Elite Systems is a UK

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 video game developer and publisher established in 1984 as Richard Wilcox Software. They are best known for producing home computer

Home computer

Home computers were a class of microcomputers entering the market in 1977, and becoming increasingly common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a single nontechnical user...

 conversions of popular arcade games. Elite also published games under the budget re-release labels Encore and Hit-Pak.

History

Under the name Richard Wilcox Software, only one title was published: Blue Thunder for the ZX Spectrum

ZX Spectrum

The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...

, Atari 8-bit and Commodore 64

Commodore 64

The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...

. In August 1984, the group was relaunched under the name Elite Systems, expanding the team to include graphic designers Rory Green and Jon Harrison; programmers Neil A. Bate, Chris Harvey, Andy Williams and Stephen Lockley; administrators Paul Smith and Pat Maisey; and Wilcox's brother Steve handled sales and marketing. Their first release under the new Elite Systems label was Kokotoni Wilf

Kokotoni Wilf

Kokotoni Wilf is an arcade adventure game released by Elite Systems in for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum home computers. The game was inspired by Jet Set Willy.- Gameplay :...

, which also carried the first of their anti-counterfeiting holograms on the cassette inlay card.

By 1986, the team were hiring freelancers and developing many home computer licenses of arcade machines. Ghosts 'n Goblins

Ghosts 'n Goblins

is a 1985 platform game developed by Capcom for video arcades and has since been released on several other platforms. It is the first game in the Ghosts'n Goblins franchise.-Gameplay:...

, for example, was converted to the Spectrum by freelance programmer Nigel Alderton and graphics designer Karen Trueman, plus Elite's regular team. The Aldridge

Aldridge

Aldridge is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands, England. Historically it was part of the county of Staffordshire, but in 1974 it was incorporated into the Walsall borough as well as the West Midlands county.- History :...

-based headquarters housed a row of arcade cabinets for games that were being converted. Their hardware had been hacked so the team could analyse the games to ensure an accurate, licensed conversion.

In 1986, Elite was awarded "Software House of the Year" by Computer & Video Games magazine. In 1989 it got a "Game of the Year" award for Paperboy

Paperboy (video game)

Paperboy is a 1984 arcade game by Atari Games. The players take the role of a paperboy who delivers newspapers along a suburban street on his bicycle. This game was innovative for its theme and novel controls.-Gameplay:...

 by the British software industry. Converted by Neil Bate, Chris Harvey and Jon Harrison, with the BBC Micro and Atari ST versions produced by a second Andy Williams who joined the company in 1986.

Around 2003, with the rise in the popularity of mobile games, Elite began to publish mobile games, with a focus on mobile conversions of classic games. Elite has also developed and published some new games, such as AVP.

In 2005, the publication Retro Gamer

Retro Gamer

Retro Gamer is a British magazine, published worldwide, covering retro video games. It was the first commercial magazine to be devoted entirely to the subject. Although launched as a quarterly publication, Retro Gamers soon became a monthly...

 credited the Elite team in Volume 2-Issue 1 as Richard Benton, Matthew Hyden and Steve Wilcox.

Elite is currently working on an update to Paperboy, and also port popular games to Danger

Danger (company)

Danger, Inc. was a company specializing in platforms, software, design, and services for mobile computing devices. Its most notable product was the T-Mobile Sidekick ....

's Sidekick devices.

List of mobile games

• All-new Paperboy - In Development
• Double Dragon II: The Revenge
  Double Dragon II: The Revenge
  is a side-scrolling beat 'em up produced by Technos originally released as a coin-operated arcade game in . It is the sequel to Double Dragon, released during the previous year. A home version for the Nintendo Entertainment System was released in which differs drastically from the original arcade...
  
  
• R-Type
  R-Type
  is a side scrolling shoot-em-up arcade game produced by Irem in 1987. The player controls a space fighter named R-9a "Arrowhead" to defend humanity against a mysterious but powerful alien life-form known as "Bydo", which was later discovered to be not entirely alien in origin...
  
  
• Atlantis Quest
• Double Dragon EX
  Double Dragon
  is a classic beat 'em up video game series initially developed by Technos Japan Corporation, who also developed the Kunio-kun series ....
  
  
• Paperboy
  Paperboy (video game)
  Paperboy is a 1984 arcade game by Atari Games. The players take the role of a paperboy who delivers newspapers along a suburban street on his bicycle. This game was innovative for its theme and novel controls.-Gameplay:...
  
  
• Star Warriors
• Alien vs. Predator
• Bombjack
• Chuckie Egg
  Chuckie Egg
  A&F Software's Chuckie Egg is a home computer video game released in 1983, initially for the ZX Spectrum, the BBC Micro and the Dragon. Its subsequent popularity saw it released over the following years on a wide variety of computers, including the Commodore 64, Acorn Electron, MSX, Tatung...
  
  

List of older games

• 1942
• 3DC
  3Dc
  3Dc , also known as DXN, BC5, or Block Compression 5 is a lossy data compression algorithm for normal maps invented and first implemented by ATI. It builds upon the earlier DXT5 algorithm and is an open standard...
  
