Arcadia Systems
Encyclopedia
Arcadia Systems was a subsidiary of Mastertronic
which developed arcade games during the mid-late 1980s. The systems were based on Commodore Amiga
technology. The venture was not successful; according to former Mastertronic employee Anthony Guter the project was developed slowly, and the games were of poor quality and not really suited to arcade play.
One notable game Arcadia produced was Rockford
, an arcade version of the home-computer classic, Boulder Dash
. Arcadia's "Rockford" was, ironically, the basis of a clean room implementation of "Rockford" for the Amiga 500 (published by Melbourne House, developed by Laurence Vanhelsuwe for Icon Design). Only the graphics were recovered from the arcade ROMs, but the program was rewritten from scratch.
The Arcadia name was also used for marketing some Mastertronic software on the US
market.
Mastertronic
Mastertronic was originally a publisher and distributor of low-cost computer game software founded in 1983. Their first games were distributed in mid-1984. At its peak the label was the dominant software publisher in the UK, a position achieved by selling cassette-based software at the £1.99...
which developed arcade games during the mid-late 1980s. The systems were based on Commodore Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
technology. The venture was not successful; according to former Mastertronic employee Anthony Guter the project was developed slowly, and the games were of poor quality and not really suited to arcade play.
One notable game Arcadia produced was Rockford
Rockford (video game)
Rockford is a computer game developed by Arcadia Systems in 1988 and distributed by Electronic Arts for the Atari ST, Amiga, Commodore 64, Atari 8-bit, and IBM micros and compatible machines.-Plot:...
, an arcade version of the home-computer classic, Boulder Dash
Boulder Dash
Boulder Dash, originally released in 1984 for Atari 8-bit computers, is a series of computer games released for the Apple II, MSX, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, and ColecoVision home computers, and later ported to the NES, BBC Micro and Acorn Electron, PC, Amstrad CPC, Amiga and many other platforms...
. Arcadia's "Rockford" was, ironically, the basis of a clean room implementation of "Rockford" for the Amiga 500 (published by Melbourne House, developed by Laurence Vanhelsuwe for Icon Design). Only the graphics were recovered from the arcade ROMs, but the program was rewritten from scratch.
The Arcadia name was also used for marketing some Mastertronic software on the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
market.