Ocean Software

Jon Woods and David Ward created Spectrum Games as a mail-order business in 1983 after being inspired by the success of Liverpool-based software houses Imagine Software, Bug-Byte and Software Projects.{{Cite book|last1=Wilkins|first1=Chris|title=Ocean - The History|last2=Kean|first2=Roger M|publisher=Revival Retro Events|year=2013}}{{rp|13–14}} Their initial catalogue was based around clones of arcade video games like Frogger and Missile Command{{rp|13}} for various home computers including the ZX81, ZX Spectrum and VIC-20.{{cite magazine |magazine=Home Computing Weekly |issue=1 |page=47 |date=March 1983 |url=https://archive.org/stream/home-computing-weekly-001/Home_Computing_Weekly_001#page/n46/mode/1up |title=Spectrum Games ad}}

While trying to sell their titles into high street stores it became clear that the company name was confusing to owners of machines other than the ZX Spectrum.{{rp|16}} The company was renamed Ocean Software leading to some of its games being re-released with different titles so the Berzerk clone Frenzy was reissued as Robotics and Missile Attack became Armageddon.

By September 1984 the success of Ocean allowed Woods and Ward to invest £50,000 in a new software house in return for a 50% stake in the company. U.S. Gold was created by Geoff Brown, owner of Centresoft software distribution, and specialised in importing American Commodore 64 games for the UK market. U.S. Gold had no developers to port the Commodore games for the UK's most popular home computer, the ZX Spectrum, so Ocean produced the conversions of titles such as Beach Head, Raid over Moscow and Tapper through its external development team, Platinum Productions.{{Cite book|last1=Wilkins|first1=Chris|title=The Story Of U.S. Gold|last2=Kean|first2=Roger M|publisher=Fusion Retro Books|year=2015|isbn=9780993131530|page=69}}{{rp|37}}{{cite magazine |title=Going Platinum|magazine=Crash |issue=32 |publisher=Newsfield |date=October 1985|pages=124–126|url=https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.php?issue_id=988&page=124}}

In October 1984 Ocean bought the name and branding of Imagine Software from the liquidators of the failed software house. Although originally intended to be a label exclusively for arcade conversions,{{cite magazine|title=A Life On The Ocean Wave|magazine=Retro Gamer|issue=101|pages=53–62|author=Stuart Hunt}} the Imagine logo would also be used on a number of original titles, as well as on UK releases of games licensed from Spanish developers Dinamic Software.

In 1985 Ocean and U.S. Gold collaborated again to launch a new label, The Hit Squad, for releasing compilation packages.{{rp|69}} The first release featured Ocean's Daley Thompson's Decathlon, U.S. Gold's Beach Head, Jet Set Willy from Software Projects and Sabre Wulf by Ultimate Play the Game — all titles which had sold over a million copies — which led to the title They Sold A Million. The compilation went on to sell over a million copies, as did the second and third instalments in the series.

Over half of Ocean's releases for 8-bit home computers were coin-op conversions and licensed games. While initially focused on British licences, such as Hunchback from Manchester's Century Electronics,{{cite magazine|title=The History Of Hunchback|magazine=Retro Gamer|issue=151|pages=65|author=Martyn Carroll}} Liverpool's Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Olympic decathlete Daley Thompson, its attention soon shifted to film licences, with The NeverEnding Story becoming its first movie tie-in in 1985.{{rp|16}}

In 1986, a deal was signed with Taito and Data East for home versions of their arcade games, such as Arkanoid, Renegade, The NewZealand Story and Operation Wolf. Operation Wolf was the first title to be converted to 16-bit platforms by Ocean France, a company created by Ocean and Marc Djan in 1986. The studio produced most of its 16-bit arcade conversions until 1991, when the company became Ocean's French marketing and sales department.{{cite web |last1=Lightbody |first1=Ian |title=An interview with Marc Djan |url=https://codetapper.com/amiga/interviews/marc-djan/ |website=Codetapper's Amiga Site |access-date=18 May 2021}}

1986 also produced titles based on the films Rambo, Short Circuit and Cobra, as well as the first licensed Batman game. But it would be its 1988 game RoboCop, adapted from Data East's arcade game based on the film RoboCop, that would go on to become the most successful movie licence in history by the end of the decade.{{cite magazine|title=The Making Of Robocop|magazine=Retro Gamer|issue=46|pages=62–65|author=Robert Mellor}}

