Fred Ford (programmer)

Ford attended the University of California, Berkeley.{{cite web|last1=Campbell|first1=Colin|date=April 16, 2014|title=Toys for Bob and the story behind Skylanders|url=http://www.polygon.com/2014/4/16/5614716/skylanders-story-toys-for-bob-skylanders-swap-force|access-date=March 7, 2016|website=Polygon}} In the early 1980s, Ford began his game career while in college, creating games exclusively for the Japanese market.{{cite web|author=Sean Dacanay, Marcus Niehaus|date=July 7, 2020|title=Star Control Creators Paul Reiche & Fred Ford: Extended Interview|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs8RY31Byzg|type=Transcript|access-date=October 21, 2020|website=YouTube|publisher=Ars Technica}} [https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/dfb8c8ea-86c6-46fe-a8e7-c15ac862285amezzanine.txt Alt URL] Working for a company called Unison World (later Magicsoft), he worked on his first games for a Japanese monochrome handheld, including a bowling game, a bi-plane flight game, and a tank game.{{Cite web|last=Szczepaniak|first=John|date=September 2009|title=Finaru Furantier|url=https://issuu.com/roylazarovich/docs/retro_gamer_067|access-date=October 21, 2020|website=Retro Gamer 067|language=en}} Soon after, he moved onto developing for the NEC PC-6000 series, the MSX, and Fujitsu systems, with titles such as Pillbox, Sea Bomber, and Ground Support.

Ford was working on an unreleased title, when Magicsoft ran out of money. This led Ford to transition to more corporate employment.{{cite book|author=Matt Barton|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UV7OBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA203|title=Honoring the Code: Conversations with Great Game Designers|date=April 19, 2016|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-1-4665-6754-2|pages=203–}} He worked for graphics companies in Silicon Valley, until he realized he missed working in the game industry. Ford told friends he was seeking a designer-artist to collaborate with, and his friends knew Paul Reiche III was seeking a programmer-engineer.{{cite web|author=Fred Ford & Paul Reiche III|date=June 30, 2015|title=Classic Game Postmortem: Star Control|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Napx0MjivCM|access-date=August 6, 2020|publisher=Game Developers Conference}} Ford and Reiche had actually attended college together, and their friends arranged to re-introduce them at a game night hosted by game designer Greg Johnson.{{cite web|author=Sean Dacanay, Marcus Niehaus|date=July 7, 2020|title=Star Control Creators Paul Reiche & Fred Ford: Extended Interview|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs8RY31Byzg|type=Transcript|access-date=August 6, 2020|publisher=Ars Technica|quote=Ford: I went to the Silicon Valley and I worked for some graphics companies. I did that for a few years, I was in the wilderness and eventually I said, why am I not doing something I like versus something I think I should be doing? And so the company I worked that, there was a couple of mutual friends, two people who grew up with Paul, they knew I wanted to leave and they knew Paul needed a partner and so they introduced us to each other.{{br}} Reiche: Yeah, we were going to a game night, board game night at Greg Johnson's house, and Greg's one of the designers of "Starflight" and "ToeJam & Earl" and "Orly Draw-Me-A-Story" and a ton of great games. Anyway, he had a regular game night at his house and so we sort of had a blind date there and decided, yeah, let's start working on this game.}} [https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/dfb8c8ea-86c6-46fe-a8e7-c15ac862285amezzanine.txt Alt URL] One of the friends who encouraged the get-together was fantasy artist Erol Otus{{cite web|author=Lee Hutchinson|date=October 26, 2018|title=Video: The people who helped make Star Control 2 did a ton of other stuff|url=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/1e42a2c2-df36-44c3-8c94-b8c7994f7954mezzanine.txt|access-date=August 6, 2020|publisher=Ars Technica}}

Reiche and Ford's first collaboration was Star Control, with Ford focused on programming, and Reiche focused on the game design and fiction. Originally called Starcon, the game began as an evolution of the concepts that Reiche first created in Archon: The Light and the Dark. Archon{{'}}s strategic elements were adapted for Star Control into a space setting, with one-on-one ship combat inspired by the classic 1962 game Spacewar!.{{cite web|author=Kurt Kalata|date=September 11, 2018|title=Star Control|url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/star-control/|access-date=August 6, 2020|publisher=Hardcore Gaming 101}} As Ford and Reiche's workflow as a team was developing, the game took on a more limited scope compared to the sequel. Upon its release in 1990, Star Control was voted the "Best Science Fiction Game" by Video Games and Computer Entertainment.{{Cite news|date=February 1991|title=VG&CE's Best Games of 1990|publisher=VideoGames & Computer Entertainment, Issue 25}} Decades later, it is remembered as one of the greatest games of all time. "[A]s a melee or strategic game, it helped define the idea that games can be malleable and dynamic and players can make an experience wholly their own."{{cite web|author=Polygon Staff|date=November 29, 2017|title=500 Best Games of All Time|url=https://www.polygon.com/features/2017/11/29/16693094/polygon-500-best-games-of-all-time-300-201|access-date=August 6, 2020|publisher=Polygon}}