  
• 911TS
• A Question of Sport
• Ace
• Ace2
• Airwolf
• Airwolf 2
• Aquablast
• Battleships
  Battleships (game)
  Battleships is the international title of a video game based on the classic board game. The object is to sink the opponent's entire fleet without him sinking the player's fleet first....
  
  
• Batty
  Batty (video game)
  Batty is a bat-and-ball, Breakout clone-style video game, published by Elite in 1987 and available for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and Amstrad CPC...
  
  
• Beyond the Ice Palace
  Beyond the Ice Palace
  Beyond the Ice Palace is an arcade adventure game released by Elite Systems in for several home computer systems.- Plot :Game blurb:"Beyond the Ice Palace lies a mystical land caught up in a battle between good and evil. Dark spirits are setting alight the forests, destroying the homes and...
  
  
• Blue Thunder
• Bomb Jack
  Bomb Jack
  is an arcade platform game that was released in 1984 by Tehkan . It was followed by two official sequels, the console and computer title Mighty Bomb Jack, and the arcade game Bomb Jack Twin...
  
  
• Bomb Jack II
• Buggy Boy
  Buggy Boy
  Buggy Boy, also known as Speed Buggy, is a driving style arcade game developed by Tatsumi in 1985. The object of the game was to drive around one of five courses in the shortest time possible. Each course has five legs, each filled with obstacles such as boulders and brick walls...
  
  
• Chain Reaction
• Combat Lynx
• Commando
• Complete Onside Soccer
  Complete Onside Soccer
  Complete Onside Soccer is a football simulation game programmed by Elite for PC and PlayStation, released in 1996 in Europe and 1998 in Japan. It was published by Telstar Electronic Studios in 1996....
  
  
• Critical Mass
  Critical Mass (video game)
  Critical Mass is an educational video game being developed at Purdue University. The game teaches players about chemistry while they try to save the world. The game uses the Truevision3D engine....
  
  
• Deep Strike
• Dirt Racer
  Dirt Racer
  Dirt Racer is an Europe-exclusive video game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System; which was released in 1994. This game uses the Super FX chip to provide enhanced graphics.-Summary:...
  
  
• Dogs of War
• Dr. Franken
  Dr. Franken
  Dr. Franken was a video game released for Game Boy and Super NES by Elite Systems. It was titled The Adventures of Dr. Franken for the SNES in the United States....
  
   (titled The Adventures of Dr. Franken for the SNES
  Super Nintendo Entertainment System
  The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
  
   in the United States
  United States
  The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
  
  )
• Dr. Franken II
  Dr. Franken II
  Dr. Franken II is a sequel to the original Dr. Franken video game and was released for the Game Boy in 1997. It was developed by MovieTime and published by Elite Systems...
  
  

• Dragon's Lair
  Dragon's Lair
  Dragon's Lair is a laserdisc video game published by Cinematronics in 1983. It featured animation created by ex-Disney animator Don Bluth....
  
  
• Dragons Lair: The Legend
  Dragon's Lair
  Dragon's Lair is a laserdisc video game published by Cinematronics in 1983. It featured animation created by ex-Disney animator Don Bluth....
  
  
• Dukes of Hazzard
• European Championship 1992
  European Championship 1992
  European Championship 1992 is a football videogame produced by Tecmo and distributed by Elite in 1992. It was developed for Amiga, Atari ST and DOS.This is a conversion of the coin-operated arcade video game World Cup '90 from Tecmo....
  
  
• The Fall Guy
• First Strike
• Ford Racing
• Frank Bruno's Boxing (a modified port of Nintendo
  Nintendo
  is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
  
  's Super Punch-Out!! arcade.)
• Ghosts 'n Goblins
  Ghosts 'n Goblins
  is a 1985 platform game developed by Capcom for video arcades and has since been released on several other platforms. It is the first game in the Ghosts'n Goblins franchise.-Gameplay:...
  
  
• Grand National
• Grand Touring
• Gremlins 2: The New Batch
  Gremlins 2: The New Batch
  Gremlins 2: The New Batch is a 1990 American horror comedy film, and the sequel to Gremlins . It was directed by Joe Dante and written by Charles S. Haas, with creature designs by Rick Baker...
  
  
• Harrier Attack
  Harrier Attack
  Harrier Attack is a computer game for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, Oric 1 and ZX Spectrum initially released in 1983 by Durell Software.-Summary:...
  
  
• Hoppin' Mad
  Hoppin' Mad
  Hoppin' Mad is a 1988 computer game by Elite Systems.Hoppin' Mad is an arcade-style game taking place over 12 levels. On each level, the player has to guide a group of bouncing balls from the right edge of the level to the left edge...
  
  
• Hybrid
  Hybrid (video game)
  Hybrid is an upcoming downloadable third-person shooter video game set for release in 2012 for the Xbox Live Arcade. It is currently under development by Bellevue, Washington-based 5th Cell, the creative studio behind the Scribblenauts series, Drawn to Life series, and Lock's Quest...
  
