Golden Era of Spanish Software
Encyclopedia
The Golden Era of Spanish Software (Spanish: Edad de oro del software español) was a time, between 1983 and 1992, when Spain
became the second 8 bit entertainment software producer in Europe, behind only the United Kingdom
. The disappearance of the 8 bit technology and its replacement by the 16 bit machines marked the end of this era, during which many software companies based in Spain launched their career: Dinamic Software
, Topo Soft
, Opera Soft
, Made in Spain and Zigurat
among others. The name Edad de oro del soft español was coined by specialized magazines of the time and has been used to refer to these years until nowadays.
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In the year 1983, the first home personal computers started arriving to Spain, all of them 8 bit machines. ZX Spectrum
and Amstrad CPC
were the most sold in the country, followed by MSX
and Commodore 64
among others. These were simple machines, with lesser resources, therefore easy to manipulate, so many young programmers all over the country started experimenting with them.
The Golden Era of Spanish Software officially starts with the launch of Bugaboo
, by Indescomp, the first Spanish video game to get a massive international distribution. Shortly, Fred
(Roland in the Caves), by the same authors, this time under the company Made in Spain, was another success, and the owners of Made in Spain decided to create Zigurat
, a mother company that would at first be dedicated to distribution, turning Made in Spain into a producing company for Zigurat, which also would at first distribute titles from independent companies. Years later, Made in Spain and Zigurat would completely merge into a single producer and distributor company.
Meanwhile, Dinamic Software
made their first steps when the launched for ZX Spectrum Yength, a text adventure. And in the field of distribution, Erbe Software, the main Spanish software distributor for more than a decade, started their activity. In their first years, Erbe tried also to produce their own titles, but in this activity they didn't last for long.
and Microhobby, videogames gained massive popularity, and the rest of the top companies of the Era, Opera Soft
in 1986 and Topo Soft
in 1987 started their activity, the first one with Livingstone, I presume, and the second one with Spirits, after their authors programmed for Erbe Software Las tres luces de Glaurung (Conquestador).
The just born Zigurat had their biggest success on Sir Fred and El misterio del Nilo, unofficial version of the movie The Jewel of the Nile
, which caused problems internationally because one of the characters of the game was too similar to Michael Douglas
, and the authors were forced to change the graphic design of this character in the international versions.
Dinamic had their first huge successes in the Johny Jones trilogy, comprising Saimazoom, Babaliba, and mainly Abu Simbel Profanation. After this, they would start another trilogy, the Moves trilogy, comprising Army Moves, Navy Moves, and much later Arctic Moves. And little by little, publishing titles starring famous sportsmen became popular. Dinamic were the first, with Basket Master
starring Fernando Martín
, and they were followed by other companies, with titles starring Ángel Nieto
, Carlos Sainz
, Poli Díaz
, Emilio Butragueño
and others.
Meanwhile, Opera Soft published Goody, Sol Negro, Cosa Nostra, and above all, La Abadía del Crimen
, based on Umberto Eco
's The Name of the Rose
, considered one of the best titles of all the Golden Era of Spanish Software and one of the best titles ever released on ZX Spectrum
. On the other hand, Topo Soft, the last of the big ones, quickly arrived on top with titles like Mad Mix Game and its continuation, and Survivor among others.
Meanwhile, Dinamic published a text adventure version of Don Quijote, and after that, a section of Dinamic dedicated only to text adventures became independent, and they named themselves Aventuras AD
, publishing titles like El Jabato
among others.
, and little by little, IBM PC
, followed by consoles like NES
and Sega Mega Drive
, and although the Spanish companies did some tiny efforts to evolve, they never really switched to 16 bits, and stayed concentrated on the decadent 8 bit market which, almost extinguished in Europe, still had strength in Spain, mainly thanks to the rule Erbe Software, main distributor in the country, imposed to sale all their titles to 875 peseta
s (5,26 euros), trying to kill piracy.
But at this moment, Spanish companies started having serious financial problems, and one by one they launched their last titles. Topo Soft fundators left the company in 1989 to establish Animagic
, whose main title was Mortadelo y Filemon II (Clever and Smart II). Born in bad times, they did not last for long. On the other hand, Topo Soft launched Lorna, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and above all, Gremlins 2, being the first time a Spanish video game company managed to get an exclusive license for all Europe from a Hollywood movie. In 1991, aware of the importance of 16 bit, they tried to switch, with the project of creating a desktop environment for MS-DOS, but the project did not success, and Topo closed on bankruptcy in 1992.
Meanwhile, Opera Soft, after publishing Gonzalezzz, Mot and Angel Nieto Pole 500, starts decaying like the rest of the companies. In their last months, they launched titles like La Colmena and one dedicated to Barcelona 92, to disappear shortly after. Some of their components, like Gonzalo Suárez, would later Pyro Studios
launching titles like Commandos
among others.