The success of their first game led to a more ambitious sequel in Star Control II. Reiche and Ford aimed to go beyond ship combat to develop a "science fiction adventure role-playing game". Their goal of creating a dynamic space adventure was largely inspired by Starflight, created by Greg Johnson. A few years earlier, Reiche had been friends with Johnson. During the game's creation, Reiche was inspired to offer creative input for Johnson's expansive science fiction game.{{cite web|last=Hoffman|first=Erin|date=January 19, 2010|title=When the Stars Align|url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_237/7041-When-the-Stars-Align|access-date=August 6, 2020|work=The Escapist|archive-date=December 9, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131209022129/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_237/7041-When-the-Stars-Align|url-status=dead}} This friendship and mutual admiration led Reiche and Ford to hire Johnson for Star Control II. The duo later credited Johnson as one of the game's most significant contributors.{{cite web|last=Kasavin|first=Greg|date=June 27, 2003|title=Greatest Games of All Time - Star Control II (Interview Feature)|url=http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/greatestgames/starcon22.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050305195839/http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/greatestgames/starcon22.html|archive-date=March 5, 2005|access-date=August 6, 2020|website=GameSpot}} Star Control{{'}}s story and characters were vastly expanded from the story and characters in the first game. As Reiche and Ford worked on the first version of the game's dialog, they recognized they needed help with the writing and art and were forced to enlist the help of friends and family. In addition to Johnson, they recruited long-time friend Erol Otus, who contributed music, text, art, and illustrations for the game's manual, and (later) voice-acting. Through mutual friends, they acquired the talents of famed fantasy artist George Barr.{{cite web|author=Lee Hutchinson|date=October 26, 2018|title=Video: The people who helped make Star Control 2 did a ton of other stuff|url=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/1e42a2c2-df36-44c3-8c94-b8c7994f7954mezzanine.txt|access-date=August 6, 2020|publisher=Ars Technica}}{{Cite web|last=GameSpy Staff|date=February 3, 2001|title=Interview with George Barr|url=http://starcontrol.classicgaming.gamespy.com/history/george_barr.shtml|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060313095138/http://starcontrol.classicgaming.gamespy.com/history/george_barr.shtml|archive-date=March 13, 2006|access-date=August 6, 2020|website=GameSpy}} The project eventually ran over schedule, and the budget from publisher Accolade ran out. During the final months of development, Fred Ford supported the team financially.{{cite web|author=Pelit|date=March 21, 2006|title=Star Control - Kontrollin aikakirjat|url=https://www.pelit.fi/artikkelit/star-controlbrkontrollin-aikakirjat/|access-date=August 6, 2020|publisher=Pelit}}

Star Control II became one of the best games of all time, according to numerous publications in the 1990s,{{plainlist|* {{Cite news|last=Staff|date=August 1994|title=PC Gamer Top 40: The Best Games of All Time|pages=32–42|work=PC Gamer US, Issue 3}}

