Retro Gaming Culture

Back in the 80s, there was only one games development and publishing company that was synonymous with epic computer games, Cinemaware. Just saying the word Cinemaware invokes nostalgic and intoxicating memories of grand adventure gaming like the swashbuckling Defender Of The Crown and The Rocketeer inspired, Rocket Ranger. Cinemaware was prolific in creating iconic titles on home computers and consoles that are enjoyed till this day. This is a true testament to a company that developed games that have withstood the test of time.

One classic game from the grand Cinemware stable, Wings, originally released on the Amiga in 1990, is now getting remastered. To make the Wings: Remastered Edition game, Cinemaware has put out a call-to-action campaign on Kickstarter. Assembling some of the greatest development talent, Wings: Remastered Edition is one of those projects that must succeed so that us gamers can enjoy another Cinemaware masterpiece for years to come.

We sat down with Matt Falcus (Producer) and Darren Falcus (Director) from Cinemaware and asked them about the company and their Kickstarter campaign.

AUSRETROGAMER [ARG]: For those that didn’t grow up playing your epic games, tell us about Cinemaware – where did it all start?
Cinemaware [CW]: Cinemaware was originally founded in 1985 by Mr. Bob Jacob as Master Designer Software, which used the “Cinemaware” brand as a label. The next year the company (wisely) changed its name to Cinemaware. The company was located in Thousands Oaks, CA – a suburb of Los Angeles and the movie industry. It was the founders’ vision to build a game company that merged the best characteristics of movies and storytelling with games, something no one had tried before then. In fact, the term “interactive movie” was originally coined by Cinemaware – it was prominently displayed in all the game boxes (check it out)! Today this term and the blend between cinematics, story and gameplay elements has spread wide in the industry, yet many don’t know it started with Cinemaware. This is probably the greatest legacy the company left behind.

ARG: What has been Cinemaware’s greatest ever title?
CW: Commercially, it was Defender of the Crown, without a doubt. The game was a groundbreaking product on the Amiga, the visuals were so appealing and there was nothing quite like it until then. It literally sold Amigas, and at one point Commodore even bundled it with the machine. Cinemaware was on the leading-edge of the Amiga, and along with a couple of other development houses, known for the best games on the market at that time.
However, it was not until a bit later that the company released games to much bigger critical acclaim – games like Rocket Ranger, Wings and the seminal favourite It Came From the Desert. These games were far more advanced and sophisticated than Defender of the Crown, and garnered a fanatical following. We believe that the experiences provided in these games, from the late 80s, have to some great extent not yet been replicated by anyone. Cinemaware was that innovative.

ARG: Why does this Kickstarter campaign mark a new era at Cinemaware?
CW: The company has been in limbo for a few years, and a lot had to do with the market realities affecting the games industry. The original company went bankrupt in 1990, due to some bad strategic choices (namely too much reliance on the Amiga – which went bust, and a bad exclusivity deal with NEC on the Turbografx 16). After that, between 2000-2003, a new group of developers took over the company and attempted to release a few new games, such as Robin Hood: Defender of the Crown on PS2 and Xbox. However, those were delicate times: console development budgets were soaring, the market for small developers was very tough and financing depended almost exclusively on publishers. It became too much for a small group to handle, and it was not possible to continue developing new products on platforms that were financially unviable.
However, in the last 10 years a lot has changed – digital distribution has become a reality, allowing developers to sell to (and communicate with!) directly with their core audience. This is the case with Cinemaware. New, cheaper platforms have emerged (smartphones and tablets) and even the consoles now have digital download stores available. The industry has become a lot bigger and there are many new ways to develop games and reach new audiences because of all these developments.

For us, going on Kickstarter was essential, not just for raising funds, but also to really engage our core fans. We wanted to listen to them, get them involved with the company and with our products – the time of developing products in a bubble is gone – and ensure we really developed the kinds of experiences our fans want. Kickstarter and crowdfunding allow all of this and through social media we can work at rebuilding the great, core fan-base that Cinemaware has around the world. Our hope is that from here, we will keep on producing more products, bigger and better game experiences with as much input from our fans as possible!

ARG: What was it about Wings that made Cinemaware choose it above all other classic games?
CW: There were a few reasons, some of them not really linked for any particular reason.

