Sirius Software

Sirius Software was an early American personal-computer software company and video-game publisher founded in California in 1980 by Jerry Jewell and Terry Bradley. It became associated with the rapid growth of the Apple II software market and built most of its catalog for Apple’s computer, later adapting or publishing games for Atari 8-bit computers, the Commodore 64, and the VIC-20. The company also developed games for the Atari 2600; those titles were published in 1982 and 1983 by 20th Century Fox Video Games. The company’s rise was unusually fast. Sirius combined Jewell’s sales and marketing abilities with software from programmers including Nasir Gebelli, whose technical work helped establish the company’s reputation among Apple II users. Gebelli’s Gorgon, an Apple II action game influenced by the arcade game Defender, was a major early success. By June 1982, Gorgon had reportedly sold about 23,000 copies, making it one of the period’s strongest-selling computer games. Sirius expanded its catalog and marketed more than 160 computer games, other software products, and hardware devices worldwide. Sirius was not limited to arcade-style action games. It also published graphical adventure software intended to compete with Sierra On-Line, although that part of the catalog did not achieve comparable success. The company’s business remained closely tied to the relatively young microcomputer-software industry, with the Apple II as its principal platform and other home computers serving as secondary markets. The company’s expansion proved difficult to sustain. Its Atari 2600 relationship with 20th Century Fox Video Games became financially damaging when Fox failed to pay royalties reportedly exceeding $18 million. The unpaid amounts contributed directly to Sirius Software’s collapse. By early 1984, InfoWorld had described Sirius as the world’s fifteenth-largest microcomputer-software company, citing approximately $11 million in sales during 1983; nevertheless, the company folded later in 1984. Sirius is remembered as an important short-lived publisher from the formative era of commercial computer games, both for its rapid growth and for the role its releases played in establishing Apple II game development as a viable business.

Sirius Software emerged in 1980 during the formative commercial period of the personal-computer industry. Founded in California by Jerry Jewell and Terry Bradley, the company concentrated on software for the Apple II, then one of the most important platforms for independent computer programmers and publishers. Jewell was associated with the company’s sales and marketing activity, while Sirius relied on programmers whose technical experimentation helped distinguish its releases from the growing number of small software businesses. Nasir Gebelli was particularly important to the company’s early identity. His Apple II games demonstrated that technically sophisticated action software could be produced for a home computer that was far less powerful than arcade hardware. Gorgon, his best-known Sirius title, adapted the basic appeal of Defender-style arcade action to the Apple II. The game’s reported sales of approximately 23,000 copies by June 1982 made it one of the leading computer-game successes of the period and helped turn Sirius into a multimillion-dollar operation in a short time. Sirius expanded beyond its principal platform. Most of its games were first created for the Apple II and then ported to Atari 8-bit computers, the Commodore 64, and the VIC-20. The company also developed Atari 2600 games that were released by 20th Century Fox Video Games in 1982 and 1983. In addition to action games, Sirius published graphical adventure titles intended to challenge the position of Sierra On-Line. Those adventure products were less successful, but they reflected the company’s attempt to broaden its audience and compete across several software categories. At its peak, Sirius designed and marketed more than 160 computer games, software products, and hardware devices for customers in international markets. Its rapid growth attracted contemporary industry attention. An early-1984 InfoWorld assessment placed Sirius among the largest microcomputer-software companies in the world, ranking it fifteenth and reporting approximately $11 million in sales for 1983. Jewell’s role in the early personal-computer business was also documented in Steven Levy’s book Hackers, and the Smithsonian later produced a living-history video concerning his participation in the industry’s development. The company’s commercial expansion was undermined by its relationship with 20th Century Fox Video Games. Fox reportedly failed to remit more than $18 million in royalties owed to Sirius for Atari 2600 work. For a relatively young publisher operating in a rapidly changing software market, the unpaid royalties created a severe cash-flow and business crisis. The dispute and Fox’s failure to pay are identified as major causes of Sirius Software’s collapse. Despite its reported sales and large catalog, Sirius folded in 1984, only four years after its founding. Sirius Software’s historical importance comes from the contrast between its brief lifespan and its influence during the early microcomputer era. It helped demonstrate the commercial potential of Apple II games, supported the rise of programmers such as Nasir Gebelli, and participated in the transition from single-platform computer software to multi-platform publishing. Its collapse also illustrates the financial risks faced by independent publishers that depended on outside distributors and licensors for payment.

• 1984

  Sirius Software folds

  [1]Sirius Softwareen.wikipedia.org

  The company collapses after a dispute involving more than $18 million in unpaid royalties reportedly owed by 20th Century Fox Video Games.

• 1983

  Reported sales reach approximately $11 million

  [1]Sirius Softwareen.wikipedia.org

  InfoWorld later reports that Sirius generated about $11 million in sales during 1983.

• 1982

  Gorgon drives the company’s rise

  [1]Sirius Softwareen.wikipedia.org

  Nasir Gebelli’s Apple II action game becomes a major Sirius release and reportedly reaches about 23,000 copies sold by June.

• 1982

  Atari 2600 publishing partnership begins

  [1]Sirius Softwareen.wikipedia.org

  Sirius-developed Atari 2600 games begin appearing through 20th Century Fox Video Games.

• 1980

  Sirius Software is founded

  [1]Sirius Softwareen.wikipedia.org

  Jerry Jewell and Terry Bradley establish the California-based computer-software and video-game company.

An early, technically ambitious microcomputer-game publisher focused primarily on Apple II software, with a broader platform strategy spanning Atari, Commodore, and VIC-20 systems.

• Apple II action game

  Gorgon

  Gorgon was an Apple II action game written by Nasir Gebelli and influenced by the arcade game Defender. Its fast action and technically ambitious presentation helped make it one of Sirius Software’s most prominent early releases. The game was a major contributor to the publisher’s rapid rise and reportedly sold approximately 23,000 copies by June 1982.

• Graphical adventure games

  Sirius graphical adventure games

  Sirius published a group of graphical adventure games as part of an effort to compete with Sierra On-Line. These releases extended the company beyond arcade-oriented action software, although the adventure line did not achieve the same level of commercial success as the company’s strongest Apple II action titles.

• Console video games · 1982

  Atari 2600 games

  Sirius developed games for the Atari 2600 that were published in 1982 and 1983 by 20th Century Fox Video Games. The external publishing arrangement expanded Sirius into the console market but later became central to the company’s financial crisis after Fox reportedly failed to pay substantial royalties.

• 1984

  Dispute over unpaid 20th Century Fox royalties

  20th Century Fox Video Games reportedly failed to pay Sirius Software more than $18 million in royalties associated with Atari 2600 releases. The unpaid amounts created a severe financial strain and are identified as a principal factor in Sirius’s collapse.

  Source

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• 1982

  Expand from Apple II publishing into multiple platformsStrategy

  Background

  Sirius initially concentrated on Apple II software while the market for home computers was broadening and competing platforms were gaining users.

  Action taken

  The company ported or released software for Atari 8-bit computers, the Commodore 64, and the VIC-20, and also developed Atari 2600 games for external publication.

  Aftermath

  The multi-platform approach helped Sirius market more than 160 products, but its Atari 2600 publishing relationship later exposed the company to significant royalty and cash-flow risk.

  Source

• 1982

  Enter graphical adventure gamesStrategy

  Background

  Sirius sought to diversify beyond action games and challenge established adventure-game publishers such as Sierra On-Line.

  Action taken

  The company published a line of graphical adventure games.

  Aftermath

  The adventure effort was not as successful as Sirius’s strongest action releases.

  Source

1. 1Sirius Softwareen.wikipedia.org