Beam Software

Krome Studios Melbourne, originally Beam Software,^[1] was an Australian video game development studio founded in 1980 by Alfred Milgrom and Naomi Besen and based in Melbourne, Australia.^[2][3] Initially formed to produce books and software to be published by Melbourne House, a company they had established in London in 1977,^[1] the studio operated independently from 1987 until 1999, when it was acquired by Infogrames, who changed the name to Infogrames Melbourne House Pty Ltd..^[4] In 2006 the studio was sold to Krome Studios.^[4]

The name Beam was a contraction of the names of the founders: Naomi Besen and Alfred Milgrom.

History

Home computer era

In the early years, two of Beam's programs were milestones in their respective genres. The Hobbit, a 1982 text adventure by Philip Mitchell and Veronika Megler,^[5] sold more than 500,000 copies.^[6][7] It employed an advanced parser by Stuart Richie and had real-time elements. Even if the player didn't enter commands, the story would move on.^[8] In 1985 Greg Barnett's two-player martial arts game The Way of the Exploding Fist helped define the genre of one-on-one fighting games on the home computer.^[8] The game won Best Overall Game at the Golden Joystick Awards.^[9]

In 1987 Beam's UK publishing arm,^[10] Melbourne House, was sold to Mastertronic for £850,000.^[11] Beam chairman Alfred Milgrom recounted, "...around 1987 a lot of our U.K. people went on to other companies and at around the same time the industry was moving from 8-bit to 16-bit. It was pretty chaotic. We didn't have the management depth at that time to run both the publishing and development sides of things, so we ended up selling off the whole Melbourne House publishing side to Mastertronic."^[2] Subsequent games were released through varying publishers. The 1988 fighting games Samurai Warrior and Fist +, the third instalment in the Exploding Fist series, were published through Telecomsoft's Firebird label. 1988 also saw the release of space-shoot'em-up Bedlam, published by GO!, one of U.S. Gold's labels, and The Muncher, published by Gremlin Graphics.

Shift to consoles and PCs

In 1987 Nintendo granted a developer's licence for the NES and Beam developed games on that platform for US and Japanese publishers. Targeted at an Australian audience, releases such as Aussie Rules Footy and International Cricket for the NES proved successful.^[12] In 1992 it released the original title Nightshade, a dark superhero comedy game. The game was meant to be the first part in a series, but no sequels were ever made; however, it served as the basis for Shadowrun. Released in 1993, Shadowrun also used an innovative dialogue system using the acquisition of keywords which could be used in subsequent conversations to initiate new branches in the dialogue tree. Also in 1993 it released Baby T-Rex, a Game Boy platform game that the developer actively sought to adapt the game to a number of different licensed properties in different countries around the world including the animated film We're Back! in North America and the puppet character Agro in its home country of Australia.^[13]

In 1997, Beam relaunched the Melbourne House brand,^[14] under which it published the PC titles Krush Kill 'n' Destroy (KKND), and the sequels KKND Xtreme and KKND2: Krossfire.^[15] They released KKND2 in South Korea well before they released it in the American and European markets, and pirated versions of the game were available on the internet before it was available in stores in the U.S. They were the developers of the 32-bit versions of Norse By Norse West: The Return of the Lost Vikings for the Sega Saturn, PlayStation and PC in 1996.^[15] They also helped produce Super NES games such as WCW SuperBrawl Wrestling, Super Smash TV and an updated version of International Cricket titled Super International Cricket.^[15] They ported the Sega Saturn game Bug! to Windows 3.x in August 1996.

1998 saw a return to RPGs with Alien Earth, again with a dialogue tree format.^[16] Also in 1998, the studio developed racing games DethKarz^[15] and GP 500.

In 1999 Beam Software was acquired by Infogrames and renamed to Infogrames Melbourne House Pty Ltd.