• {{Cite news|last=Staff|date=April 1994|title=The PC Gamer Top 50 PC Games of All Time|publisher=PC Gamer, Issue 5|pages=43–56}}
• {{cite magazine|last=Staff|date=November 1996|title=150 Best Games of All Time|pages=64–80|magazine=Computer Gaming World|url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1996&pub=2&id=148|access-date=March 25, 2016}}
• {{Cite news|last=Staff|date=February 1999|title=The Fifty Best Games of All Time|work=Next Generation, Issue 50}}}} 2000s,{{plainlist|* {{cite web|author=Chris "shaithis" Buecheler|date=September 2000|title=The Gamespy Hall of Fame - Star Control 2|url=http://www.gamespy.com/legacy/halloffame/sc2_a.shtm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010430133458/http://www.gamespy.com/legacy/halloffame/sc2_a.shtm|archive-date=April 30, 2001|access-date=August 6, 2020|publisher=GameSpy}}
• {{cite web|author=Greg Kasavin|date=June 27, 2003|title=The Greatest Games of All Time - Star Control 2|url=http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/greatestgames/p-7.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050814235252/http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/greatestgames/p-7.html|archive-date=August 14, 2005|access-date=August 6, 2020|publisher=Gamespot}}
• {{Cite web|last=Staff|date=November 23, 2005|title=IGN's Top 100 Games of All Time (2003)|url=http://top100.ign.com/2003/51-60.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051123024006/http://top100.ign.com/2003/51-60.html|archive-date=November 23, 2005|access-date=August 6, 2020|website=IGN}}
• {{Cite web|last=Staff|date=August 2, 2005|title=IGN's Top 100 Games (2005)|url=http://top100.ign.com/2005/011-020.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050802002523/http://top100.ign.com/2005/011-020.html|archive-date=August 2, 2005|access-date=August 6, 2020|website=IGN}}}} and 2010s.{{plainlist|* {{Cite news|last=Staff|date=February 19, 2011|title=The 100 best PC games of all time|language=en|work=PC Gamer|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/the-100-best-pc-games-of-all-time/5/|url-status=live|access-date=August 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110219013135/http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/02/16/the-100-best-pc-games-of-all-time/5|archive-date=February 19, 2011}}
• {{cite web|last=Staff|date=December 5, 2015|title=HG101 Presents: The 200 Best Video Games of All Time|url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/books/hg101-presents-the-200-best-video-games-of-all-time/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171029065018/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/books/hg101-presents-the-200-best-video-games-of-all-time/|archive-date=October 29, 2017|access-date=August 6, 2020|publisher=Hardcore Gaming 101}}
• {{Cite news|last=Hamilton|first=Kirk|date=September 19, 2013|title=The Game That "Won" Our Classic PC Games List (If It Had A Winner)|language=en-US|work=Kotaku|url=http://kotaku.com/the-game-that-won-our-classic-pc-games-list-if-it-ha-1349952997|access-date=August 6, 2020}}}} It is also ranked among the best games in several specific areas, including: writing,{{plainlist|* {{cite web|last=Staff|date=March 2, 2000|title=GameSpot's Best 10 Endings|url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_bestending/page8.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050219174742/http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_bestending/page8.html|archive-date=February 19, 2005|access-date=August 6, 2020|publisher=GameSpot}}
• {{cite web|last=Staff|date=March 1, 2000|title=GameSpot's Ten Best Endings: RC|url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_readers_endings/5.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000301230429/http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_readers_endings/5.html|archive-date=March 1, 2000|access-date=August 6, 2020|publisher=GameSpot}}}} world design,{{plainlist|* {{cite web|title=8 Games That Capture the Infinite Potential of Space|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/games/8-games-that-capture-the-infinite-potential-of-space/|author=Patrick Lindsey|date=January 7, 2015|publisher=Paste magazine}}
• {{cite web|last=Staff|date=October 18, 2000|title=GameSpot's Top 10 Gameworlds|url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_readers_worlds/p2_01.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050228215510/http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_readers_worlds/p2_01.html|archive-date=February 28, 2005|access-date=August 6, 2020|publisher=GameSpot}}
• {{cite web|author=Jeff Drake|date=November 10, 2019|title=The 10 Biggest Open World Games|url=https://gamerant.com/open-world-games-biggest-maps/|access-date=August 6, 2020|publisher=Game Rant}}}} character design,{{plainlist|* {{cite web|author=GameSpot Staff|date=October 13, 1999|title=The Ten Best Computer Game Villains - The Ur Quan|url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_villains/page11.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020823223224/http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_villains/page11.html|archive-date=August 23, 2002|access-date=August 6, 2020|publisher=GameSpot}}
• {{cite web|author=GameSpot Staff|date=October 12, 1999|title=Reader's Choice: Best Villains - Villains 5-1|url=https://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_villains_rc/page8.html/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991012071819/https://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_villains_rc/page8.html/|archive-date=October 12, 1999|access-date=August 6, 2020|publisher=GameSpot}}}} and music.{{plainlist|* {{cite web |author=Brad Stabler |author2=John Twells |author3=Miles Bowe |author4=Scott Wilson |author5=Tom Lea |date=April 18, 2015|title=The 100 best video game soundtracks of all time|url=https://www.factmag.com/2015/04/28/the-100-greatest-video-game-soundtracks-best-ost/|access-date=August 6, 2020|publisher=FACT}}
• {{cite web|last=GameSpot Staff|date=October 13, 1999|title=The Ten Best Game Soundtracks|url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_music/page9.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030406171219/http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_music/page9.html|archive-date=April 6, 2003|access-date=August 6, 2020|publisher=GameSpot}}
• {{cite web|last=GameSpot Staff|date=September 1, 1999|title=The Ten Best Game Soundtracks: RC|url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_soundtrack/page7.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991012094815/http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_soundtrack/page7.html|archive-date=October 12, 1999|access-date=August 6, 2020|publisher=GameSpot}}}} The game also influenced other titles, most notably the open-ended gameplay of Tim Cain's Fallout,{{Cite book|last=Cain|first=Tim|author-link=Tim Cain|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pLrGxQEACAAJ|title=The CRPG Book: A Guide to Computer Role-Playing Games|date=September 2019|publisher=Bitmap Books|isbn=978-1-9993533-0-8|editor-last=Pepe|editor-first=Felipe|language=en|quote=Since its release in 1992, Star Control 2 has been considered one of the best computer game ever developed, and for me, it remains my favorite CRPG of all time. You can see its influence in the open-endedness of Fallout and Arcanum, and I will always remember this game fondly.}} [https://crpgbook.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/crpg-book-preview-2-1.pdf Alt URL] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200315234922/https://crpgbook.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/crpg-book-preview-2-1.pdf |date=March 15, 2020 }}{{Cite web|last=Cain|first=Tim |author-link=Tim Cain|date=January 19, 2015|title=1992 – Star Control 2|url=https://crpgbook.wordpress.com/review-index/1992-star-control-2/|access-date=August 6, 2020|website=The CRPG Book Project|language=en}} the world design of Mass Effect,{{cite web|author=John Gaudiosi|date=November 20, 2007|title=Critically Acclaimed Mass Effect Powered by Unreal Engine 3|url=https://www.unrealengine.com/ko/blog/mass-effect?lang=ko|access-date=August 6, 2020|publisher=Unrealengine.com}} and the story events of Stellaris.{{cite web|author=Alex Hamilton|date=June 11, 2016|title=Stellaris Interview|url=https://www.gamegrin.com/articles/stellaris-interview/|access-date=August 6, 2020|publisher=GameGrin}}

