Games By Apollo
Encyclopedia
Games by Apollo was an early third-party developer for the Atari 2600
, based in Richardson, Texas. Founded by Pat Roper in October 1981 by as a subsidiary of his National Career Consultants (NCC), their first game was Skeet Shoot. Releasing eleven games in total for the Atari 2600
, their titles never caught on, however, and when the North American video game crash of 1983 occurred, they were one of the first software companies to declare bankruptcy. Several former employees went on to form Atari 2600 game developer Video Software Specialists (VSS) and MicroGraphicImage.
in 1980, he realized that there was money to be made. Roper decided to form a game company, which he called Games by Apollo because the name "Apollo" appealed to Roper because it was recognizable and a symbol of youth and activity.
Instead of hiring away existing game designers from Mattel or Atari, however, Roper placed an advertisement in the Dallas Morning News and the San Francisco Chronicle. A young programmer by the name of Ed Salvo was living in Iowa and saw the advertisement after a friend sent him a copy of the Dallas Morning News advertisement. He proceeded to contact Pat and offer him a game he had developed in about 4 weeks, Skeet Shoot. Roper flew Salvo to Dallas, where he was offered a job to lead the development for the yet to be formed Games by Apollo. Salvo initially turned him down, thinking it was too risky.
After Ed returned to Iowa, Roper contacted Salvo and offered to buy Skeet Shoot for $5,000. Salvo accepted and agreed to a contract with him to develop a second game, Spacechase. After the completion of Spacechase, Roper offered Salvo a position with the now formed Games by Apollo as their Director of Development. Salvo accepted and was tasked with hiring 25 programmers to build a staff and develop games.
magazine co-founder
Arnie Katz.
PM Magazine
came to Apollo's offices to film a segment on Apollo and Spacechase, with Leeza Gibbons
doing the interview. The segment included Ed Salvo making a customized Spacechase for Leeza Gibbons. This involved changing the 3 shapes in the explosion graphic to her initials. When her ship died Leeza's initials appeared. Those programmers interviewed were Dan Oliver (Space Cavern), Steve Stringfellow (Lochjaw) and Ernie Runyon (Lost Luggage).
Space Cavern
, a semi-clone of Galaxian, was the first scrolling 2600 game and is considered today a minor classic by many. It was created after Pat flew Ed Salvo out to the Winter Consumer Electronics Show
(CES) in Vegas to see Imagic
's new game Demon Attack. Pat had been very impressed and wanted one just like it. He gave programmer Dan Oliver the game play and specifications for Space Cavern without identifying where he got the idea, and Space Cavern became Apollo's third game.
Apollo in turn attended the June, 1982 CES in Chicago with a booth of their own, which included the obligatory hiring of models to demonstrate its games. Shortly after, they hired Cyndy Spence, formerly of Atari, as advertising director. She in turn brought in well known advertising agency Benton & Bowles
as Apollo's advertising firm.
Also of note was Lochjaw, a Pac-Man clone that involved sharks. The movie studio MCA
threatened to sue Apollo because of what they felt was an infringement on their copyright for the movie Jaws
. Because of limited funding, Pat decided not to fight it changed the title of their game to Shark Attack. The Lochjaw version had a very short shelf life, and is extremely rare as a result.
By the end of 1982, Apollo also moved into designing games for the Atari 5200
, ColecoVision
, and Intellivision
. However none of these games made it into production before Apollo closed its doors in late 1983.
. At one early staff meeting he was quoted as saying that "Activision had 26 million in sales its first year so Apollo would have 27. Activision had a campus with 7 buildings each 7 stories so Apollo would have 8 buildings of 8 stories". According to Ed, he built up production and inventory to sell 27 million but sales didn’t happen. Pat also bought a helicopter as an answer to Dallas’ Central Expwy, also hiring an engineer to put it together and maintain it.
In late 1982, Ed Salvo, Terry Grantham, Mike Smith and one other fellow employee left Apollo when it appeared that Pat was not taking the right steps to stay in business. Forming Video Software Specialists (VSS), they developed games for CBS Electronics, Ktel (Xonox), Sunrise, and Wizard Games. Two weeks after the four left, Apollo was forced into bankruptcy.
