Ratbag Games
Encyclopedia
Ratbag Games Pty Ltd was an Australian developer of computer games such as Powerslide, The Dukes of Hazzard: Return of the General Lee
and World of Outlaws: Sprint Cars 2002
.
, South Australia
by Richard Harrison and Greg Siegele
. Known initially as Emergent Games, the company took 3 years to prototype their first title Powerslide
. Following its acquisition by Midway Games
on 4 August 2005, the company was known as Midway Studios - Australia. On 13 December 2005, employees at the studio were told that Ratbag was going to be closed by its parent company. Two days later on the 15th, the studio was closed, leaving the staff employed there without a job. Subsequently, Krome Studios
rehired many of the ratbag staff and established Krome Studios Adelaide.
. The arcade racer, set in a post-apocalyptic future, is powered by a highly advanced rendering system for its time, allowing for up to 300,000 polygons on-screen at once. Powerslide was met with critical if not commercial success, receiving a lot of publicity from the Australian gaming media. Several PC racing titles followed over the years, and before too long Ratbag found itself "typecast" as a simulation racing developer.
With the arrival of the PlayStation 2
in late 2000, Ratbag saw an opportunity to move into the lucrative console market. World of Outlaws: Sprint Cars 2002
was the first of several PlayStation 2 titles developed and released, with a handful of titles going unpublished, most notably the follow-up to Powerslide, Powerslide: Slipstream.
The last title developed by Ratbag (prior to their acquisition) was The Dukes of Hazzard: Return of the General Lee
for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox
. The "Adventure/Racing" title was the first Ratbag title to break from the simulation tradition set forth by previous titles and features simple "on-foot" gameplay in addition to various story-driven racing missions. Coming after a wave of similar mission-based driving games and with a rushed development, The Dukes of Hazzard: Return of the General Lee
received a lukewarm response from the gaming press.
The Dukes of Hazzard: Return of the General Lee
The Dukes of Hazzard: Return of The General Lee is a mission based racing game released on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox consoles. Return of the General Lee is based on the popular Dukes of Hazzard television show...
and World of Outlaws: Sprint Cars 2002
World of Outlaws: Sprint Cars 2002
World of Outlaws: Sprint Cars 2002 is a sprint car racing video game for the PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Windows.-Career mode:The career mode enables the player to almost have a real Sprint Car racing experience. Starting with one car and little money the driver has to race at the available...
.
About the company
Ratbag was founded in 1993 in AdelaideAdelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
by Richard Harrison and Greg Siegele
Greg Siegele
Greg Siegele was the co-founder of Ratbag Games Pty Ltd, an Australian video game developer of such games as Powerslide, The Dukes of Hazzard: Return of the General Lee and World of Outlaws: Sprint Cars 2002....
. Known initially as Emergent Games, the company took 3 years to prototype their first title Powerslide
Powerslide
Powerslide may refer to:*Powerslide , a racing game by Ratbag Games*Powerslide driving, a throttle-on induced oversteer...
. Following its acquisition by Midway Games
Midway Games
Midway Games, Inc. is an American company that was formerly a major video game publisher. Following a bankruptcy filing in 2009, it is no longer active and is in the process of liquidating all of its assets. Midway's titles included Mortal Kombat, Ms.Pac-Man, Spy Hunter, Tron, Rampage, the...
on 4 August 2005, the company was known as Midway Studios - Australia. On 13 December 2005, employees at the studio were told that Ratbag was going to be closed by its parent company. Two days later on the 15th, the studio was closed, leaving the staff employed there without a job. Subsequently, Krome Studios
Krome Studios
Krome Studios is an Australian video game company. Its headquarters are in Brisbane and it previously had offices in Adelaide and Melbourne. Krome Studios is best known for their Ty the Tasmanian Tiger games and for revitalising the Spyro the Dragon series...
rehired many of the ratbag staff and established Krome Studios Adelaide.
About the games
Ratbag made a name for itself with its debut title PowerslidePowerslide
Powerslide may refer to:*Powerslide , a racing game by Ratbag Games*Powerslide driving, a throttle-on induced oversteer...