Ford and Reiche began branding themselves as Toys for Bob, with The Horde as the studio's first official title.{{Cite book|last=Meston|first=Zach|url=https://archive.org/details/computer-player-vol.-2-issue-6-november-1995|title=Reboot - Mail Order Monsters|date=November 1995|publisher=Computer Player Vol 2 Issue 6|page=98}} By this point, Reiche and Ford were doing contract work for game publisher Crystal Dynamics, with their three-person studio recruiting Fred Ford's brother, Ken.{{Cite book|last=Maher|first=Kathleen|url=https://archive.org/details/InterActivity01NovDec1994|title=Toys for Bob - A Virtual Studio|date=November 1994|publisher=InterActivity 01|pages=59–61}} The Horde was a fantasy action-strategy hybrid game comparable to Star Control II, and was notable for including performances from actors Kirk Cameron and Michael Gregory.{{Cite book|last=Lombardi|first=Chris|url=https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_118|title=Bob's Your Bovine Uncle|date=May 1994|publisher=Computer Gaming World Issue 118|pages=108–110}}

Toys for Bob secured Activision as their new publisher, thanks to an introduction from former Toys for Bob staff who had founded Shaba Games and been acquired by Activision.{{cite web|author=Sean Dacanay, Marcus Niehaus|date=July 7, 2020|title=Star Control Creators Paul Reiche & Fred Ford: Extended Interview|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs8RY31Byzg|type=Transcript|access-date=August 6, 2020|publisher=Ars Technica}} [https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/dfb8c8ea-86c6-46fe-a8e7-c15ac862285amezzanine.txt Alt URL] The publisher offered Toys for Bob the Disney license for Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure, which led to a 2003 game release. This successful relationship led to Toys for Bob being acquired by Activision in May 2005. The company became a wholly owned subsidiary, and the management team and employees signed long-term contracts under the new corporate structure.{{cite web|last=Chris Pirillo|date=April 3, 2005|title=Activision purchases Toys for Bob|url=http://www.lockergnome.com/game/2005/05/03/activision-acquires-game-developer-toys-for-bob/|access-date=August 6, 2020|publisher=Locker Gnome|archive-date=September 28, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928005154/http://www.lockergnome.com/game/2005/05/03/activision-acquires-game-developer-toys-for-bob/|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|author=David Jenkins|date=May 3, 2005|title=Activision Acquires Toys For Bob|url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/activision-acquires-toys-for-bob|access-date=August 6, 2020|publisher=Gamasutra}} Working with Activision, Toys for Bob continued to focus on licensed video games, such as Madagascar. However, the market for these types of games began to dry up,{{Cite web|last=Hamza Aziz|date=October 21, 2012|title=Merging toys and videogames with Skylanders|url=https://www.destructoid.com/merging-toys-and-videogames-with-skylanders-236668.phtml|access-date=May 22, 2020|website=Destructoid|language=EN}} in part due to the negative reputation created by other licensed games.{{Cite book|last=Hansen|first=Dustin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=62fZDAAAQBAJ&q=toys+for+bob+team&pg=PA321|title=Game On!: Video Game History from Pong and Pac-Man to Mario, Minecraft, and More|date=November 22, 2016|publisher=Feiwel & Friends|isbn=978-1-250-08096-7|language=en}}

