Spectrum HoloByte, Inc. (later known as MicroProse Alameda) was an American video game developer and publisher. The company, founded in 1983, was known for its simulation games, notably the Falcon series of combat flight simulators, and for publishing the first version of Tetris outside the Soviet Union (in 1988 for MS-DOS). Spectrum HoloByte published games for various home computers and video game consoles.

History

Origins Spectrum HoloByte was founded in 1983 in Boulder, Colorado, by Jeff Sauter, Phil Adam and Mike Franklin. The name came from terms, spectrum was coming from the color, holo was meant to be 3D or holography and byte meaning computer.

The company's first hit was a game called GATO, which was a hit for learners. The company made another hit with the game without copy protection, Orbiter, which was another breakout.

Merger with Nexa In 1987 Spectrum HoloByte merged with another game developer, Nexa Corporation, forming a common holding company, Sphere, Inc., which was owned by Pergamon Press, who had a 89% share in the company, and prompting the company's move from Colorado to California, with Nexa and Spectrum HoloByte as brands. Nexa founder Gilman Louie served as chairman of the combined company.

The company then signed a distribution deal with distributor Mirrorsoft to become the company's European distributor, while the company begin distributing Mirrorsoft's titles for North America. The company made its biggest move and breakout success when its title Tetris become the company's best-selling title for home computers. The success led to a sequel to Tetris for home computers, called Welltris.

In 1989, the company was awarded a third-party license for the Sega Genesis, and its first title was intended to be Falcon, but scrapped at the last minute. In 1990, the company made its move when the company licensed Vette to Sega of America for the Sega Genesis, but never came to fruition.

In April 1991, the company, via Sphere, Inc. launched a joint venture with Mirrorsoft, Arena Entertainment to release games for platforms like Amiga and Sega Genesis, before Mirrorsoft was sold to Acclaim in 1992, allowing Acclaim to purchase Arena Entertainment from Mirrorsoft and Spectrum HoloByte. Only three games were released under the venture, including Back to the Future Part III, Battlemaster, and Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe, all for the Genesis, before Arena was sold to Acclaim.

Reorganization, merger with MicroProse and closure In 1992, Spectrum HoloByte received an investment from Kleiner Perkins, which let the company repurchase shares formerly owned by Robert Maxwell's companies, after the death of Robert Maxwell, ending its ties to their bankruptcies. In early 1992, the company entered into an agreement with Horizon Entertainment and W Industries to create a new firm Cyberstudio, designed to create firms for the Virtuality Entertainment System.

Also in 1992, the company signed a deal with MicroProse where it became its new European distributor after Mirrorsoft was sold to Acclaim, signed a licensing deal with Paramount Pictures to make video games based on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and then the company then made their first true home console game in 1992, Wordtris, for the SNES and Game Boy, a port of the home computer game.

In late 1992, the parent company was reincorporated from Sphere, Inc. to Spectrum HoloByte, Inc. to reflect the business. In 1993, the company acquired the North American business of video game publisher Bullet-Proof Software. In December 1993, Spectrum HoloByte, Inc. merged with MicroProse, who was distributing Spectrum HoloByte's games in Europe, to form MicroProse Inc.

For the following years, games from both companies were published under their respective brands, but in 1996 all titles were consolidated under the MicroProse brand, with the Alameda headquarters continued to be used on its titles developed at the former Spectrum HoloByte sttaff. In 1995, the company had bought out Simtex. The company was an early adapter of Nintendo 64, as no titles came out under the label.

Hasbro Interactive acquired the merged company in 1998, and what had been Spectrum HoloByte ceased to exist when the development studio in Alameda, California, was closed in 1999.