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
, based in Richardson, Texas. Founded by Pat Roper in October 1981 by as a subsidiary of his National Career Consultants (NCC), their first game was Skeet Shoot. Releasing eleven games in total for the Atari 2600
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
, their titles never caught on, however, and when the North American video game crash of 1983 occurred, they were one of the first software companies to declare bankruptcy. Several former employees went on to form Atari 2600 game developer Video Software Specialists (VSS) and MicroGraphicImage.
Formation
In 1980, Pat Roper was President of Texas-based National Career Consultants (NCC), a company that produced educational films. Roper knew nothing about the games industry, but while playing NFL Football on the IntellivisionIntellivision
The Intellivision is a video game console released by Mattel in 1979. Development of the console began in 1978, less than a year after the introduction of its main competitor, the Atari 2600. The word intellivision is a portmanteau of "intelligent television"...
in 1980, he realized that there was money to be made. Roper decided to form a game company, which he called Games by Apollo because the name "Apollo" appealed to Roper because it was recognizable and a symbol of youth and activity.
Instead of hiring away existing game designers from Mattel or Atari, however, Roper placed an advertisement in the Dallas Morning News and the San Francisco Chronicle. A young programmer by the name of Ed Salvo was living in Iowa and saw the advertisement after a friend sent him a copy of the Dallas Morning News advertisement. He proceeded to contact Pat and offer him a game he had developed in about 4 weeks, Skeet Shoot. Roper flew Salvo to Dallas, where he was offered a job to lead the development for the yet to be formed Games by Apollo. Salvo initially turned him down, thinking it was too risky.
After Ed returned to Iowa, Roper contacted Salvo and offered to buy Skeet Shoot for $5,000. Salvo accepted and agreed to a contract with him to develop a second game, Spacechase. After the completion of Spacechase, Roper offered Salvo a position with the now formed Games by Apollo as their Director of Development. Salvo accepted and was tasked with hiring 25 programmers to build a staff and develop games.
Market presence
Spacechase went on to become Apollo's best selling title. Apollo also marketed Spacechase with an offer to make customized or ‘monogrammed’ versions of Spacechase. Fewer than 10 were sold, and several were given to press including Electronic GamesElectronic Games
Electronic Games was the first video game magazine published in the United States and ran from 1981 to 1994. It was co-founded by Arnie Katz and Bill Kunkel, and is unrelated to the subsequent Electronic Gaming Monthly.-External links:* *...
magazine co-founder
1981 in video gaming
-Events:* November -** The British video game magazine Computer and Video Games starts.** Game & Watch - released in Sweden.* Arnie Katz and Bill Kunkel found Electronic Games, the first magazine on video games and generally recognized as the beginning of video game journalism.-Notable releases:*...
Arnie Katz.
PM Magazine
PM Magazine
PM/Evening Magazine was a television series with a news and entertainment format. It was syndicated to stations throughout the United States...
came to Apollo's offices to film a segment on Apollo and Spacechase, with Leeza Gibbons
Leeza Gibbons
Leeza Kim Gibbons is an American talk show host. Gibbons is the host of her own radio show, Hollywood Confidential, part of the United Stations radio syndication company.-Early life:...
doing the interview. The segment included Ed Salvo making a customized Spacechase for Leeza Gibbons. This involved changing the 3 shapes in the explosion graphic to her initials. When her ship died Leeza's initials appeared. Those programmers interviewed were Dan Oliver (Space Cavern), Steve Stringfellow (Lochjaw) and Ernie Runyon (Lost Luggage).
Space Cavern
Space Cavern
Space Cavern by Apollo is a video game for the Atari 2600, which allows one or two players, to move left and right, shooting enemies above them, and to either side. It was the first scrolling game for the 2600.-Plot:From the game's manual:...
, a semi-clone of Galaxian, was the first scrolling 2600 game and is considered today a minor classic by many. It was created after Pat flew Ed Salvo out to the Winter Consumer Electronics Show
Consumer Electronics Show
The International Consumer Electronics Show is a major technology-related trade show held each January in the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. Not open to the public, the Consumer Electronics Association-sponsored show typically hosts previews of products and new...