2000s

They continued to cement a reputation as a racing game developer with Le Mans 24 Hours and Looney Tunes: Space Race (both Dreamcast and PlayStation 2), followed by Grand Prix Challenge (PlayStation 2), before going into third-person shooters with Men in Black II: Alien Escape (PlayStation 2, GameCube).^[17]

In 2004 the studio released Transformers for the PlayStation 2 games console based on the then current Transformers Armada franchise by Hasbro.^[18] The game reached the top of the UK PlayStation 2 games charts, making it Melbourne House's most successful recent title.

The studio then completed work on PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable ports of Eden's next-generation Xbox 360 title Test Drive: Unlimited.

In December 2005, Atari decided to shift away from internal development, seeking to sell its studios, including Melbourne House.^[19] In November 2006, Krome Studios acquired Melbourne House from Atari and was renamed to Krome Studios Melbourne.^[20] It was closed on 15 October 2010, along with the main Brisbane office. Next to the game development, Beam Software also had the division Smarty Pants Publishing Pty Ltd., that created software titles for kids, as well as the proprietary video compression technology VideoBeam, and Famous Faces, a facial motion capture hardware and software solution.

Games

As Beam Software

• 1982: Strike Force (TRS-80),^[21] Hungry Horace, Horace Goes Skiing, Horace and the Spiders, The Hobbit, Penetrator (Commodore 64, Microbee, Timex Sinclair 2068, TRS-80, ZX Spectrum)^[22]
• 1983: H.U.R.G: High-Level User-Friendly Real-Time Games Designer (ZX Spectrum)^[23]
• 1984: Castle of Terror (Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum), Hampstead (Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum), Mugsy (ZX Spectrum), Sherlock (Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum), Zim Sala Bim (Commodore 64)
• 1985: Gyroscope, Lord of the Rings: Game One, Terrormolinos, The Way of the Exploding Fist (Acorn Electron, Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro, Commodore 16, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum), Starion (Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum).
• 1986: Asterix and the Magic Cauldron (Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum),^[24] Fist: The Legend Continues Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum),^[25] Judge Dredd (Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum),^[26] Knuckle Busters (Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum),^[27] Mugsy's Revenge,^[28] Rock'n Wrestle
• 1987: Inspector Gadget and the Circus of Fear (Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum),^[29] Shadows of Mordor (Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Commodore 64, Macintosh, MS-DOS, ZX Spectrum), Street Hassle (Commodore 64, MS-DOS, ZX Spectrum)^[30]
• 1988: Samurai Warrior: The Battles of Usagi Yojimbo (Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum),^[15] The Muncher (Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum)^[31]
• 1989: 720° (NES), Back to the Future (NES), Bad Street Brawler (NES),^[32] Aussie Games (Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum), Sgt. Slaughter’s Mat Wars (Commodore 64)^[33]
• 1990: Back to the Future Part II & III (NES), Dash Galaxy in the Alien Asylum (NES), Fisher-Price: Perfect Fit (NES), Boulder Dash (Game Boy), NBA All-Star Challenge (Game Boy), The Punisher (NES),^[34] Road Blasters (NES), Bigfoot (NES), Battle Chess (NES)
• 1991: Choplifter II (Game Boy),^[35] Hunt for Red October (Game Boy, NES), Smash TV (NES), Family Feud (NES), J. R. R. Tolkien's Riders of Rohan (MS-DOS), Aussie Rules Footy (NES),^[36] Power Punch II (NES), Star Wars (NES)
• 1992: Aussie Rules Footy (NES),^[12] International Cricket (NES),^[12] Nightshade (NES), T2: The Arcade Game (Game Boy), NBA All-Star Challenge 2 (Game Boy), Tom and Jerry (Game Boy), Super Smash TV (Super NES), George Foreman's KO Boxing (Game Boy)
• 1993: Baby T-Rex (Game Boy), We're Back BC (Game Boy), Agro Soar (Game Boy), Blades of Vengeance (Genesis), NFL Quarterback Club (Game Boy), Shadowrun (Super NES),^[37] MechWarrior (Super NES), Super High Impact (Genesis, Super NES), Tom and Jerry - Frantic Antics (Genesis)
• 1994: Choplifter III (Super NES),^[38] The Simpsons: Itchy & Scratchy in Miniature Golf Madness (Game Boy), Radical Rex (Genesis, Sega CD, Super NES), Super Smash TV (GG, SMS), Solitaire FunPak (Game Boy), Stargate (Game Boy),^[39] ' (Game Boy)
• 1995: True Lies (Game Boy, Genesis, Super NES), Super International Cricket (Super NES),^[40] The Dame Was Loaded (Macintosh, MS-DOS)^[41]
• 1995: Bug! (PC port), Cricket 96 (MS-DOS),^[42] Jim Lee's WildC.A.T.S: Covert Action Teams (Super NES)
• 1996: 5 in One Fun Pak (GG)
• 1997: Caesars Palace (PlayStation),^[43] Cricket 97 (MS-DOS, Windows)^[44]
• 1997: Krush, Kill 'n' Destroy (MS-DOS, Windows)^[45]
• 1998: Dethkarz (Windows)^[46]
• 1998: NBA Action 98 (PC)
• 1998: KKnD 2: Krossfire (PC, PlayStation)^[15]
• 1999: GP 500 (PC)

