Max Design
Encyclopedia
Max Design was an Austrian game developer
located in Schladming
who originated various games which attained cult status – like the Anno-series – especially in German-speaking regions. In 2004 the company abandoned its activities while selling all property including all of their game title licence-rights to Sunflowers
– one of the companies they co-developed and -published with before on Anno 1503
and Anno 1602
.
After the closing in 2004 the founders took a leave of absence and are since 2006 again with the new but legal and commercial completely unrelated company Red Monkeys active in the video game sector.
The company became well known for its challenging Business simulation games, which has to this day a great fan base and greatly influenced the imagination of the “typical German WiSim” (WiSim, , for economic simulation) back in the nineties as a discrete game genre with its game series of “History Experience” (German title „Erlebte Geschichte Teil I“ for 'experienced history part I') or “Patrician” (German title „Der Patrizier“). Its game titles was besides a highly playful demand greatly affected by a remarkable faithfulness of reality in depiction of the simulated historical era.
Max Design was famous for its extensive game instructions and handbooks – which, in the opinion of many gamers truly deserved the name Handbook – with background informations for the underlying topic of the game. Thusly, for example belongs several articles on climate change and background informations to the game Burntime while the customer of Oldtimer (English Version: Motor City) could enjoy impressive large-scale in-game animation sequences with atmospherical background images and clips while listening to a 90 minutes [sic!] lasting soundtrack. Also included was a 150-page Hardcover
handbook with comprehensive background material in which the history of the early automobile industry with articles and voluminous graphical material was diligent prepared. Furthermore, the PC-Version was additionally shipped with a electronic automobile encyclopædia on CD with image and movie-material from the period of promoterism. This was 1992 – where the CD wasn't as nearly as widespread as today.
1869
got a historical digest of the imperialism from 1854 to 1880 as well as a encyclopædia of seamanlike terminology.
The from Max Design developed and initiated while later conjointly with Sunflowers Interactive Entertainment Software
released game 1602 (English Version: 1602 A.D.) marked even in two ways an edge. On the one hand it became with about two million copies the by then most successful German/Austrian computer game at all. It laid the foundation for the Anno-series. Along with the sequel titles there was sold about 4.2 million copies as of April 2006. On the other hand Sunflowers secured itself the first shares of Max Design within the cooperation. Otherwise, the continuing shift of balance of power between those two companies heading at Sunflowers was a lot discussed within the fan community with the appearance of Anno 1503.
At last, after twelve years Max Design officially get off the game sector on April 15th, 2004. As per press release this is a matter of an adjustment phase which duration is uncertainly. All employees except the founding members were laid off. In the same year the company fully ceased all its activities. The Anno-series was continued – while under its control – by Sunflowers in cooperation with Related Designs
.
In an interview, one of the company's founder later declared, after twelve years of developement the core team was “tired” and needed some time for a re-orientation.
With Petko Max Design tried in the middle of the nineties to place an adventure. A playable demo was still released but the game has never gone gold.
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...
located in Schladming
Schladming
Schladming is a small mining town in the Austrian state of Styria, that is now very popular with tourists. It has become a large ski resort and has held various skiing competitions recently. The shopping area has lots of cafes, restaurant and a variety of shops and caters well for tourists.As of...
who originated various games which attained cult status – like the Anno-series – especially in German-speaking regions. In 2004 the company abandoned its activities while selling all property including all of their game title licence-rights to Sunflowers
Sunflowers Interactive Entertainment Software
Sunflowers Interactive Entertainment Software GmbH was a German company that developed and published computer games. Sunflowers was based in Heusenstamm and was founded in 1993 by Adi Boiko, president of the company, and Wilhelm Hamrozi, CEO of the company...
– one of the companies they co-developed and -published with before on Anno 1503
Anno 1503
Anno 1503: The New World is a game with both real time strategy and city building elements, developed by Austria-based Max Design company. It revolves around building and maintaining a 16th century colony in the New World...
and Anno 1602
Anno 1602
Anno 1602: Creation of a New World is a game with both real time strategy and city building elements, developed by Austria-based Max Design company....
.
After the closing in 2004 the founders took a leave of absence and are since 2006 again with the new but legal and commercial completely unrelated company Red Monkeys active in the video game sector.
Company History
Max Design was founded in 1991 by the brothers Albert Lasser and Martin Lasser together with Wilfried Reiter.The company became well known for its challenging Business simulation games, which has to this day a great fan base and greatly influenced the imagination of the “typical German WiSim” (WiSim, , for economic simulation) back in the nineties as a discrete game genre with its game series of “History Experience” (German title „Erlebte Geschichte Teil I“ for 'experienced history part I') or “Patrician” (German title „Der Patrizier“). Its game titles was besides a highly playful demand greatly affected by a remarkable faithfulness of reality in depiction of the simulated historical era.
Max Design was famous for its extensive game instructions and handbooks – which, in the opinion of many gamers truly deserved the name Handbook – with background informations for the underlying topic of the game. Thusly, for example belongs several articles on climate change and background informations to the game Burntime while the customer of Oldtimer (English Version: Motor City) could enjoy impressive large-scale in-game animation sequences with atmospherical background images and clips while listening to a 90 minutes [sic!] lasting soundtrack. Also included was a 150-page Hardcover
Hardcover
A hardcover, hardback or hardbound is a book bound with rigid protective covers...
handbook with comprehensive background material in which the history of the early automobile industry with articles and voluminous graphical material was diligent prepared. Furthermore, the PC-Version was additionally shipped with a electronic automobile encyclopædia on CD with image and movie-material from the period of promoterism. This was 1992 – where the CD wasn't as nearly as widespread as today.