Aventuras AD, paradoxically, had their most successful period during this time of decadence, launching the most part of their titles during this time, mainly the Ci-U-Than Legends trilogy, composed by La diosa de Cozumel, Los templos sagrados and Chichén Itzá, being pioners in Spain creating a predecessor of graphic adventures with La aventura espacial, a text adventure controlled by menus. Nevertheless, the sales did not last for long, and Aventuras AD disappeared in 1992.
Zigurat and Dinamic were the only companies which survived from the Golden Era of Spanish Software, although they had to transform and abandon their previous activity. Zigurat, after 8 bit market collapsed, started devepoling arcade games, lasting for many years. Dinamic Software, on the other hand, after publishing After the War, Narco Police and Risky Woods, closed on bankruptcy and was refounded as Dinamic Multimedia
in 1993, having in Pc Futbol
their biggest during the 1990s. However, the dot-com bubble finished Dinamic Multimedia in 2001, but before this the original fundators of the company, who had left it in 1999, had already founded FX Interactive, which is still active nowadays.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
became the second 8 bit entertainment software producer in Europe, behind only the United Kingdom
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...
. The disappearance of the 8 bit technology and its replacement by the 16 bit machines marked the end of this era, during which many software companies based in Spain launched their career: Dinamic Software
Dinamic Software
Dinamic Software was a Spanish videogames producer and publisher company. It was founded in 1983, and its activity ceased in 1992, comprising the Golden Era of Spanish Software. One year later, a part of its owners founded an independent company named Dinamic Multimedia...
, Topo Soft
Topo Soft
Topo Soft was one of the Spanish software house for 8-bit home computers that emerged during the eighties. They were part of the Golden Era of Spanish Software. It disappeared due to economic problems in the nineties related with the late arrival of 16-bit computers in Spain...
, Opera Soft
Opera Soft
Opera Soft was one the most prolific Spanish computer game developers of the so-called Golden Era of Spanish Software of the 1980s. It released many games for the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and similar computers in the mid-1980s, but its games were not as popular on the PC...
, Made in Spain and Zigurat
Zigurat (company)
Zigurat was a Spanish software house for 8-bit home computers very popular in the eighties during the Golden Era of Spanish Software. Its origin is in the company Made in Spain, founded in 1983, which would know massive success in Spain with Fred, comercialized in the United Kingdom as Roland on...
among others. The name Edad de oro del soft español was coined by specialized magazines of the time and has been used to refer to these years until nowadays.
Rise (1983–1985)
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
and Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
were the most sold in the country, followed by MSX
MSX
MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
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...
among others. These were simple machines, with lesser resources, therefore easy to manipulate, so many young programmers all over the country started experimenting with them.
The Golden Era of Spanish Software officially starts with the launch of Bugaboo
Bugaboo (The Flea)
Bugaboo , originally released in Spain as La Pulga, is a computer game released in for the Sinclair Spectrum, Commodore 64 and MSX. It was the first computer game ever made in Spain. It was ported to the Amstrad CPC under the name Roland in the Caves, to exploit the CPC's recurring Roland character...
, by Indescomp, the first Spanish video game to get a massive international distribution. Shortly, Fred
Fred
Fred may refer to:People:*Fred , pen name of French comics creator Fred Othon Aristidès*Fred Tuttle , American farmer from Vermont who ran for the U.S...
(Roland in the Caves), by the same authors, this time under the company Made in Spain, was another success, and the owners of Made in Spain decided to create Zigurat
Zigurat (company)
Zigurat was a Spanish software house for 8-bit home computers very popular in the eighties during the Golden Era of Spanish Software. Its origin is in the company Made in Spain, founded in 1983, which would know massive success in Spain with Fred, comercialized in the United Kingdom as Roland on...
, a mother company that would at first be dedicated to distribution, turning Made in Spain into a producing company for Zigurat, which also would at first distribute titles from independent companies. Years later, Made in Spain and Zigurat would completely merge into a single producer and distributor company.
Meanwhile, Dinamic Software
Dinamic Software
Dinamic Software was a Spanish videogames producer and publisher company. It was founded in 1983, and its activity ceased in 1992, comprising the Golden Era of Spanish Software. One year later, a part of its owners founded an independent company named Dinamic Multimedia...
made their first steps when the launched for ZX Spectrum Yength, a text adventure. And in the field of distribution, Erbe Software, the main Spanish software distributor for more than a decade, started their activity. In their first years, Erbe tried also to produce their own titles, but in this activity they didn't last for long.