. The arcade racer, set in a post-apocalyptic future, is powered by a highly advanced rendering system for its time, allowing for up to 300,000 polygons on-screen at once. Powerslide was met with critical if not commercial success, receiving a lot of publicity from the Australian gaming media. Several PC racing titles followed over the years, and before too long Ratbag found itself "typecast" as a simulation racing developer.
With the arrival of the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
in late 2000, Ratbag saw an opportunity to move into the lucrative console market. World of Outlaws: Sprint Cars 2002
World of Outlaws: Sprint Cars 2002
World of Outlaws: Sprint Cars 2002 is a sprint car racing video game for the PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Windows.-Career mode:The career mode enables the player to almost have a real Sprint Car racing experience. Starting with one car and little money the driver has to race at the available...
was the first of several PlayStation 2 titles developed and released, with a handful of titles going unpublished, most notably the follow-up to Powerslide, Powerslide: Slipstream.
The last title developed by Ratbag (prior to their acquisition) was The Dukes of Hazzard: Return of the General Lee
The Dukes of Hazzard: Return of the General Lee
The Dukes of Hazzard: Return of The General Lee is a mission based racing game released on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox consoles. Return of the General Lee is based on the popular Dukes of Hazzard television show...
for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
. The "Adventure/Racing" title was the first Ratbag title to break from the simulation tradition set forth by previous titles and features simple "on-foot" gameplay in addition to various story-driven racing missions. Coming after a wave of similar mission-based driving games and with a rushed development, The Dukes of Hazzard: Return of the General Lee
The Dukes of Hazzard: Return of the General Lee
The Dukes of Hazzard: Return of The General Lee is a mission based racing game released on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox consoles. Return of the General Lee is based on the popular Dukes of Hazzard television show...
received a lukewarm response from the gaming press.
Games releases
- Powerslide PC
- Dirt Track RacingDirt Track Racing (computer game)Dirt Track Racing is a computer video game by the now defunct Ratbag Games. It is the first game of the dirt track racing series by Ratbag, which includes Dirt Track Racing , Dirt Track Racing: Sprint Cars , and Dirt Track Racing 2...
PC - Dirt Track Racing: Sprint CarsDirt Track Racing: Sprint CarsDirt Track Racing: Sprint Cars is a sprint car racing video game by the now defunct Ratbag Games. It is the second game of the dirt track racing series by Ratbag, which includes Dirt Track Racing , Dirt Track Racing: Sprint Cars, and Dirt Track Racing 2 .-Background:Dirt Track Racing: Sprint Cars,...
PC - Dirt Track Racing 2Dirt Track Racing 2Dirt Track Racing 2 is a video game by the now defunct Ratbag Games. It is the third and final game in the dirt track racing series by Ratbag, which includes Dirt Track Racing , Dirt Track Racing Sprint Cars , and Dirt Track Racing 2 .-History:Dirt Track Racing 2 features the ability to run...
PC - LeadfootLeadfoot (computer game)Leadfoot is a computer video game by the now defunct Ratbag Games . It is a spin-off of the dirt track racing series by Ratbag, which includes Dirt Track Racing , Dirt Track Racing: Sprint Cars , and Dirt Track Racing 2 . It is a racing game simulation reproducing the sport of stadium off-road racing...
PC - Holden Dirt Track Racing Australia PC
- World of Outlaws: Sprint Cars 2002World of Outlaws: Sprint Cars 2002World of Outlaws: Sprint Cars 2002 is a sprint car racing video game for the PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Windows.-Career mode:The career mode enables the player to almost have a real Sprint Car racing experience. Starting with one car and little money the driver has to race at the available...
PS2 - Saturday Night Speedway -PS2 & PC
- The Dukes of Hazzard: Return of the General LeeThe Dukes of Hazzard: Return of the General LeeThe Dukes of Hazzard: Return of The General Lee is a mission based racing game released on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox consoles. Return of the General Lee is based on the popular Dukes of Hazzard television show...
PS2 & Xbox
External links
- Ratbag Games Last version of Ratbag Games official website reproduced by Australian video game website Sumea for archives purposes.
- News Report Midway closes Ratbag
- Midway shafts Ratbag Studios Employee's account of company closure