glory (1993)
• Fleet Defender (1994)
• Formula One Grand Prix aka World Circuit (1991)
• Grand Prix 2 (1996)
• Grand Prix 3 (2000)
• Grand Prix 4 (2002)
• Gunship (1986)
• Gunship 2000 (1991)
• Gunship 2000: Islands & Ice (1992)
• Gunship! (2000)
• Harrier (Jump Jet) (1993)
• Kennedy Approach (1986)
• Knights of the Sky (1990)
• Lightspeed (1990)
• M1 Tank Platoon (1989)
• Master of Magic (1994)
• Master Of Orion (1993)
• Master of Orion II (1996)
• MechWarrior 3 (1999)
• NATO Commander (1984)
• Pirates (1987)
• Pizza Tycoon (1994)
• Railroad Tycoon (1990)
• Red Storm Rising (1988 - 1990, on various hardware platforms)
• Return of the Phantom (1995)
• Rex Nebular and the Cosmic Gender Bender (1992)
• Risk II (1999)
• Silent Service (1985)
• Solo Flight (1985)
• Star Trek: Birth of the Federation (1999)
• Starlord (1993)
• SubWar 2050 (1993)
• Sword of the Samurai (1989)
• Task Force 1942: Surface Naval Action in the South Pacific (1992)
• Transport Tycoon (1995)
• Transport Tycoon Deluxe (1996)
• X-COM: Terror from the Deep (1995) Also known as XCOM2
• X-COM: UFO Defense (1994)