In 1987, Ocean via Imagine had a deal with Spanish publisher Dinamic Software to release four titles, before launching its own line in the United Kingdom.{{Cite news |date=November 1988 |title=Yes we have no mananas |pages=13 |work=The Games Machine |url=https://ia802806.us.archive.org/0/items/the-games-machine-12/TheGamesMachine12.pdf |access-date=November 8, 2023}} The following year, Ocean signed a deal with Special FX Software, a company formed by ex-Ocean employees to release titles for home computers, starting with Firefly.{{Cite news |date=March 1988 |title=NEWS |pages=8 |work=Crash |url=https://ia600305.us.archive.org/9/items/crash-magazine-50/Crash_50_Mar_1988.pdf |access-date=November 8, 2023}}

In 1989, The Hit Squad branding reappeared as the new budget re-release label for Ocean's 8-bit back catalogue.{{rp|72}}{{cite magazine|title=The Hit Squad|magazine=Retro Gamer|issue=160|pages=38–43|author=Martyn Carroll}} The entire series consisted of 122 titles over seven 8-bit formats. Their uniform style and numbering has led to them becoming highly collectable. Meanwhile, the company was working on its next big film tie-in, which would be specifically aimed at the new graphically superior 16-bit computers, the Atari ST and Amiga.{{rp|58}}

The success of RoboCop established Ocean globally,{{rp|52}} and it would be Warner Bros. who suggested to Ocean that it produce a tie-in based on its forthcoming Batman movie.{{rp|58}} The resulting game was another tremendous hit for the company and is now regarded as one of the greatest video game/film tie-ins.{{cite magazine|title=The Making Of Batman The Movie|magazine=Retro Gamer|issue=41|pages=64–67|author=Robert Mellor}} The game was used as the basis of the Amiga 500 "Batman Pack",{{rp|58}} which became one of the most successful hardware/software bundles of all time. In 1990, Ocean launched its new subsidiary, Ocean of America, led by former Data East boss Ray Musci to publish titles for the American market.{{Cite news |date=July 8, 1990 |title=Warming |pages=41 |work=Computer Gaming World |url=http://pdf.textfiles.com/zines/CGW/1990_07_08_issue73.pdf |access-date=September 24, 2023}}

Ocean was voted Best 8-bit Software House of the Year at the 1989 Golden Joystick Awards,{{cite news|url=https://archive.org/stream/cvg-magazine-092/CVG_092_Jun_1989#page/n61/mode/2up|title=Golden Joysticks 1989|date=June 1989|work=Computer and Video Games|access-date=19 June 2018|publisher=EMAP|issue=92}} along with awards for its 8-bit and 16-bit conversions of Operation Wolf.

In 1996, Ocean's parent company Ocean International Ltd. announced they would be purchased by and merge with French publisher Infogrames{{cite web|title=Infogrames Entertainment S.A. History|url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/infogrames-entertainment-s-a-history/|publisher=Funding Universe|access-date=2 January 2016}} for £100 million. This was the first key purchase in Infogrames' "Expand through Acquisition" policy. After the merger, Ocean remained as a separate division of Infogrames, continuing to publish and distribute its own games, such as F-22: Air Dominance Fighter.,{{cite web |url=https://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/content.php?2215-F22-Air-Dominance-Fighter-Released |title = FlightSim.Com}} with the UK subsidiary beginning to distribute titles from Infogrames, such as V-Rally.

In 1997, Infogrames' French publishing division Infogrames Télématique launched a European-focused online gaming website under the Ocean brand called Oceanline. The website offered up simplified online versions of a majority of Infogrames' game catalog.{{cite web |url=http://www.oceanline.com/s_new/html/index_new_1.html |title=Index Summary |website=www.oceanline.com |access-date=11 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980209185059/http://www.oceanline.com/s_new/html/index_new_1.html |archive-date=9 February 1998 |url-status=dead}}

On 8 February 1998, Bruno Bonnell announced that Ocean Software Limited would be rebranded as Infogrames United Kingdom Limited in order to standardize its various subsidiaries under the Infogrames banner.{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/1998/biz/news/infogrames-in-milia-spotlight-1117467515/ |title = Infogrames in Milia spotlight - Variety| date=9 February 1998 }}{{Cite web|url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/02133521|title=BANDAI NAMCO ENTERTAINMENT UK LTD. - Overview (free company information from Companies House)|website=beta.companieshouse.gov.uk|language=en|access-date=20 April 2020}} Ocean of America, Inc. was later renamed as Infogrames Entertainment, Inc.{{Cite web|url=https://company-datas.com/companies/infogrames-entertainment-333-w-santa-clara-st-suite-820-san-jose-california-united-states|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211215000208/https://company-datas.com/companies/infogrames-entertainment-333-w-santa-clara-st-suite-820-san-jose-california-united-states|url-status=usurped|archive-date=15 December 2021|title=Infogrames Entertainment, 333 W. Santa Clara St. Suite 820, San Jose, California, United States | Company-Datas.Com -Find a Company Data|website=company-datas.com}}{{Cite web |title=Infogrames Entertainment |url=https://www.mocagh.org/miscgame/infogrames-regcard.pdf |website=mocagh.org}} Infogrames continued to use Ocean as a brand name for specific titles until the end of the year when the company quietly retired the brand in favour of their own. The last title published under the Ocean brand altogether was the North American release of GT 64: Championship Edition for the Nintendo 64.