(CES) in Vegas to see Imagic
Imagic
Imagic was a short-lived American video game developer and publisher that developed games for the Atari 2600, Intellivision and other video game consoles in the early 1980s...
's new game Demon Attack. Pat had been very impressed and wanted one just like it. He gave programmer Dan Oliver the game play and specifications for Space Cavern without identifying where he got the idea, and Space Cavern became Apollo's third game.
Apollo in turn attended the June, 1982 CES in Chicago with a booth of their own, which included the obligatory hiring of models to demonstrate its games. Shortly after, they hired Cyndy Spence, formerly of Atari, as advertising director. She in turn brought in well known advertising agency Benton & Bowles
Benton & Bowles
Benton & Bowles was a New York-based advertising agency founded by William Benton and Chester Bowles in 1929.-History:The agency's success was closely related to the rise in popularity of radio. Benton & Bowles invented the radio soap opera to promote their clients' products, and by 1936 were...
as Apollo's advertising firm.
Also of note was Lochjaw, a Pac-Man clone that involved sharks. The movie studio MCA
Music Corporation of America
MCA, Inc. was an American talent agency. Initially starting in the music business, they would next become a dominant force in the film business, and later expanded into the television business...
threatened to sue Apollo because of what they felt was an infringement on their copyright for the movie Jaws
Jaws (film)
Jaws is a 1975 American horror-thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name. In the story, the police chief of Amity Island, a fictional summer resort town, tries to protect beachgoers from a giant man-eating great white shark by closing the beach,...
. Because of limited funding, Pat decided not to fight it changed the title of their game to Shark Attack. The Lochjaw version had a very short shelf life, and is extremely rare as a result.
By the end of 1982, Apollo also moved into designing games for the Atari 5200
Atari 5200
The Atari 5200 SuperSystem, commonly known as the Atari 5200, is a video game console that was introduced in 1982 by Atari Inc. as a higher end complementary console for the popular Atari 2600...
, ColecoVision
ColecoVision
The ColecoVision is Coleco Industries' second generation home video game console which was released in August 1982. The ColecoVision offered arcade-quality graphics and gaming style, and the means to expand the system's basic hardware...
, and Intellivision
Intellivision
The Intellivision is a video game console released by Mattel in 1979. Development of the console began in 1978, less than a year after the introduction of its main competitor, the Atari 2600. The word intellivision is a portmanteau of "intelligent television"...
. However none of these games made it into production before Apollo closed its doors in late 1983.
Decline
Early on, Pat spent much of the company's money on trying to emulate ActivisionActivision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
. At one early staff meeting he was quoted as saying that "Activision had 26 million in sales its first year so Apollo would have 27. Activision had a campus with 7 buildings each 7 stories so Apollo would have 8 buildings of 8 stories". According to Ed, he built up production and inventory to sell 27 million but sales didn’t happen. Pat also bought a helicopter as an answer to Dallas’ Central Expwy, also hiring an engineer to put it together and maintain it.
In late 1982, Ed Salvo, Terry Grantham, Mike Smith and one other fellow employee left Apollo when it appeared that Pat was not taking the right steps to stay in business. Forming Video Software Specialists (VSS), they developed games for CBS Electronics, Ktel (Xonox), Sunrise, and Wizard Games. Two weeks after the four left, Apollo was forced into bankruptcy.
Games developed
- Final Approach
- Guardian
- Infiltrate
- Lost Luggage
- Pompeii (unreleased)
- Racquetball
- Shark Attack (aka Lochjaw)
- Skeet Shoot
- Space CavernSpace CavernSpace Cavern by Apollo is a video game for the Atari 2600, which allows one or two players, to move left and right, shooting enemies above them, and to either side. It was the first scrolling game for the 2600.-Plot:From the game's manual:...
- SpacechaseSpacechaseSpacechase is a video game published by Games by Apollo for the Atari 2600/VCS home console and the Atari 8-bit computer line. Spacechase was programmed by Ed Salvo.-Gameplay:...
- Squoosh
- Wabbit
External links
- Database listing of all Games by Apollo releases - includes screen shots, box images, manual scans, catalogs and company history.