As Infogrames Melbourne House/Atari Melbourne House

As Krome Studios Melbourne

References

1. ^ Crookes, David. "The Wizards of Oz". Retro Gamer. No. 36. Imagine. pp. 38–42.
2. ^ "NG Alphas: Melbourne House". Next Generation. No. 33. Imagine Media. September 1997. pp. 116–8.
3. ^ "CRASH 3 - Melbourne House". www.crashonline.org.uk. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
4. ^ "Beam Software Timeline". Australian Centre for the Moving Image. Archived 2 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 19 September 2020."Beam Software Timeline". Australian Centre for the Moving Image. Archived 11 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Documentation for a 2007 exhibition.
5. ^ Sharwood, Simon (18 November 2012), "Author of '80s classic The Hobbit didn't know game was a hit", The Register, retrieved 10 December 2012
6. ^ "Beam Software Company History". beam.com.au. Archived October 21, 1997 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
7. ^ Milgrom, Fred (September 29, 1997). "Innovator keeps firing". The Age. p. 14. Retrieved March 25, 2024. – via Newspapers.com
8. ^ DeMaria, Rusel and Wilson, Johnny L. (2004) High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games McGraw-Hill/Osborne, Berkeley, Calif., p. 347, ISBN 0-07-223172-6
9. ^ "Golden Joysticks Awards' ultimate list of ultimate winners: 1983 - 2016". GamesRadar.com. 27 October 2017. Retrieved 2017-12-31.
10. ^ "Mastertronic Buys Melbourne House". Popular Computing Weekly. 12-18 February 1987. p. 4.
11. ^ Guter, Arthur (June 2016). "A History of Mastertronic". Mastertronic. Archived February 24, 2018 at the Wayback Machine.
12. ^ "Why Cricket video games are vital to Australia's national identity". GamesHub. 2022-03-24. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
13. ^ Mansfield, Dylan (February 24, 2019). "Baby T-Rex: The Game Revised 10 Times". Retrieved December 23, 2020.
14. ^ "In the Studio". Next Generation. No. 29. Imagine Media. May 1997. p. 17.
15. ^ "Company bio: Beam Software". Gamespy. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
16. ^ Al Giovetti. "Alien Earth". The Computer Show.
17. ^ "Men in Black II: Alien Escape". Metacritic. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
18. ^ Dunham, Jeremy (2003-12-09). "Transformers Armada: Prelude to Energon Hands-On". IGN. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
19. ^ Foster, Lisa (17 February 2006). "Atari plans studio sell-off". MCV. Intent Media. Archived 9 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2010-02-03.
20. ^ "Krome Studios expands with new studio in Melbourne". Krome Studios. 3 November 2006. Archived 29 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2010-02-03.
21. ^ "Strike Force (TRS-80)". MobyGames. Blue Flame Labs. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
22. ^ "Penetrator (1982)". MobyGames. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
23. ^ "H.U.R.G. [Spectrum 48K] | Melbourne House | 1983 | ACMI collection". www.acmi.net.au. Retrieved 2022-07-24.
