ICOM Simulations, Inc.
Company typePrivate (defunct)
IndustrySoftware
FoundedMarch 4, 1981 (1981-03-04)[1]
FounderTod Zipnick
DefunctFebruary 14, 1998 (1998-02-14)[2]
FateDissolved
HeadquartersWheeling, Illinois
Key people
  • Tod Zipnick (President)[3]
  • Rick Maningas (Vice President)[4]
  • Dennis Defensor (President)
  • Darin Adler (Primary Developer)[5]
ProductsMacVenture
Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective
Beavis and Butt-Head in Virtual Stupidity
Number of employees
  • 25[3] (1989)
  • 45 (1991)
WebsiteN/A

ICOM Simulations, Inc.[3] (later known as Rabid Entertainment) was a software company based in Wheeling, Illinois. It is best known for creating the MacVenture series of adventure games including Shadowgate.

Following the foundation in 1981 a number of game titles for the Panasonic JR-200 were produced. Later products for the Apple Macintosh included the debugger TMON and an application launching utility called OnCue.

History

ICOM Simulations was formed as TMQ Software[6] on March 4, 1981, by Tod Zipnick. With the MacVenture series, ICOM pioneered the point-and-click adventure interface and later multiplatform CD-ROM development with Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective. Zipnick died of Hodgkin's disease in 1991[7][8] just as the company was beginning to take off.

In the early-to-mid 1990s, ICOM Simulations was a major third-party developer for the TurboGrafx-16 (TG-16) platform in the US. They produced many games for the console, including the TG-16 exclusive Shadowgate sequel, Beyond Shadowgate.

The company was acquired in 1993 by Viacom New Media which closed its operations in 1997.[9] Renamed to Rabid Entertainment, VNM/ICOM was dismantled in 1998.

The rights to ICOM's game portfolio were held by the company Infinite Ventures, but they are now owned by David Marsh who obtained most of the rights in January 2012.[10] On March 5, 2012, Dave Marsh and Karl Roelofs, both former developers at ICOM Simulations, formed a new game development company called Zojoi, LLC, and have begun releasing upgraded versions of previous ICOM Simulations titles, starting with Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective for iOS Tablets.[11][12]

Games

Title Release Date Credited As Published By Platform
Déjà Vu: A Nightmare Comes True 19850719850710July 10, 1985 (NA)[13] ICOM Simulations Mindscape Macintosh, Apple IIGS, Atari ST, Commodore 64, NES, Game Boy
Uninvited 19860319860301March 1, 1986 (NA)[14] ICOM Simulations Mindscape Macintosh, Apple IIGS, Atari ST, Commodore 64, NES
Shadowgate 19870719870730July 30, 1987 (NA)[15] ICOM Simulations Mindscape Macintosh, Apple IIGS, Atari ST, Commodore 64, NES
Déjà Vu II: Lost in Las Vegas 1988 ICOM Simulations Mindscape Macintosh, Apple IIGS, Atari ST, Game Boy Color
Addams Family, The 1991 ICOM Simulations NEC Technologies TurboGrafx-CD
Yo' Bro 1991 ICOM Simulations NEC Technologies TurboGrafx-16
Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective 1991 ICOM Simulations ICOM Simulations PC
Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective Vol. II 1992 ICOM Simulations ICOM Simulations PC
Road Runner's Death Valley Rally 1992 ICOM Simulations Sunsoft SNES
Ghost Manor 1992 ICOM Simulations Turbo Technologies Inc. TurboGrafx-16
Shape Shifter 19921019921001October 1, 1992 (NA)[16] ICOM Simulations Turbo Technologies Inc. TurboGrafx-CD
Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective Vol. III 1993 ICOM Simulations ICOM Simulations PC
Beyond Shadowgate 1993 ICOM Simulations Turbo Technologies Inc. TurboGrafx-CD
Camp California 1993 ICOM Simulations Turbo Technologies Inc. TurboGrafx-CD
Daffy Duck: The Marvin Missions 1993 ICOM Simulations Sunsoft SNES
Dracula Unleashed 19931019931024October 24, 1993 (NA)[17] ICOM Simulations Viacom New Media PC
Bugs Bunny Rabbit Rampage 1994 Viacom New Media Sunsoft SNES
Nickelodeon GUTS 1994 Viacom New Media Viacom New Media SNES
MTV: Club Dead 1994 Viacom New Media Viacom New Media Macintosh, PC
Are You Afraid of the Dark? The Tale of Orpheo's Curse 1994 Viacom New Media Viacom New Media Macintosh, DOS
Rocko's Modern Life: Spunky's Dangerous Day April 1994 Viacom New Media Viacom New Media SNES
Beavis and Butt-Head November 1994 Viacom New Media Viacom New Media Genesis, SNES, Game Gear, Game Boy
Congo: Descent Into Zinj 1995 Viacom New Media Viacom New Media PC, Classic Mac OS
Phantom 2040 June 1995 Viacom New Media Viacom New Media SNES
Aaahh!!! Real Monsters August 15, 1995 Viacom New Media Viacom New Media Genesis, SNES
Beavis and Butt-Head in Virtual Stupidity August 31, 1995 Viacom New Media Viacom New Media PlayStation, PC
Beavis and Butt-head in Little Thingies 1996 Viacom New Media Viacom New Media PC
Beavis and Butt-head in Wiener Takes All 1996 Viacom New Media Viacom New Media PC
Beavis and Butt-head in Calling All Dorks 1996 Viacom New Media Viacom New Media PC
MTV: Slamscape 1996 Viacom New Media Viacom New Media PlayStation
DeathDrome October 31, 1996 Viacom New Media Viacom New Media PC
Beavis and Butt-head in Screen Wreckers 1997 Viacom New Media Viacom New Media Macintosh, PC

