Quicksilver Software

Quicksilver Software is an American privately owned software and video game development company headquartered in Irvine, California. Founded on May 1, 1984, by former Mattel Electronics programmers Bill Fisher, Stephen Roney, and Mike Breen, the company began during the formative period of the home-computer game industry. Its early business was strongly shaped by publisher and arcade-company relationships, particularly with Data East USA. Through that relationship, Quicksilver produced approximately 28 titles for platforms including the Apple II, Commodore 64, IBM PC, Macintosh, and Atari ST. Much of this work involved home-computer adaptations of established arcade properties, including Karnov, Ikari Warriors, and Heavy Barrel. The company expanded beyond conversion work after its development of Heavy Barrel attracted the attention of Interplay Productions. Interplay commissioned Quicksilver to create Castles, a strategy title that became one of Interplay's early independently published products and reportedly sold more than 400,000 copies. Quicksilver subsequently developed Castles II, Conquest of the New World, and Star Trek: Starfleet Command. Conquest of the New World reportedly exceeded 500,000 copies sold, while Starfleet Command sold more than 300,000 copies and led to several related games. These projects established Quicksilver as a developer with experience in strategy, simulation, licensed entertainment, and technically demanding personal-computer software. Quicksilver also maintained a substantial relationship with Activision. Its work included research and development on digital video display technology that was used in Return to Zork, several entries in Activision's Shanghai tile-based solitaire series, and ports of titles such as Zork: Nemesis, Spycraft: The Great Game, and Muppet Treasure Island. Alongside commercial games, the studio developed educational and cultural products. Its Math At Work series addressed mathematics instruction, while Heritage: Civilization and the Jews used interactive DVD-ROM technology to present material associated with the WNET television series. Quicksilver developed the underlying software and technology for Heritage, while a separate New York-based team produced much of the content. From 2001 onward, the company broadened its work into military and institutional training. For the United States Army and the Singapore Armed Forces, it created Full Spectrum Command and Full Spectrum Leader, products intended to support cognitive training for company commanders and platoon leaders. It also developed Master of Orion III, online financial-education games based on the CASHFLOW 101 and CASHFLOW 202 board games, and later training applications involving missile-battery deployment, logistics, counter-terrorism, and related subjects. Several military projects were developed with the Army-funded USC Institute for Creative Technologies, including the award-winning Distribution Management Cognitive Training Initiative. Beginning in 2004, Quicksilver entered mobile and handheld development. Its mobile work included AMF Xtreme Bowling, and its later licensed projects included Star Trek: Tactical Assault for Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable and Star Trek: Conquest for PlayStation 2 and Wii. The company also continued producing educational and interactive entertainment products, including Type to Learn 4 for Sunburst and The Real Deal, an interactive poker game show installed at the Venetian Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas in 2008. In the 2010s, Quicksilver applied its software and interface expertise outside conventional games. It worked with the restaurant company STACKED on an iPad ordering interface, a consumer application, and an online ordering website. For the Naval Postgraduate School, in collaboration with the USC Institute for Creative Technologies, it developed web-based classroom games dealing with subjects such as counter-terrorism and deployed associated client and server systems through Amazon's cloud infrastructure. Quicksilver also created LongBox, a digital-comics and image-media delivery system. Although the LongBox service did not secure enough content to become a large standalone business, parts of its underlying intellectual property were sold in 2014 for adaptation into later products. The company's documented profile is therefore that of a flexible independent developer combining commercial game production with simulation, education, training, interface design, and research-oriented software development.