Infogrames Entertainment, Inc. began to publish games under their own banner, replacing Infogrames' previous United States subsidiary I-Motion Inc. Infogrames Entertainment, Inc. was soon folded into Infogrames North America, Inc. — a renaming of Accolade — which then became Infogrames' United States division before being merged and folded into Infogrames, Inc., a renaming of GT Interactive.

The UK subsidiary continued to publish and distribute Infogrames' titles in the country, later being renamed as Atari United Kingdom Limited in 2003. In 2009, Bandai Namco Entertainment purchased Atari SA's European assets, and the remains of Ocean Software currently lie under the hands as Bandai Namco Entertainment's UK publishing and distribution division.

Starting with Daley Thompson's Decathlon in 1984, games on the ZX Spectrum used the Speedlock protection system, which eventually included a countdown timer showing the time left to load a game.{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/crash-magazine-44/page/n43 | magazine=Crash | last=Eddy |first=Richard |date=September 1987 |publisher=Crash |issue=44 |page=44 |title=The One David |access-date=9 January 2013}} On the commodore 64 Ocean added a full screen graphic to look at and some catchy music to listen to during the loading of the tape. Several different Loaders{{Cite web |title=Commodore 64: Ocean-Imagine Tape F1-F3 loader • Neperos |url=https://www.neperos.com/article/qtkd2ka9e900f6af |website=Neperos.com}} were implemented over the years. 11 loaders are known to have been created for Ocean games. Some of the composers who created the music for the Ocean Loaders were Martin Galway, Jonathan Dunn, and Peter Clarke.

File:Highlander-C64-screenshot.png

{{Div col}}

• The Addams Family
• The Addams Family: Pugsley's Scavenger Hunt
• Addams Family Values
• Batman
• Batman: The Caped Crusader
• Batman: The Movie
• Clive Barker's Nightbreed: The Action Game
• Clive Barker's Nightbreed: The Interactive Movie
• Cobra
• Cool World
• Darkman
• Dennis the Menace
• Eek the Cat
• The Flintstones
• Frankie Goes to Hollywood
• Highlander
• Hook
• Hudson Hawk
• Jurassic Park
• Knight Rider
• Lethal Weapon
• Manchester United Championship Soccer
• Miami Vice
• Navy Seals
• Platoon
• Rambo
• Rambo 3
• Red Heat
• RoboCop
• RoboCop 2
• RoboCop 3
• Run the Gauntlet
• The Shadow
• Short Circuit
• Street Hawk
• Terminator 2: Judgment Day
• Top Gun
• Total Recall
• The Transformers
• The Untouchables
• V: The Computer Game
• Waterworld
• WWF European Rampage Tour
• WWF WrestleMania

{{Div col end}}

{{Div col}}

• Arkanoid (1987, Imagine)
• Arkanoid: Revenge of Doh (1988, Imagine)
• Athena (1987, Imagine)
• Cabal (1989)
• Chase H.Q. (1988)
• Chase HQ II (1989)
• Combat School (1987)
• Donkey Kong (1986)
• DragonNinja (1989, Imagine)
• Green Beret (1986, Imagine)
• Galivan (1986, Imagine)
• Gryzor (Contra) (1987)
• Guerrilla War (1988, Imagine)
• Hunchback (1984)
• Hyper Sports (1985, Imagine)
• Konami's Golf (1986, Imagine)
• Konami's Tennis (1986, Imagine)
• The Legend of Kage (1987, Imagine)
• MagMax (1987, Imagine)
• Midnight Resistance (1990)
• Mikie (1985, Imagine)
• The NewZealand Story (1989)
• Operation Thunderbolt (1990)
• Operation Wolf (1989)
• Pang (1990)
• Ping Pong (1986, Imagine)
• Psycho Soldier (1987, Imagine)
• Rainbow Islands (1990)
• Rastan (1988, Imagine)
• Renegade (1986, Imagine)
• Salamander (1988)
• Shadow Warriors (1990)
• Slap Fight (1987, Imagine)
• Space Gun (1992)
• Terra Cresta (1986, Imagine)
• Toki (1991)
• Yie Ar Kung-Fu (1985, Imagine)