Peak (1985–1989)
In 1985, with the birth of magazines MicromaníaMicromania
Micromania is a game developer that is known for making the 1993 beat 'em up Dangerous Streets. Micromania has also developed various games for Amiga, Commodore 64 and PC platforms....
and Microhobby, videogames gained massive popularity, and the rest of the top companies of the Era, Opera Soft
Opera Soft
Opera Soft was one the most prolific Spanish computer game developers of the so-called Golden Era of Spanish Software of the 1980s. It released many games for the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and similar computers in the mid-1980s, but its games were not as popular on the PC...
in 1986 and Topo Soft
Topo Soft
Topo Soft was one of the Spanish software house for 8-bit home computers that emerged during the eighties. They were part of the Golden Era of Spanish Software. It disappeared due to economic problems in the nineties related with the late arrival of 16-bit computers in Spain...
in 1987 started their activity, the first one with Livingstone, I presume, and the second one with Spirits, after their authors programmed for Erbe Software Las tres luces de Glaurung (Conquestador).
The just born Zigurat had their biggest success on Sir Fred and El misterio del Nilo, unofficial version of the movie The Jewel of the Nile
The Jewel of the Nile
The Jewel of the Nile is a 1985 romantic adventure film, and a sequel to the 1984 film Romancing the Stone, with Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, and Danny DeVito reprising their roles...
, which caused problems internationally because one of the characters of the game was too similar to Michael Douglas
Michael Douglas
Michael Kirk Douglas is an American actor and producer, primarily in movies and television. He has won three Golden Globes and two Academy Awards; first as producer of 1975's Best Picture, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and as Best Actor in 1987 for his role in Wall Street. Douglas received the...
, and the authors were forced to change the graphic design of this character in the international versions.
Basket Master
Basket Master is the European version name of the computer basketball game Fernando Martin Basket Master developed by Dinamic during 1987. Some versions, like C64 one, were developed by Imagine...
starring Fernando Martín
Fernando Martín
Fernando Martín may refer to:*Fernando Martín Álvarez , Spanish entrepreneur, former chairman of Martinsa-Fadesa and president of Real Madrid C.F.*Fernando Martín Carreras , Spanish football player...
, and they were followed by other companies, with titles starring Ángel Nieto
Angel Nieto
Ángel Nieto Roldán born January 25, 1947 in Zamora, was a multi-time Grand Prix motorcycle roadracing World Champion. He is one of the most successful motorcycle racers of all time, with 13 Grand Prix World Championships to his name....
, Carlos Sainz
Carlos Sainz
Carlos Sainz Cenamor is a Spanish rally driver. He won the World Rally Championship drivers' title with Toyota in 1990 and 1992, and finished runner-up four times...
, Poli Díaz
Poli Díaz
Policarpo "Poli" Díaz Arevalo , better known simply as Poli Díaz is a former professional boxer. His record is 44-3. In July 1991, he fought for the lightweight world championship against Pernell Whitaker, but was defeated by American boxer in the 12th round. Before this fight, Diaz had 32 wins and...
, Emilio Butragueño
Emilio Butragueño
Emilio Butragueño Santos is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a striker.He was best known for his spell with Real Madrid...
and others.
Meanwhile, Opera Soft published Goody, Sol Negro, Cosa Nostra, and above all, La Abadía del Crimen
La Abadía del Crimen
La Abadía del Crimen is a computer video game programmed in 1987 by Paco Menéndez. The game was originally conceived as a version of Umberto Eco's book...
, based on Umberto Eco
Umberto Eco
Umberto Eco Knight Grand Cross is an Italian semiotician, essayist, philosopher, literary critic, and novelist, best known for his novel The Name of the Rose , an intellectual mystery combining semiotics in fiction, biblical analysis, medieval studies and literary theory...
's The Name of the Rose
The Name of the Rose
The Name of the Rose is the first novel by Italian author Umberto Eco. It is a historical murder mystery set in an Italian monastery in the year 1327, an intellectual mystery combining semiotics in fiction, biblical analysis, medieval studies and literary theory...
, considered one of the best titles of all the Golden Era of Spanish Software and one of the best titles ever released on 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...
. On the other hand, Topo Soft, the last of the big ones, quickly arrived on top with titles like Mad Mix Game and its continuation, and Survivor among others.
Meanwhile, Dinamic published a text adventure version of Don Quijote, and after that, a section of Dinamic dedicated only to text adventures became independent, and they named themselves Aventuras AD
Aventuras AD
Aventuras AD was a videogame Spanish producer, one of the most popular in Spain during the Golden Era of Spanish Software in the eighties, specialized in text adventure games. It was created as a seal split from Dinamic Software in 1987...
, publishing titles like El Jabato
El Jabato
El Jabato is the hero of a series of Spanish comic books, created in 1958 by the writer Víctor Mora and illustrated mainly by Francisco Darnís...
among others.