Quicksilver Software was established in Irvine, California, on May 1, 1984, by Bill Fisher, Stephen Roney, and Mike Breen, three programmers who had previously worked for Mattel Electronics. The studio entered the market when home computers were becoming an important distribution platform for games. Its early partnership with Data East USA generated a large body of conversion work, with roughly 28 titles released for systems such as the Apple II, Commodore 64, IBM PC, Macintosh, and Atari ST. The portfolio included adaptations of Data East arcade games including Karnov, Ikari Warriors, and Heavy Barrel. Heavy Barrel helped Quicksilver secure a relationship with Interplay Productions. Interplay commissioned the company to develop Castles for IBM-compatible PCs. The game became one of Interplay's early independently published products and reportedly sold over 400,000 copies. Quicksilver followed it with Castles II and Conquest of the New World, the latter reportedly exceeding 500,000 sales. The studio also developed Star Trek: Starfleet Command, which reportedly sold more than 300,000 copies and generated several sequels. These releases made strategy and simulation central parts of the company's commercial identity. A parallel relationship with Activision expanded Quicksilver's technical and portfolio range. The company worked on digital video display research used in Return to Zork, developed four games in the Shanghai series, and ported Zork: Nemesis, Spycraft: The Great Game, and Muppet Treasure Island to additional platforms and formats. Quicksilver also undertook educational and cultural development. The Math At Work products addressed mathematics education, while Heritage: Civilization and the Jews used interactive DVD-ROM technology to turn a television documentary subject into a large multimedia experience. Quicksilver built the underlying technology for Heritage, with content supplied by a New York-based production team. Between 2001 and 2005, Quicksilver worked on military-training products for the United States Army and the Singapore Armed Forces. Full Spectrum Command and Full Spectrum Leader were designed to develop decision-making and cognitive skills for military leaders. During this period, the company also created Master of Orion III and online financial-education games based on the CASHFLOW 101 and CASHFLOW 202 board games. Master of Orion III subsequently became associated with criticism over its polish and difficulty, but it remains an important part of the studio's commercial history. The company moved into mobile and handheld games in 2004. AMF Xtreme Bowling was its best-known mobile title, published by Vir2L Studios. Quicksilver later returned to the Star Trek license with Star Trek: Tactical Assault for Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable and Star Trek: Conquest for PlayStation 2 and Wii, both published by Bethesda Softworks. From 2006 to 2008, the studio continued military training development, including a Patriot missile battery deployment trainer and the logistics trainer Distribution Management Cognitive Training Initiative. These projects were developed in conjunction with the USC Institute for Creative Technologies and included an award-winning logistics-training application. Quicksilver's 2008 work also included Type to Learn 4 for Sunburst and The Real Deal, an interactive poker game show installed at the Venetian in Las Vegas. In 2010, the company began collaborating with STACKED on restaurant technology, creating an iPad ordering interface, a consumer app, and an online ordering website. It also worked with the Naval Postgraduate School and the USC Institute for Creative Technologies on web-based classroom games covering subjects including counter-terrorism, with both client and server systems deployed in the Amazon cloud. Another strand of the company's later work was LongBox, a proprietary system for delivering digital comics and other image-based media. The service did not attract enough content to sustain its original model, but elements of its intellectual property were transferred in 2014 to a new organization for further adaptation. Across its history, Quicksilver has remained a privately owned developer whose work spans games, education, military simulation, institutional training, mobile software, and custom interactive systems.

• 2014

  Transfer of LongBox technology

  [1]Quicksilver Softwareen.wikipedia.org

  Key LongBox intellectual-property components were sold for adaptation by a new organization.

• 2010

  STACKED technology collaboration

  [1]Quicksilver Softwareen.wikipedia.org

  Quicksilver began developing restaurant-interface and online-ordering technology for STACKED.

• 2008

  Educational and location-based interactive releases

  [1]Quicksilver Softwareen.wikipedia.org

  The company released Type to Learn 4 and installed The Real Deal interactive poker game show at the Venetian in Las Vegas.

• 2004

  Entry into mobile and handheld games

  [1]Quicksilver Softwareen.wikipedia.org

  Quicksilver diversified into mobile-phone and handheld-game development, including AMF Xtreme Bowling.

• 2001

  Military training program begins

  [1]Quicksilver Softwareen.wikipedia.org

  The company began developing military cognitive-training products for the United States Army and Singapore Armed Forces.

• 1996

  Conquest of the New World

  [1]Quicksilver Softwareen.wikipedia.org

  Quicksilver developed Conquest of the New World, which reportedly sold more than 500,000 copies.

• 1989

  Castles developed for Interplay

  [1]Quicksilver Softwareen.wikipedia.org

  Quicksilver developed Castles for Interplay, a strategy game that reportedly sold more than 400,000 copies.