Games Title Year and platform Developer PublisherGATO1984 (MS-DOS, Mac)1985 (Apple II, C64)1986 (Atari ST)1987 (Atari 8-bit)Spectrum HoloByteSpectrum HoloByteAtari Corporation (Atari 8-bit)Orbiter1986 (MS-DOS, MacOS)1988 (Atari ST)Spectrum HoloByteSphere, Inc. (Atari ST)Spectrum HoloByteIntrigue!1986 (Apple II, C64)KinemationSpectrum HoloByteLunar Explorer: A Space Flight Simulator1986 (Apple II, DOS)Spectrum HoloByteElectric TransitSolitaire Royale1987 (MS-DOS, Mac)1988 (Amiga)Software Resources InternationalSpectrum HoloByteFalcon1987 (MS-DOS, Mac)1988 (Atari ST)1989 (Amiga)1991 (CDTV)Sphere, Inc.Spectrum HoloByteDondra: A New Beginning1987 (Apple II)1988 (Apple IIGS)1989 (MS-DOS)Spectrum HoloByteSpectrum HoloByteElectronic Arts (MS-DOS)PT-1091987 (MS-DOS, Mac)Digital IllusionsSpectrum HoloByteZig Zag1987 (C64)Zig Zag SoftwareSpectrum HoloByteTetris1988 (Amiga, Apple II, Apple IIGS, MS-DOS, Mac)1989 (Atari ST)Spectrum HoloByteSpectrum HoloByteSoko-Ban1988 (MS-DOS)1988 (Apple II, C64)ASCII, Thinking RabbitSpectrum HoloByteFalcon A.T.1988 (MS-DOS)Sphere, Inc.Spectrum HoloByteVette!1989 (MS-DOS)1991 (MacOS)Sphere, Inc.Spectrum HoloByteFalcon Operation: Counterstrike1989 (Amiga, Atari ST)Rowan SoftwareSpectrum HoloByteTank: The M1A1 Abrams Battle Tank Simulation1989 (MS-DOS)Sphere, Inc.Spectrum HoloByteWelltris1989 (MS-DOS)1990 (Mac, Amiga, Atari ST)Doka, Sphere, Inc.Spectrum HoloByteInfogrames (Amiga, Atari ST)Faces...tris III1990 (MS-DOS, Mac)1991 (Amiga)Sphere, Inc.Spectrum HoloByteStunt Driver1990 (MS-DOS)Sphere, Inc.Spectrum HoloByteFlight of the Intruder1990 (MS-DOS)1991 (Amiga, Atari ST)Rowan SoftwareSpectrum Holobyte (Amiga, Atari ST)Spectrum HolobyteMirrorsoft (Amiga, Atari ST)Falcon Operation: Firefight1990 (Amiga, Atari ST)Rowan SoftwareSphere, Inc.Spectrum HoloByteSuper Tetris1991 (MS-DOS, Windows 3.x)1992 (Amiga, Mac)Sphere, Inc.Spectrum HoloByteFalcon 3.01991 (MS-DOS)1992 (TG-16)Sphere, Inc.Spectrum HoloByte (TG-16)Spectrum HoloByteTurbo Technologies (TG-16)Falcon MC (Macintosh Color)1992 (Mac)Spectrum HoloByteSpectrum HoloByteCrisis in the Kremlin1992 (MS-DOS)Barbu Corporation, Spectrum HoloByteSpectrum HoloByteWordtris1991 (MS-DOS)1992 (Game Boy, SNES)1993 (Mac)Spectrum HoloByteArmenica (MS-DOS)Spectrum HoloByteSphere, Inc. (Game Boy)Nintendo (SNES)Falcon 3.0: Operation: Fighting Tiger1992 (MS-DOS)Sphere, Inc.Spectrum HoloByteTetris Classic1992 (MS-DOS, Windows 3.x)Spectrum HoloByteSpectrum HoloByteIron Helix1993 (Mac, Windows 3.x)1994 (Sega CD)Drew PicturesSpectrum HoloByteTetris Gold1993 (MS-DOS, Mac, Windows 3.x)Sphere, Inc.Spectrum HoloByteHornet: Naval Strike Fighter1993 (MS-DOS)Spectrum HoloByteSpectrum HoloByte1993 (MS-DOS)Spectrum HoloByteSpectrum HoloByteTinHead1993 (Genesis)MicroProseBallisticSoldiers of Fortune1993 (Genesis, SNES)The Bitmap BrothersSpectrum HoloByteMiG-29: Deadly Adversary of Falcon 3.01993 (MS-DOS)Spectrum HoloByteSpectrum HoloByteTornado1993 (MS-DOS)Digital IntegrationSpectrum HoloByteGazillionaire1994 (Windows 3.x)LavaMindSpectrum HoloByteOut of the Sun1994 (MaS)DomarkEidos InteractiveFormula One1994 (MS-DOS)LankhorDomarkStar Trek: The Next Generation - Futures Past1994 (Genesis, SNES)Spectrum HoloByteSpectrum HoloByteSega (Genesis)BreakThru!1994 (SNES, Windows 3.x, MS-DOS)1995 (GB)Zoo Corporation (Windows, MS-DOS)Artech Digital Entertainment (SNES)Realtime Associates Seattle Division (GB)Spectrum HoloByteFalcon Gold1994 (MS-DOS)Spectrum HoloByteSpectrum HoloByteFields of Glory1994 (MS-DOS)MicroProseSpectrum HoloByteWildSnake1994 (Game Boy, SNES)Bullet-Proof Software (GB)Manley & Associates (SNES)Spectrum HoloByteLords of Midnight1995 (MS-DOS)Maelstrom GamesDomarkClockWerx1995 (Mac, Windows)Callisto CorporationSpectrum HoloByteReflux: Issue.01 - "The Becoming"1995 (Mac, Windows 3.x)Inverse InkInverse InkReflux: Issue.02 - "The Threshold"1995 (Windows 3.x)Inverse InkInverse InkStar Trek: The Next Generation – A Final Unity1995 (MS-DOS, Mac)Spectrum HoloByteSpectrum HoloByteQwirks1995 (Mac, Windows, Windows 3.x)Big Bang SoftwareSpectrum HoloBytePerfect Partner Bridge1995 (Mac, Windows 3.x)Positronic SoftwareSpectrum HoloByteAbsolute Zero1995 (MS-DOS, Mac)DomarkDomarkKnight Moves1995 (Windows)KinesoftSpectrum HoloByteCurse of Dragor1995 (Mac)Banshee SoftwareDomarkTop Gun: Fire at Will!1996 (MS-DOS, Mac, PlayStation, Windows)Spectrum HoloByteSpectrum HoloByteMacSoft (Mac)Star Trek: Generations1997 (Windows)MicroProse AlamedaMicroProseFalcon 4.01998 (Mac, Windows)MicroProse AlamedaHasbro InteractiveStar Trek: Birth of the Federation1999 (Windows)MicroProse AlamedaHasbro Interactive

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