Decadence (1989–1992)
At the end of the 1980s, there arrived new 16 bit machines, Commodore Amiga, Atari STAtari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
, and little by little, IBM PC
IBM PC
The IBM Personal Computer, commonly known as the IBM PC, is the original version and progenitor of the IBM PC compatible hardware platform. It is IBM model number 5150, and was introduced on August 12, 1981...
, followed by consoles like NES
Nes
-Localities:In Norway:* Nes, Akershus, a municipality in the county of Akershus in Norway* Nes, Buskerud, a municipality in the county of Buskerud in Norway* Nes, Hedmark, a former municipality in the county of Hedmark in Norway...
and Sega Mega Drive
Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
, and although the Spanish companies did some tiny efforts to evolve, they never really switched to 16 bits, and stayed concentrated on the decadent 8 bit market which, almost extinguished in Europe, still had strength in Spain, mainly thanks to the rule Erbe Software, main distributor in the country, imposed to sale all their titles to 875 peseta
Spanish peseta
The peseta was the currency of Spain between 1869 and 2002. Along with the French franc, it was also a de facto currency used in Andorra .- Etymology :...
s (5,26 euros), trying to kill piracy.
AnimagiC
The AnimagiC is a German annual anime convention and one of the largest of its kind in the German-speaking world with currently about 12,000 visitors.-History:...
, whose main title was Mortadelo y Filemon II (Clever and Smart II). Born in bad times, they did not last for long. On the other hand, Topo Soft launched Lorna, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and above all, Gremlins 2, being the first time a Spanish video game company managed to get an exclusive license for all Europe from a Hollywood movie. In 1991, aware of the importance of 16 bit, they tried to switch, with the project of creating a desktop environment for MS-DOS, but the project did not success, and Topo closed on bankruptcy in 1992.
Meanwhile, Opera Soft, after publishing Gonzalezzz, Mot and Angel Nieto Pole 500, starts decaying like the rest of the companies. In their last months, they launched titles like La Colmena and one dedicated to Barcelona 92, to disappear shortly after. Some of their components, like Gonzalo Suárez, would later Pyro Studios
Pyro Studios
Pyro Studios is a video game developer based in Madrid , that was founded in 1996 with the purpose of developing quality video games. A consequence of this commitment was the development of Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines, which was released in 1998...
launching titles like Commandos
Commandos
Commandos is a stealth-oriented real-time tactics game series, available for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. The game is set in the Second World War and follows the escapades of a fictional British Commandos section. It leans heavily on historical events during WWII to carry the plot...
among others.
Aventuras AD, paradoxically, had their most successful period during this time of decadence, launching the most part of their titles during this time, mainly the Ci-U-Than Legends trilogy, composed by La diosa de Cozumel, Los templos sagrados and Chichén Itzá, being pioners in Spain creating a predecessor of graphic adventures with La aventura espacial, a text adventure controlled by menus. Nevertheless, the sales did not last for long, and Aventuras AD disappeared in 1992.
Zigurat and Dinamic were the only companies which survived from the Golden Era of Spanish Software, although they had to transform and abandon their previous activity. Zigurat, after 8 bit market collapsed, started devepoling arcade games, lasting for many years. Dinamic Software, on the other hand, after publishing After the War, Narco Police and Risky Woods, closed on bankruptcy and was refounded as Dinamic Multimedia
Dinamic Multimedia
Dinamic Multimedia was a Spanish software house and publisher created in 1993 which was created after the bankruptcy of Dinamic Software in 1992 by some of its former members. After having released several titles, they filed for bankruptcy in September 2001....
in 1993, having in Pc Futbol
PC Fútbol
PC Fútbol was a series of football management simulation games developed by Spanish developers Dinamic Multimedia. It was one of the big successes in the Spanish PC market, spawning several titles from 1992 until the studio's closure in 2001...
their biggest during the 1990s. However, the dot-com bubble finished Dinamic Multimedia in 2001, but before this the original fundators of the company, who had left it in 1999, had already founded FX Interactive, which is still active nowadays.
External links
- Fernando Rodríguez, «Años 1984/1991. La época dorada del soft español», en Historia del software español de entretenimiento
- imsai8080, «La edad de oro del soft español», en El palacio de silicio
- jaimixx, «La edad de oro del software español I: Dinamic», en www.geekets.com, 5 de agosto de 2008. [Consultado el 5 de marzo de 2010]. Serie que continúa en II: Opera Soft, III: Topo soft, IV: Zigurat y V: Aventuras AD.
- Compañías de videojuegos
- Recopilación y reviews de videojuegos españoles de la «Edad de oro del software español»
- Bugaboo, un hito en la historia del software español»