Looking Glass Studios was an American video game developer founded in 1990 as Blue Sky Productions by Paul NeurathinSalem, New Hampshire. The company's first game was Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss in 1992, which received widespread critical acclaim and sold nearly 500,000 units.[1][2] Looking Glass proceeded to develop titles in multiple genres, including role-playing, sports, flight simulation, and stealth video games. These titles were primarily published by Origin Systems, Electronic Arts and Eidos Interactive, with three titles self-published by Looking Glass Studios.
Looking Glass' products were praised for innovations in video game technology and design.[3][4][5] Several of their successes, such as Flight Unlimited and Thief: The Dark Project, sold over half a million copies each.[6][7] Poor sales of their final two self-published games—Terra Nova: Strike Force Centauri (1996) and British Open Championship Golf (1997)—left the company in financial turmoil, however.[3] This, combined with multiple failed business deals, including a temporary merger with Intermetrics from 1997–1999,[8] led the company to close on May 24, 2000, and cancel several projects in development.[3][9][10] Its final project, Jane's Attack Squadron, was completed by Mad Doc Software and released by Xicat Interactive in 2002. In total, Looking Glass Studios released 12 original games in its 10 years of activity, alongside several ports and other spin-offs.
Title | Details |
---|---|
Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss Original release dates: |
Release years by system: 1992 – DOS[12] 1993 – FM Towns[13] 1997 – PlayStation[14] 2002 – Windows Mobile[15] |
Notes:
| |
Original release dates: |
Release years by system: 1992 – Sega Genesis[16] |
Notes:
| |
Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds Original release dates: |
Release years by system: 1993 – DOS[18] |
Notes:
| |
Original release dates: |
Release years by system: 1994 – DOS[19] 1994 – Macintosh[21] |
Notes:
| |
Original release dates: |
Release years by system: 1995 – DOS[23] 1995 – Windows[24] 1997 – Macintosh[25] |
Notes:
| |
Terra Nova: Strike Force Centauri Original release dates: |
Release years by system: 1996 – DOS[27] |
Notes:
| |
British Open Championship Golf Original release date: |
Release years by system: 1997 – Windows[30][31] |
Notes:
| |
Original release dates: |
Release years by system: 1997 – Windows[32] |
Notes:
| |
Original release dates: |
Release years by system: 1998 – Windows[33] |
Notes: | |
Original release dates: |
Release years by system: 1999 – Nintendo 64[35] |
Notes:
| |
Original release dates: |
Release years by system: 1999 – Windows[36] |
Notes:
| |
Original release dates: |
Release years by system: 1999 – Windows[39] |
Notes:
| |
Original release dates: |
Release years by system: 1999 – Nintendo 64[40] |
Notes:
| |
Original release dates: |
Release years by system: 1999 – Windows[41] |
Notes: | |
Original release dates: |
Release years by system: 2000 – Windows[43] |
Notes:
| |
Original release dates: |
Release years by system: 2002 – Windows[44] |
Notes:
|
Title | Details |
---|---|
Cancellation date: Spring 1997[46] |
Proposed system release: 1997 – Windows[47] |
Notes:
| |
Junction Point Cancellation date: 1997[50] |
Proposed system release: 1998[51] |
Notes:
| |
Deep Cover Cancellation date: 2000[53] |
Proposed system release: Unannounced |
Notes: | |
Thief II Gold Cancellation date: 2000[54] |
Proposed system release: Unannounced |
Notes:
| |
Thief III Cancellation date: 2000[4] |
Proposed system release: Unannounced |
Notes:
| |
Mini Racers Cancellation date: 2000[56] |
Proposed system release: Nintendo 64[57] |
Notes: | |
Wildwaters Cancellation date: 2000[58] |
Proposed system release: Nintendo 64[59] |
Notes: |
In August 1997, we combined our computer and video game business with the operations of Looking Glass Technologies, Inc. to form Intermetrics Entertainment Software, LLC, or IES. After the combination, we owned 66% of IES and consolidated the results of IES' operations with our operations for our financial reporting purposes. In December 1998, we approved a plan of divestiture of IES by means of a distribution of our interest in IES to our stockholders. We effected the distribution in March 1999.
| |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ultima Underworld |
| ||||
System Shock |
| ||||
Thief |
| ||||
Flight Unlimited |
| ||||
Other games |
| ||||
People |
| ||||
Related articles |
|