Crack dot Com
{{distinguish|Cracked.com}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Crack dot Com
| logo = Crack dot Com (logo).jpg
| type = Video game industry
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| founded = 1996
| founder =
| defunct = 1998
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| products = Abuse
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Crack dot Com was a computer game development company co-founded by ex-id Software programmer Dave Taylor, and Jonathan Clark.{{cite web
|title=So Long, Crack.com
|author=Jonathan Clark
|work=loonygames
|date=26–30 October 1998
|volume=1
|issue=10
|publisher=loonyboi productions
|url=http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.10/guest/
|access-date=13 February 2016
|archive-date=21 October 2020
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021165111/http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.10/guest/
|url-status=live
}}
History
Crack dot com started from home with a staff of just four people.{{cite magazine |title=The Crack Alternative |magazine=Next Generation |issue=36 |publisher=Imagine Media |date=December 1997|pages=86–87}} Their first completed game, which had Internal Revenue Service agents as the enemies, was never released. The company released only one game, Abuse, an MS-DOS scrolling platform shooter which sold over 80,000 copies worldwide. Based on a public source code release, Abuse was ported to a wide variety of platforms including Microsoft Windows, MacOS, AIX, SGI Irix, Amiga/AmigaOS, and Linux.{{Citation |last=Software |first=AntonioR |title=Abuse README |date=2023-06-12 |url=https://github.com/antrad/Abuse_1996 |access-date=2023-06-29 |archive-date=2019-12-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216023620/https://github.com/antrad/Abuse_1996 |url-status=live }}
Prior to the company's closing in October 1998,{{cite web |title=Crack.com closes shop |author=sengan |work=Slashdot |date=22 October 1998 |url=http://slashdot.org/articles/98/10/23/0135218.shtml |access-date=13 February 2016 |archive-date=29 August 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080829154130/http://slashdot.org/articles/98/10/23/0135218.shtml |url-status=live }} they were working on Golgotha, a hybrid of first-person shooter and real-time strategy. Citing publisher interference in the creative design of Abuse, Crack dot com opted not to accept any offers from publishers until the game was completed. The game was never finished and Crack dot com made the source and data for Golgotha (as with Abuse) public domain.
The company experienced a setback on January 13, 1997{{cite web|url=http://all.net/journal/50/hacks.html|title=Bill Wall's list of 195 famous computer exploits|website=Fred Cohen & Associates|access-date=2023-02-27}} when their file server was broken into by way of their web server,{{cite web|url=http://www.worldcolleges.info/sites/default/files/_Inter.pdf|page=57-58|title=Maximum Security: A Hacker's Guide to Protecting Your Internet Site and Network|publisher=Angel722 Computer Publishing|access-date=2023-02-27|archive-date=2023-02-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228024642/http://www.worldcolleges.info/sites/default/files/_Inter.pdf|url-status=live}} and the source code to Golgotha and also the Quake engine they had licensed from id was stolen.{{cite web|first=Annaliza|last=Savage|title=Hackers Hack Crack, Steal Quake|url=https://www.wired.com/1997/01/hackers-hack-crack-steal-quake/|website=Wired|date=1997-01-10|access-date=2023-02-14|archive-date=2023-02-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215050918/https://www.wired.com/1997/01/hackers-hack-crack-steal-quake/|url-status=live}} This did result in a number of unofficial ports for Quake, including an SVGAlib version for Linux that was later mainlined by id,{{cite web | last=Wilson | first=Hamish | date=2023-02-27 | title=Building a Retro Linux Gaming Computer - Part 27: Lost Souls | url=https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2023/02/building-a-retro-linux-gaming-computer-part-27-lost-souls/ | website=GamingOnLinux | accessdate=2023-02-27 | archive-date=2024-12-19 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241219061633/https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2023/02/building-a-retro-linux-gaming-computer-part-27-lost-souls/ | url-status=live }} as well as unauthorized ports to OS/2, Amiga, Java VMs, and Mac OS.{{cite web|url=http://www.os2ezine.com/v2n6/quake.htm|title=Quake for OS/2|website=OS/2 eZine!|date=1997|first=Colin L.|last=Hildinger|access-date=2025-02-25|archive-date=2024-05-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240526163137/http://www.os2ezine.com/v2n6/quake.htm|url-status=live}} The source code for both Quake and Golgotha were later legally released.{{cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/quake-source-code-released/1100-2440299/|title=Quake Source Code Released|website=GameSpot|first=Michael|last=Mullen|date=2003-05-14|access-date=2023-02-27|archive-date=2023-02-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228024644/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/quake-source-code-released/1100-2440299/|url-status=live}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/19961101111855/http://www.crack.com/ official webpage] (offline, archived)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crack Dot Com}}
Category:Defunct video game companies of the United States
Category:Video game development companies
Category:Video game companies disestablished in 1996
Category:Video game companies disestablished in 1998