First, there was the issue of symbolism: Wings was Cinemaware’s swan-song, the last game the company produced before shutting its doors in 1990. Like a WWI airplane shot from the sky, this great gaming legend went into hibernation for many, many years, so it was an interesting concept to look at Wings as a way to represent a rebirth of the company and its great games. Wings was also a very emotional, story-driven experience, unique for its time. We felt this would also resonate with our fans.

Second, from a technical and budgetary perspective, Wings was the project that was closer to reality for us. We had already spent a good amount of resources building the core project, assets, and plan – and therefore we felt it was suitable for crowdfunding because we really wanted to be able to deliver on a game that we knew was a realistic project for us and which we could do in a reasonable amount of time. We didn’t want to engage in something that would take over a year and would be highly complex in terms of technology and design, as we thought this would frustrate our fans in the short-term. Wings is a more contained experience which we can manage more realistically and improve a lot on with a more conservative budget.

Last, 2014 marks the 100th year anniversary of the start of WWI. We couldn’t have picked a better time to honour all the veterans of the Great War by producing a product that allows people to experience a bit of what it was like to be a pilot in WWI!

ARG: You have assembled some awesome talent to undertake this project – who is on the team?
CW: We have several game industry veterans in the group, not least of which Darren Falcus and Matt Falcus. They have been in the business since the 80s, well over 30 years, having developed and produced great games and franchises such as NBA Jam, several titles for Capcom, and they even did the Xbox version of Cinemaware’s Robin Hood: Defender of the Crown as well! Ken Melville, the original co-writer of Wings, is also part of the team. These guys were around way back since the Amiga days so it’s quite fitting to have them on board for the revival of Cinemaware!

ARG: With just under a month to go, looks like the Kickstarter campaign is tracking nicely. For those that haven’t made a decision to back Wings Remastered Edition, how would you pitch it to them?
CW: We had a great start and have come a long way, and we are hopefully not far from reaching our goal. We really must openly thank all our backers and fans who have given us so much support and trusted us with their funds. We can assure everyone we will do all we can to deliver on the best game experience possible and the quality expected from Cinemaware.

For those that have not joined this campaign yet: Wings is truly a different kind of game. Although it is, from a mechanics perspective, an action-combat game, it is much, much more than that. Wings really immerses you emotionally in a storyline which gives you a perspective on the life of a WWI pilot. The game was originally described as a “personal combat simulator” – and this is really fitting. It is not just about flying and shooting things – it’s about the experience of FEELING things in the context of WWI! We can proudly say that no other game since then has touched on this aspect like Wings has, and a lot of that credit goes to the great writing skills of guys like Ken Melville and Ken Goldstein, the original game writers. Ken Melville is participating in this project and helping us ensure this same feeling will still be there!

Also, please keep in mind: this is not just about Wings, it is about Cinemaware and a style of gaming that has long been lost. Your are not just supporting a product but our ability to continue bringing you new remakes and brand new titles which we have planned as well! There’s much we can do and lots of innovation to bring to our games, but we really cannot do it without their support.

ARG: Which other classic Cinemaware games are on the list to be remade? Which game would be next?
CW: Although we do not have definite plans yet, for some strange reason a lot of ants have been crawling around the office lately (smiling). Someone from the future also sent us a weird gadget that we can’t figure out how to use yet (still smiling). Maybe they want to tell us something? ARG: I am sure they are (winks)

ARG: With so many epic titles under its belt, what Cinemaware games do the people that work at Cinemaware like to play?
CW: We really like all the titles, for different reasons each. However, given the proper perspective as to which have an unanimous consent among the group, Rocket Ranger, Wings and It Came From the Desert are big favourites. However, Defender of the Crown has a vocal following too! Then again, someone wanted to get going on a new version of Lords of the Rising Sun, and well, we are glad we have such a great legacy to work from – and a great responsibly to protect it!

Well there you have it folks. A great insight into Cinemaware and their future development plans. We must sincerely thank Matt and Darren Falcus for taking time out to chat to us. With the Wings: Remastered Edition Kickstarter campaign running for another week (as of this article), it is already 95% funded. Please pledge and help them get to their target. We are definitely backing this one!

 All images sourced from: Cinemaware