See also

References

  1. ^ Corporation File Detail Report: TMQ Software, Inc. Springfield, Illinois: Illinois Secretary of State. 1 August 1991. Incorporation Date (Domestic). File No. 52314178. Retrieved 2012-10-09.
  2. ^ Trademark Principal Register Rabid Entertainment. Alexandria, Virginia: United States Patent and Trademark Office. 29 March 1998. Date Abandoned. U.S. Trademark 75,172,722. Retrieved 2012-10-10.
  3. ^ a b c "Office Computer Games Can Be Waste of Time or Good Training". Chicago Tribune. Scripps Howard News Service. July 16, 1989. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  4. ^ Writer's Digest Books (30 January 2006) [1983]. Brad M. McGehee (ed.). 1984 Programmer's Market. Writer's Digest Books. p. 184. ISBN 9780898791242. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
  5. ^ Adler, Darin (February 2, 2002). "Darin Adler (resume)". bentspoon.com. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  6. ^ Adler, Darin. "Monologue". pp. 1986–1987: Macintosh community. Retrieved December 28, 2007.
  7. ^ "Tod Zipnick, Innovator In Video-game Industry". July 9, 1991. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
  8. ^ AG Staff (June 12, 2020). "An overview of genre history, by The Art of Point-and-Click Adventure Games: Part I". Adventure Gamers. Nito Games network. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  9. ^ "Viacom buys interactive video-game company". UPI. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
  10. ^ Lucard, Alex (March 29, 2012). "Interview with David Marsh About His Sherlock Holmes, Consulting Detective Kickstarter Project". Diehard GameFan. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  11. ^ "Zojoi FaceBook Page". Facebook. June 4, 2012. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  12. ^ Goninon, Mark (August 5, 2015). "Where are they now? - ICOM Simulations". Choicest Games. Blogger. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  13. ^ Trademark Principal Register Déjà Vu. Alexandria, Virginia: United States Patent and Trademark Office. 26 July 1994. First Use. U.S. Trademark 74,456,226; Registration No. 1,858,715. Retrieved 2012-10-09.
  14. ^ Trademark Principal Register Uninvited. Alexandria, Virginia: United States Patent and Trademark Office. 20 September 1994. First Use. U.S. Trademark 74,456,244; Registration No. 1,867,092. Retrieved 2012-10-09.
  15. ^ Trademark Principal Register Shadowgate. Alexandria, Virginia: United States Patent and Trademark Office. 9 February 1993. First Use. U.S. Trademark 74,317,464; Registration No. 1,768,768. Retrieved 2012-10-09.
  16. ^ Trademark Principal Register Shapeshifter. Alexandria, Virginia: United States Patent and Trademark Office. 2 February 1993. First Use. U.S. Trademark 74,317,474; Registration No. 1,860,448. Retrieved 2012-10-09.
  17. ^ Trademark Principal Register Dracula Unleashed. Alexandria, Virginia: United States Patent and Trademark Office. 27 December 1994. First Use. U.S. Trademark 74,497,207; Registration No. 1,913,485. Retrieved 2012-10-09.

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