The company searched for new opportunities. One such idea came from Toys for Bob character designer I-Wei Huang, who had been creating toys and robots in his spare time.{{Cite magazine|last=Robertson|first=Andy|date=May 23, 2012|title=FGTV Interviews I-Wei Huang, Hears How Skylanders Got Boys Playing With Girl Characters|magazine=Wired|url=https://www.wired.com/2012/05/fgtv-interviews-i-wei-huang/|access-date=May 22, 2020|issn=1059-1028}} The company saw the potential to adopt these toys and character designs into a game, with technical engineer Robert Leyland applying his hobby in building electronics.{{Cite magazine|last=Robertson|first=Andy|date=May 24, 2012|title=FGTV Interviews Robert Leyland, Creator of the Skylanders Portal of Power|magazine=Wired|url=https://www.wired.com/2012/05/interview-robert-leyland/|access-date=May 22, 2020|issn=1059-1028}} Coincidentally, Activision merged with Vivendi Games in 2008, and asked Toys for Bob to create a new game around Vivendi's Spyro franchise.{{Cite web|last=Evangelista|first=Benny|date=May 31, 2014|title=Toys for Bob, 'Skylanders' game creator, celebrates 25 years|url=https://www.sfgate.com/tech/article/Toys-for-Bob-Skylanders-game-creator-5517943.php|access-date=May 6, 2020|website=SFGate}} The team saw the potential for toy-game interaction and suggested to Activision that it would be ideal for Spyro{{'}}s rich universe of characters. Activision CEO Bobby Kotick responded well to the idea, and gave the team an additional year of development to better refine the technology, the manufacturing process, and the gameplay. Ford credits Activision for funding the expensive and risky development, "we could have thought of this idea as independents and never got it made." This culminated in the 2011 release of Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure, which became a breakthrough success for the developer, their most notable game since Star Control.{{cite web|author=Mike Fahey|date=October 21, 2012|title=Skylanders Giants: The Kotaku Review|url=https://kotaku.com/skylanders-giants-the-kotaku-review-5953530|access-date=August 6, 2020|publisher=Kotaku}}{{cite web|author=Anton Olsen|date=October 5, 2012|title=Toys for Bob: From Star Control to Skylanders Giants|url=https://www.wired.com/2012/10/toys-for-bob-skylanders-giants/|access-date=August 6, 2020|publisher=Wired}}

In October 2017 Fred Ford and Paul Reiche III announced they would be working on a direct sequel to Star Control II called Ghosts of the Precursors.[https://dogarandkazon.squarespace.com/ dogarandkazon.squarespace.com] Ghosts of the Precursors announcement

In 2018, Stardock sued Paul Reiche III along with Fred Ford in Stardock Systems, Inc. v. Reiche, for trademark infringement of the "Star Control" trademark.{{Cite web|last=Courtlistener|date=August 12, 2017|title=Court Listener: Filing|url=https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.320268/gov.uscourts.cand.320268.1.0.pdf}} During the course of the lawsuit, Stardock trademarked numerous alien names from Star Control 1 and 2. Reiche and Ford asserted that Atari only owned the game name, marketing content and the new aliens in Star Control 3,{{Cite web|last=Hutchinson|first=Lee|date=July 7, 2020|title=An extended interview with Star Control creators Fred Ford & Paul Reiche III|url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/07/an-extended-interview-with-star-control-creators-fred-ford-paul-reiche-iii/|access-date=February 28, 2021|website=Ars Technica|language=en-us}} and that the in-game alien names to the first two games were never Atari's to sell. Litigation ended at June 2019 when both sides reached a settlement that involved the parties exchanging honey for mead and the parties agreeing that Stardock has exclusive rights of the Star Control name with a list of alien names from the first two games being for the exclusive use for Reiche and Ford.{{Cite web|date=June 12, 2019|title=Stardock and Star Control creators settle lawsuits—with mead and honey [Updated]|url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/06/stardock-and-star-control-creators-settle-lawsuits-with-mead-and-honey/}}

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.stanford.edu/group/htgg/sts145papers/yphu_2001_2.pdf Star Control development history]

{{Star Control}}

{{Toys for Bob}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ford, Fred}}

Category:American video game programmers

Category:Star Control

Category:Living people

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)