  
• Ikari Warriors
  Ikari Warriors
  Ikari Warriors is a 1986 arcade game by SNK, published in the United States and Europe by Tradewest. Known simply as in Japan, this was SNK's first major breakthrough US release and became something of a classic. The game was released at the time when there were many Commando clones on the market...
  
  
• Joe and Mac
• Kokotoni Wilf
  Kokotoni Wilf
  Kokotoni Wilf is an arcade adventure game released by Elite Systems in for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum home computers. The game was inspired by Jet Set Willy.- Gameplay :...
  
  
• Last Battle
  Last Battle (video game)
  Last Battle is a side-scrolling beat 'em up released for the Sega Mega Drive in 1989 by Sega. The Japanese version, titled , is based on the manga series Hokuto no Ken . Since the international version did not retain the Hokuto no Ken license, the graphics and characters' names were altered...
  
  
• Live And Let Die
  Live and Let Die (video game)
  James Bond: Live And Let Die is a video game loosely based on the 1973 James Bond film Live and Let Die. The game was released by Domark for the Amiga, Atari ST, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, DOS computers, and ZX Spectrum in 1988....
  
  
• Mighty Bombjack
• Mike Read's Computer Pop Quiz
• Nintendo Soccer
• On The Tiles
• Onside Complete Soccer
• Overlander

• Paperboy
  Paperboy (video game)
  Paperboy is a 1984 arcade game by Atari Games. The players take the role of a paperboy who delivers newspapers along a suburban street on his bicycle. This game was innovative for its theme and novel controls.-Gameplay:...
  
  
• Passing Shot
  Passing shot
  A passing shot is a forceful shot, as in tennis or handball, that travels to one side out of the reach of one's opponent. In tennis, this shot is mostly used when one's opponent is running to the net or if he is at the net already.Options are:...
  
  
• Roller Coaster
  Roller Coaster (video game)
  Roller Coaster is a platform-based game which contains some strategy and puzzle elements. Uniquely it holds the claim of being the first video game to ever simulate amusement rides....
  
  
• Saboteur!
• Saboteur II
  Saboteur II
  Saboteur II: Avenging Angel is a video game created by Clive Townsend and released by Durell Software in for the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and Commodore 64 platforms. It is a sequel to the 1985 video game Saboteur. Saboteur II was one of the first action-adventure games to feature a female...
  
  
• Scooby Doo
  Scooby-Doo (video game)
  Scooby-Doo was a video game based on a television character of the same name. The game was developed in 1986 by Gargoyle Games for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum and the Commodore Plus/4 personal computers.-Original Concept:A much-hyped game, Elite first started advertising this from...
  
  
• Sigma 7
• Space Academy
• Space Harrier
  Space Harrier
  is a third-person rail shooter game, released by Sega in 1985. It was produced by Yu Suzuki, responsible for many popular Sega games. It spawned several sequels: Space Harrier 3-D , Space Harrier II , and the spin-off Planet Harriers ....
  
  
• Spitfire
• Storm Warrior
  Storm Warrior
  Storm Warrior is a 1989 video game released by Elite Systems for Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum systems.-Story:An evil witch queen plans to summon a destructive thunderstorm which is destined to last for a hundred years. A prince, armed with a sword, is the only one person can stop her...
  
  
• Strikepoint
• Striker
  Striker (sports video game)
  Striker is a soccer video game released by Rage Software in 1992 for the Commodore Amiga, Amiga CD32, Atari ST, PC, Mega Drive/Genesis, and Super Nintendo. It was bundled in one of the Amiga 1200 launch packs...
  
   (with Rage Software)
• Supertrux
• Test Drive Off-Road
  Test Drive Off-Road
  Test Drive Off-Road is a cross-platform racing game in 1997. It is the first entry in the Test Drive Off-Road series of video games.Bob Fitzgerald provides the voice as the announcer.-Game Modes:...
  
  
• Thanatos
  Thanatos (video game)
  Thanatos is an arcade adventure videogame which was published by Durell Software in 1986 for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and Amstrad CPC-Development:...
  
  
• The Fidgetts
• ThunderCats
  ThunderCats (video game)
  ThunderCats: The Lost Eye of Thundera is a side-scrolling video game that is based on the animated television series ThunderCats. The game was published in 1987 by Elite Systems Ltd for home computers including the Amstrad CPC, Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum.- Plot :When the game...
  
  
• Tournament Golf
• Turbo Esprit
  Turbo Esprit
  Turbo Esprit is a video game published by Durell Software in 1986 for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, and Amstrad CPC. The game was very detailed and advanced for its time, featuring car indicator lights, pedestrians, traffic lights, and a view of the car's interior controls. It may also be the...
  
  
• Virtuoso
• Wanderer 3D
• World Championship Soccer
  World Championship Soccer
  World Championship Soccer , known in Europe as World Cup Italia '90, was one of the first games released for the Sega Genesis system. It is a soccer game based on the 1990 FIFA World Cup tournament, featuring 24 different playable countries. It's the first World Cup official licensed franchise game...
  
  
• World Cup Striker