{{Div col end}}

{{Div col}}

• 90 Minutes European Prime Goal (SNES PAL) (1995)
• Animal (1996)
• Armageddon (1983)
• Battle Command (1990)
• Beach Volley (1989)
• Burnin' Rubber (1990)
• Cavelon (1984)
• Central Intelligence (1994) (included in Ocean Classics on Steam)
• Cheesy (1996)
• Choplifter III (1994)
• ClayFighter (SNES PAL) (1994)
• Claymates (SNES PAL) (1993)
• Daley Thompson's Decathlon (1984)
• Daley Thompson's Olympic Challenge (1988)
• Daley Thompson's Star Events (1985)
• Daley Thompson's Supertest (1985){{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/your-spectrum-magazine-20/page/n57 |title=DALEY THOMPSON'S SUPERTEST |issue=20 |page=57 |date=November 1985 |magazine=Your Spectrum }}
• Digger Dan (1983)
• Doom (SNES PAL) (1996)
• Eco (1987)
• EF2000 (1997)
• Elf (1991)
• Epic (1992)
• F29 Retaliator (1990)
• FIFA International Soccer (SNES PAL) (1994)
• Fighters Destiny (Nintendo 64) (1998)
• Fighters Destiny 2 (Nintendo 64) (1999)
• The Great Escape (1986)
• The Games '92: España (1992)
• GT Racing 97 (1997)
• Head over Heels (1987)
• Helikopter Jagd (1986)
• Hunchback II (1985){{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/your-spectrum-magazine-13/page/n37 | issue=13 |page=36 |magazine=Your Spectrum |date=April 1985 |title=Return of the Heroes }}
• Island of Death (1983)
• Inferno (1994)
• Ivanhoe (1990)
• Jelly Boy (1995)
• Jersey Devil (1997)
• Kid Chaos, also known as Kid Vicious (1994)
• Kong (1983)
• Kong Strikes Back! (1984)
• Last Rites (1997)
• Lost Patrol (1990)
• Madden NFL '95 (SNES PAL) (1994)
• Match Day (1985)
• Match Day II (1987)
• Micro Machines (SNES & Game Boy) (1994)
• Micro Machines 2: Turbo Tournament (SNES & Game Boy) (1996)
• Mr. Nutz (1993)
• Mr. Nutz: Hoppin' Mad (1994)
• Mr. Wimpy (1984)
• MRC: Multi-Racing Championship (Nintendo 64) (1997)
• NBA Live 95 (SNES PAL) (1994)
• Nightmare Rally (1986)
• Parallax (1986)
• Parasol Stars (1992)Computer conversion of TurboGrafx-16 (PC Engine) game
• Pushover (1992)
• Renegade III: The Final Chapter (1989, Imagine)
• Sleepwalker (1993)
• Soccer Kid (1994)
• Super James Pond (SNES & Game Boy PAL) (1993)
• Super Soccer (ZX Spectrum) (1986, Imagine)
• Super Turrican 2 (1995)
• Target: Renegade (1988, Imagine)
• TFX (1993)
• Transversion{{Cite web|url=https://www.crashonline.org.uk/03/lguide10.htm|title=CRASH 3 - Grid Games|website=www.crashonline.org.uk}}
• True Pinball (1996)
• Tunnel B1 (1996) (Published by Acclaim Entertainment in North America)
• Voyager (Atari ST, Amiga) (1989)
• Weaponlord (SNES PAL) (1995)
• Where Time Stood Still (1987)
• Wizball (1987)
• Wizkid (1992)
• Worms (1995)
• X2 (1996)
• Zero Divide (1996)

{{Div col end}}

The last few titles from Ocean before being renamed were published and distributed under Infogrames' umbrella, and consisted mostly of titles from Infogrames themselves.

{{Reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/19980614070326/http://www.ocean.co.uk/ Infogrames United Kingdom Limited]

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Category:1983 establishments in England

Category:1998 disestablishments in England

Category:Defunct companies based in Manchester

Category:Defunct video game companies of the United Kingdom

Category:Golden Joystick Award winners

Category:Video game companies established in 1983

Category:Video game companies disestablished in 1998

Category:Video game development companies