• 1984

  Company founded

  [1]Quicksilver Softwareen.wikipedia.org

  Bill Fisher, Stephen Roney, and Mike Breen founded Quicksilver Software in Irvine, California, after working at Mattel Electronics.

• 1980

  Data East development relationship

  [1]Quicksilver Softwareen.wikipedia.org

  Quicksilver produced approximately 28 home-computer games for Data East USA, including adaptations of Karnov, Ikari Warriors, and Heavy Barrel.

An independent, technically oriented developer that combines commercial video-game production with educational, military-training, simulation, and custom interactive-technology projects.

• Strategy video game

  Castles

  A medieval strategy game developed for Interplay Productions and released for IBM-compatible PCs. Castles combined territorial management, construction, and military decision-making. It became an important early commercial success for both Quicksilver and Interplay's independent publishing operation, with reported sales exceeding 400,000 copies.

• Historical strategy video game

  Conquest of the New World

  A strategy title centered on exploration, settlement, diplomacy, and competition in the New World. The game extended Quicksilver's strength in large-scale strategy design and reportedly sold more than 500,000 copies, making it one of the company's most commercially successful original projects.

• Science-fiction strategy and simulation game

  Star Trek: Starfleet Command

  A Star Trek strategy and tactical simulation developed by Quicksilver. The title reportedly sold more than 300,000 copies and was followed by several related games, establishing a durable connection between the studio and the Star Trek license.

• Military training software

  Full Spectrum Command

  A cognitive-training product created for military users, with an emphasis on command decisions at the company level. It was part of Quicksilver's broader work for the United States Army and Singapore Armed Forces during the early 2000s.

• Military training software

  Full Spectrum Leader

  A military leadership-training product designed for platoon-level decision-making and cognitive development. It formed part of Quicksilver's defense-training portfolio developed during the 2001–2005 period.

• Educational interactive DVD-ROM

  Heritage: Civilization and the Jews

  A large interactive DVD-ROM project based on the WNET television series about Jewish civilization and history. Quicksilver developed the underlying technology, while a New York-based team created the principal content and assets.

• Handheld licensed video game · 2005

  Star Trek: Tactical Assault

  A Star Trek game developed for Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable and published by Bethesda Softworks. It extended Quicksilver's work in licensed science-fiction games to handheld platforms.

• Console strategy video game · 2005

  Star Trek: Conquest

  A Star Trek strategy title developed for PlayStation 2 and Wii and published by Bethesda Softworks. The project continued Quicksilver's involvement with the Star Trek property after Starfleet Command and Tactical Assault.

• Digital-comics delivery platform

  LongBox

  A proprietary system intended to deliver digital comic books and other image-based media. The service did not attract sufficient content for its original business model, although components of its technology were later transferred for adaptation.

• 2014

  Transfer of LongBox intellectual propertyM&A

  Background

  The LongBox digital-comics system did not attract enough content to support its original service model.

  Action taken

  Quicksilver sold key components of the LongBox intellectual property to a new organization for adaptation into a later product series.

  Aftermath

  The original LongBox initiative did not continue in its initial form, but elements of its technology were retained for subsequent development.

  Source

• 2010

  Expansion into restaurant and custom interactive technologyStrategy

  Background

  Quicksilver sought to apply its interface, client-server, and interactive-media capabilities outside conventional game publishing.

  Action taken

  It collaborated with STACKED on an iPad restaurant interface, a consumer application, and an online ordering website.

  Aftermath

  The collaboration became an example of Quicksilver's custom software and user-interface work beyond entertainment products.

  Source

• 2004

  Diversification into mobile and handheld developmentStrategy

  Background

  Quicksilver had primarily been known for computer games, console projects, educational software, and military training systems.

  Action taken

  The company expanded into mobile-phone and handheld games, including AMF Xtreme Bowling and later Star Trek titles for Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable.

  Aftermath

  The move broadened the company's platform coverage and added mobile and portable licensed-game work to its development portfolio.

  Source

1. 1Quicksilver Softwareen.wikipedia.org