24. ^ "Asterix and the Magic Cauldron [Commodore 64/128] | Melbourne House | 1986 | ACMI collection". www.acmi.net.au. Retrieved 2022-07-24.
25. ^ "Fist: The Legend Continues (1986)". MobyGames. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
26. ^ "A brief history of 2000AD's 8-bit games". Eurogamer.net. 2017-11-19. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
27. ^ "Knuckle Busters (1986)". MobyGames. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
28. ^ "CVG Magazine Issue 055". May 1986. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
29. ^ "Inspector Gadget and the Circus of !!Fear!! (1987)". MobyGames. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
30. ^ "Bop'n Rumble - C64-Wiki". www.c64-wiki.com
31. ^ "The Muncher at Spectrum Computing - Sinclair ZX Spectrum games, software and hardware". Spectrum Computing. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
32. ^ "Bad Street Brawler [computer game] | Laser Beam (Beam Software) | 1989 | ACMI collection". www.acmi.net.au. Retrieved 2022-07-24.
33. ^ Worth, Jason. "Sgt. Slaughter's Mat Wars | WWE Games & Wrestling Games Database". The SmackDown Hotel. Retrieved 2024-08-05.
34. ^ "The Punisher [computer game] | LJN Entertainment, Inc. | 1990 | ACMI collection". www.acmi.net.au. Retrieved 2022-07-24.
35. ^ "Choplifter II [computer game] | Laser Beam (Beam Software) | 1991 | ACMI collection". www.acmi.net.au. Retrieved 2022-07-24.
36. ^ "Aussie Rules Footy [computer game] | Laser Beam (Beam Software) | 1991 | ACMI collection". www.acmi.net.au. Retrieved 2022-07-24.
37. ^ "Shadowrun [SNES] | Data East USA | 1992 | ACMI collection". www.acmi.net.au. Retrieved 2022-07-24.
38. ^ Fahs, Travis (2008-11-21). "Rescue Me: The History of Choplifter". IGN. Retrieved 2022-07-24.
39. ^ "Stargate [computer game] | Acclaim Entertainment Ltd | 1994 | ACMI collection". www.acmi.net.au. Retrieved 2022-07-24.
40. ^ Trielle Corporation (1995-07-01). Nintendo Magazine System (AU) 28 July 1995
41. ^ "The Dame Was Loaded [DOS] | Philips Interactive Media, Inc. | 1996 | ACMI collection". www.acmi.net.au. Retrieved 2022-07-24.
42. ^ "Cricket 96 for DOS (1996)". MobyGames. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
43. ^ "Caesars Palace for PlayStation (1997)". MobyGames. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
44. ^ "Chairman's Report to Beam International Limited Shareholders". beam.com.au. 1997-06-07. Archived from the original on 1997-06-07. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
45. ^ "Beam announces Release Date For KKnD". beam.com.au. February 26, 1997. Archived from the original on June 7, 1997. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
46. ^ Gentry, Perry (30 October 1998). "What's in Stores Next Week (We Think)". CNET Gamecenter. CNET. Archived from the original on 17 August 2000. Retrieved 2022-04-17.

1. ^ Ported by Tantalus.
2. ^ Support developer for Black Ops Entertainment, worked on sound design.
3. ^ Ported for Eden Games.

External links

• Official website via Internet Archive