1869
1869 (video game)
1869 is a strategy and economics trading game developed and released by the Austrian company Max Design in 1992.-Gameplay:The game is played by managing a trading company during the golden age of clipper ships, purchasing goods at one port, moving them to another and selling them at a...
got a historical digest of the imperialism from 1854 to 1880 as well as a encyclopædia of seamanlike terminology.
The from Max Design developed and initiated while later conjointly with Sunflowers Interactive Entertainment Software
Sunflowers Interactive Entertainment Software
Sunflowers Interactive Entertainment Software GmbH was a German company that developed and published computer games. Sunflowers was based in Heusenstamm and was founded in 1993 by Adi Boiko, president of the company, and Wilhelm Hamrozi, CEO of the company...
released game 1602 (English Version: 1602 A.D.) marked even in two ways an edge. On the one hand it became with about two million copies the by then most successful German/Austrian computer game at all. It laid the foundation for the Anno-series. Along with the sequel titles there was sold about 4.2 million copies as of April 2006. On the other hand Sunflowers secured itself the first shares of Max Design within the cooperation. Otherwise, the continuing shift of balance of power between those two companies heading at Sunflowers was a lot discussed within the fan community with the appearance of Anno 1503.
At last, after twelve years Max Design officially get off the game sector on April 15th, 2004. As per press release this is a matter of an adjustment phase which duration is uncertainly. All employees except the founding members were laid off. In the same year the company fully ceased all its activities. The Anno-series was continued – while under its control – by Sunflowers in cooperation with Related Designs
Related Designs
Related Designs is a German games development studio focused on strategy games for the PC. Ubisoft owns a 30% stake in the company after acquiring Sunflowers, the previous stakeholder, in 2007.-Developed games:*America - 2000*America Add On - 2001...
.
In an interview, one of the company's founder later declared, after twelve years of developement the core team was “tired” and needed some time for a re-orientation.
List of developed or released games
- Think Cross (1991) - (Atari ST/EAtari STThe 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...
, Commodore C64/128Commodore 128The Commodore 128 home/personal computer was the last 8-bit machine commercially released by Commodore Business Machines...
) – Puzzle - Cash (1991) - (Amiga ECS/OCS) – Business simulation game
- Osiris (1992) - (DOS) – Puzzle
- Hunt The Fonts (1992) - Puzzle
- 1869 - Hart am Wind!1869 (video game)1869 is a strategy and economics trading game developed and released by the Austrian company Max Design in 1992.-Gameplay:The game is played by managing a trading company during the golden age of clipper ships, purchasing goods at one port, moving them to another and selling them at a...
(1992) - Business simulation game- also known as 1869: Erlebte Geschichte Teil I
- English name: 1869: History Experience Part I
- BurntimeBurntimeBurntime is a strategy/RPG game for DOS and Amiga produced by Max Design in 1993. The game is set in a post-apocalyptic future, based on the three stages of every civilized society – its ascent, heyday and downfall. Burntime starts at the end of a flourishing civilization...
(1993) - (AmigaAmigaThe 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...
, DOSDOSDOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
) – Strategy game - Der Clou!The Clue!The Clue! is a remake of the 1986 game They Stole a Million. It would form a two game series, with a sequel following in 2001, under the guise of The Sting! or Der Clou 2!....
(1994) – (Amiga ECS/OCS, AGA, CD³²Amiga CD32The Amiga CD32, styled "CD32" , was the first 32-bit CD-ROM based video game console released in western Europe, Australia, Canada and Brazil. It was first announced at the Science Museum in London, United Kingdom on 16 July 1993, and was released in September of the same year...
) – AdventureAdventure gameAn adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
- English name The Clue
- Oldtimer (1994/95) - (Amiga ECS/OCS, AGA, DOS) – Business simulation game
- also known as Oldtimer: Erlebte Geschichte Teil II
- English name Motor City
- Clearing House (1995) - Stock market simulation game
- Strike Base (1996) - Space-Action
- Anno 1602Anno 1602Anno 1602: Creation of a New World is a game with both real time strategy and city building elements, developed by Austria-based Max Design company....
(1998) - (Windows) – Business simulation game/Strategy- (Developer/Publisher: Sunflowers Interactive Entertainment SoftwareSunflowers Interactive Entertainment SoftwareSunflowers Interactive Entertainment Software GmbH was a German company that developed and published computer games. Sunflowers was based in Heusenstamm and was founded in 1993 by Adi Boiko, president of the company, and Wilhelm Hamrozi, CEO of the company...
)
- (Developer/Publisher: Sunflowers Interactive Entertainment Software
- Anno 1503Anno 1503Anno 1503: The New World is a game with both real time strategy and city building elements, developed by Austria-based Max Design company. It revolves around building and maintaining a 16th century colony in the New World...
(2002) - (Windows) – Business simulation game/Strategy- (Developer/Publisher: Max Design/Sunflowers)
Other
For the game's music of 1869 and Burntime was Hannes Seifert responsible, one of the later founders and CEO's of neo Software, who also made the music on several other games at this time. For his success Der Clou! Max Design also acted as the Publisher.With Petko Max Design tried in the middle of the nineties to place an adventure. A playable demo was still released but the game has never gone gold.
Literatur
- Max Design In: Winnie Forster: Lexikon der Computer- und Videospielmacher. Erste Auflage, S. 200. ISBN 978-3-00-021584-1.