Imagineering (software company)
Encyclopedia
Imagineering, based in Glen Rock
, New Jersey
, was the in-house studio of Absolute Entertainment
. Many notable video games developed for Absolute include A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia, Battle Tank
, Super Battletank
and The Rescue of Princess Blobette. They are also best known for their video games developed for third-party publishers
, such as Acclaim Entertainment
, Hi Tech Expressions
and T*HQ
.
In every game Imagineering had produced for outside publishers, the following message always appears in the title screen and in the instruction booklet: "Developed by Imagineering Inc., Glen Rock N.J.". This blatant advertising practice of displaying their hometown in their games is considered a very rare practice among game developers
and is probably why this town become famous among video gamers. However, they were not credited in Absolute's video games.
Imagineering was in existence from 1986 to 1995. The last games developed by Imagineering were Home Improvement
and Penn & Teller's Smoke and Mirrors
.
Glen Rock, New Jersey
Glen Rock is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 11,601.-History:...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, was the in-house studio of Absolute Entertainment
Absolute Entertainment
Absolute Entertainment was a video game publisher based in Glen Rock, New Jersey and later in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. Through its development house Imagineering, Absolute Entertainment produced titles for the Amiga, Atari 2600, Atari 7800, Sega Game Gear, Sega Mega Drive, Mega-CD, Game Boy,...
. Many notable video games developed for Absolute include A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia, Battle Tank
Battle Tank
Battle Tank is an action video game released by Absolute Entertainment in September 1990 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The game is similar to the Atari game Battlezone, and supports one player...
, Super Battletank
Super Battletank
Super Battletank takes place during Operation Desert Storm. The player controls an M1 Abrams main battle tank for the United Nations.-Graphics:The screen is divided into two sections...
and The Rescue of Princess Blobette. They are also best known for their video games developed for third-party publishers
Video game publisher
A video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer....
, such as Acclaim Entertainment
Acclaim Entertainment
Acclaim Entertainment was an American video game developer and publisher. It developed, published, marketed and distributed interactive entertainment software for a variety of hardware platforms, including Sega's Mega Drive/Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, and Game Gear, Nintendo's NES, SNES, Nintendo...
, Hi Tech Expressions
Hi Tech Expressions
Hi Tech Expressions was an American console game company headquartered in Lower Manhattan, New York City.Hi Tech existed during the early 1990s. During the course of its existence, the company made primarily juvenile-oriented games for young boys and girls...
and T*HQ
THQ
THQ Inc. is an American developer and publisher of video games. Founded in 1989 in the United States, the company develops products for video game consoles, handheld game systems, as well as for personal computers and wireless devices...
.
In every game Imagineering had produced for outside publishers, the following message always appears in the title screen and in the instruction booklet: "Developed by Imagineering Inc., Glen Rock N.J.". This blatant advertising practice of displaying their hometown in their games is considered a very rare practice among game developers
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
and is probably why this town become famous among video gamers. However, they were not credited in Absolute's video games.
Imagineering was in existence from 1986 to 1995. The last games developed by Imagineering were Home Improvement
Home Improvement (video game)
Home Improvement: Power Tool Pursuit! is an action/platforming video game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System very loosely based on the hit sitcom Home Improvement. A version for the Sega Genesis was made but was never released...
and Penn & Teller's Smoke and Mirrors
Penn & Teller's Smoke and Mirrors
Penn & Teller's Smoke and Mirrors is an unreleased video game that was planned for release initially on the Sega CD in April 1995 and to be followed by PC and 3DO versions later that year. The game starred the comedy-magician duo Penn & Teller...
.
1988
- Commando (Atari 2600Atari 2600The 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...
) - CrossbowCrossbow (video game)Crossbow is a video arcade game released by Exidy in 1983. It was later published by Absolute Entertainment for the Commodore 64, DOS and by Atari for the 2600, 7800 and XE Game System starting in 1987.-Description:...
(Commodore 64Commodore 64The 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...
) - Double Dragon (Atari 2600, Atari 7800Atari 7800The Atari 7800 ProSystem, or simply the Atari 7800, is a video game console re-released by Atari Corporation in January 1986. The original release had occurred two years earlier under Atari Inc. The 7800 had originally been designed to replace Atari Inc.'s Atari 5200 in 1984, but was temporarily...
)
1990
- Destination EarthstarDestination EarthstarDestination Earthstar is a futuristic, first person, space shooter game for the Nintendo Entertainment System.-Summary:The view of the game is from the cockpit of a spacecraft....
(NESNintendo Entertainment SystemThe Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
) - Ghostbusters II (NES)
1991
- Attack of the Killer TomatoesAttack of the Killer Tomatoes (1991 video game)Attack of the Killer Tomatoes is a 2D platform video game developed by Imagineering and released in 1991 for the NES. It was later ported to the Game Boy in 1992. The Game Boy version was the only version released in Japan, where it was published by Altron in 1993, though the name was shortened to...
(NES) - The Simpsons: Bart vs. the Space MutantsThe Simpsons: Bart vs. the Space MutantsThe Simpsons: Bart vs. the Space Mutants is the title of the first video game based on the animated television series The Simpsons. It was released in 1991 for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Master System, Atari ST, Amiga, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, and Amstrad CPC, and in 1992 for Mega...
(NES) - The Simpsons: Bart vs. the WorldThe Simpsons: Bart vs. the WorldThe Simpsons: Bart vs. the World is a side-scrolling platform game based on the Simpsons franchise and features many aspects from the television series. It was released in 1991 for the Nintendo Entertainment System, and then in 1993 for Amiga, Atari ST, Game Gear, and Sega Master System...
(NES) - Bart Simpson's Escape from Camp DeadlyBart Simpson's Escape from Camp DeadlyBart Simpson's Escape from Camp Deadly is a 2D platform game for the Game Boy hand-held gaming console. Developed by Imagineering, it was published by Acclaim in North America in 1991. The game was released in Europe in 1992 and Japan in 1993...
(Game BoyGame BoyThe , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
) - Family Feud (NES)
- Flight of the IntruderFlight of the Intruder (video game)Flight of the Intruder is a 1990 flight simulator developed by Rowan Software and published by Spectrum Holobyte for the PC , Commodore Amiga and Atari ST. It was ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1991 with Imagineering as the developer and Mindscape as the publisher...
(NES) - Jeopardy! Featuring Alex Trebek (NES)
1992
- The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle and Friends (NES, Game Boy, Sega Genesis, SNESSuper Nintendo Entertainment SystemThe 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...
) - Bartman Meets Radioactive ManBartman Meets Radioactive ManThe Simpsons: Bartman Meets Radioactive Man is a platform game published by Acclaim in 1992 for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Game Gear. Developed by Imagineering, the side-scrolling game features Bart Simpson on a comic book quest to rescue his kidnapped idol, superhero Radioactive Man...
(NES) - Swamp ThingSwamp Thing (video game)Swamp Thing is a platform video game for the NES and Game Boy. Based on the animated series of the same name, it was published by THQ and released December 1992....
(NES, Game Boy)
External links
- Imagineering profile on MobyGamesMobyGames-Platforms not yet included:- Further reading :* Rusel DeMaria, Johnny L. Wilson, High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media; 2 edition , ISBN 0-07-223172-6...
- Imagineering profile on GameFAQsGameFAQsGameFAQs is a website that hosts FAQs and walkthroughs for video games. It was created in November 1995 by Jeff "CJayC" Veasey and was bought by CNET Networks in May 2003. It is currently owned by CBS Interactive. The site has a database of video game information, cheat codes, reviews, game saves,...