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ASC Games

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
ASC Games
TypePrivate
IndustryVideo games
Founded1989
FounderSteve Grossman
DefunctJanuary 7, 2000
Headquarters
Darien, Connecticut
,
United States
Key people
Number of employees
35 (2000)
WebsiteASCGames.com

ASC Games (abbreviated from American Softworks Corporation) was an American video game publisher founded in 1989. Formerly based in Darien, Connecticut, the company quickly became a major publisher for games on the Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and Sega Genesis. The company was founded in 1989 and went defunct in 2000. It was notable for publishing the original Windows release of Grand Theft Auto.[1]

History

[edit]

The company was originally founded in 1989 by Steve Grossman in order to become a Nintendo license to develop games for the NES and Game Boy. The company was originally abbreviated as ASW, later changing to ASC in 1991.[2] The company then presented its first game, The Mutant Virus, by independent New Jersey-based developer Rocket Science Productions, to the Nintendo Entertainment System.[3]

In 1991, the company released the competition title, Treasure Master, for the NES as its first released game, where people can win $10,000 in competition that was due on April 11, 1992 on MTV and Nickelodeon that came off with a secret password.[4][5][6]

In 1993, the company acquired a license of the Troll dolls and decided to made the game Super Troll Islands.[7] The company also acquired the rights to the license of the film Happily Ever After.[8] The company later begin a relationship with The Nashville Network, to license the branding for sports video games, starting with TNN Bass Tournament of Champions.[9][10]

The company was also publishing video games on Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez, which were actually reskinned versions of Riddick Bowe Boxing and Boxing Legends of the Ring,[11][12] as well as Super Copa, which was a reskinned version of Tony Meola's Sidekicks Soccer.[13]

The company was increasingly profitable in the mid 1990s thanks to David Klein, which led to the development of the successful Ten Pin Alley, and begin using the trade name ASC Games.[14] The company decided to attempt to get into major AAA publishing, by publishing high-profile action adventure titles S.T.O.R.M[15] and Perfect Weapon in 1996,[16] and then publishing the action-adventure game One, developed by Visual Concepts in 1997.[17]

In August 1997, the company acquired the publishing rights to Mass Destruction from BMG Interactive.[18][19] In late 1997, the company acquired the publishing rights to the video game Grand Theft Auto, from BMG Interactive, and released it to critical and commercial success, cementing ASC's profile, and hit its massive attention.[1][20] In late 1997, the company signed a deal with Jeff Gordon, in which the company decided to release a racing game tie-in Jeff Gordon XS Racing, for platforms by 1999.[21][22]

The company eventually shut down on January 7, 2000, due to the financial issues that came with the ongoing delay of their upcoming game, Werewolf: The Apocalypse – The Heart of Gaia, which was in development by DreamForge Intertainment.[23]

Legacy

[edit]

Although ASC Games has closed, many of the games it published are still remembered by retro gaming enthusiasts. The company is recognized for its contribution to the video game market in the 1990s and for having participated in the publication of titles that have left their mark on video game history. Steve Grossman had moved on to found XS Games, which was a spiritual successor to ASC and hold the rights to the titles.[24]

Games Published

[edit]
Release year Title Platform Developer Notes
1991 Treasure Master[5] NES Software Creations
1992 The Mutant Virus: Crisis in a Computer World Rocket Science Productions
Power Punch II Beam Software
Skuljagger: Revolt of the Westicans SNES Realtime Associates
1993 The Trolls in Crazyland[7] NES KID Europe only
Super James Pond SNES Millennium Interactive
1994 Super Troll Islands[7]
Chavez Malibu Interactive Mexico only
Snow White in Happily Ever After Imagitec Design
TNN Bass Tournament of Champions Gaps
Sega Genesis Imagitec Design Different game to the SNES version
Chavez II[12] SNES, Sega Genesis Sculptured Software Mexico only
Super Copa[13] SNES
Cannondale Cup SNES Radical Entertainment
1996 TNN Outdoors Bass Tournament '96 Sega Genesis, DOS Imagitec Design
S.T.O.R.M.[15] DOS, Microsoft Windows Virtual Studio European-only release
Perfect Weapon[16] PlayStation, Microsoft Windows Gray Matter
TNN Motor Sports Hardcore 4x4 PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Microsoft Windows Gremlin Interactive
Ten Pin Alley[14] Adrenalin Entertainment
1997 Mass Destruction[18][19] NMS Software Licensed from BMG Interactive
One[17] PlayStation Visual Concepts
1998 Grand Theft Auto[1] Microsoft Windows DMA Design Licensed from BMG Interactive
Sanitarium DreamForge Intertainment
TNN Outdoors Pro Hunter
Animaniacs: Ten Pin Alley PlayStation Saffire
1999 Dead in the Water Player 1
Jeff Gordon XS Racing[22][21] Microsoft Windows Real Sports
Game Boy Color Natsume
TNN Outdoors Fishing Champ Starfish
TNN Motorsports Hardcore Heat Dreamcast CSK Research Institute
TNN Outdoors Pro Hunter 2 Microsoft Windows Monolith Productions
TNN Motorsports Hardcore TR PlayStation Eutechnyx

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 Staff, I. G. N. (1997-12-12). "Calling All Car Jackers". IGN. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
  2. ↑ "New Nintendo Licensees at 1990 WCES". Nintendo of America. January 1990. p. 2. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Nintendo Player". Electronic Gaming Monthly. August 1990. p. 62. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Industry Gears Up for Christmas". Electronic Gaming Retail News. September 1991. p. 8. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  5. 1 2 "ASC Releases Treasure Master". VideoGames & Computer Entertainment. October 1991. p. 20. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Treasure Master Review". GamePro. January 1992. p. 28. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 "The Trolls Are Coming!". Super Action. January 1993. p. 9. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Eat My CES Shorts...Shorts". Nintendo Magazine System. June 1993. p. 9. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Games! Games! Games!". Video Games & Computer Entertainment. September 1994. p. 54. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Team EGM". Electronic Gaming Monthly. November 1994. p. 198. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Chavez". Club Nintendo. December 1993. p. 9. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  12. 1 2 "Chavez II". Game Players. April 1995. p. 57. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  13. 1 2 "Super Copa". Club Nintendo. March 1994. p. 6. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  14. 1 2 Fitzpatrick, Doreen (April 2, 1997). "Video game maker sprinted player". The Connecticut Post. p. 23. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  15. 1 2 "S.T.O.R.M." Game Land. June 6, 1996. p. 16. Retrieved July 13, 2026.
  16. 1 2 "Perfect Weapon". Next Generation. October 1996. p. 100. Retrieved July 13, 2026.
  17. 1 2 Staff, I. G. N. (1997-07-01). "One". IGN. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
  18. 1 2 "In the Studio". Next Generation. No. 32. Imagine Media. August 1997. p. 19.
  19. 1 2 Johnston, Chris (June 16, 1997). "Mass Destruction Moves To Consoles". GameSpot. Archived from the original on February 20, 1999. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  20. ↑ Perry, Douglass C. (2002-09-10). "A Retrospective on Grand Theft Auto". IGN. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  21. 1 2 Easley, Joel (July 4, 1999). "Racer Jeff Gordon pairs up with ASC Games". The Herald-Palladium. p. 17. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  22. 1 2 Staff, I. G. N. (1998-11-14). "Jeff Gordon XS Racing". IGN. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  23. ↑ Mullen, Micheal (6 January 2000). "ASC Games To Shut Down". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  24. ↑ Staff, I. G. N. (2010-03-08). "XS Games Announces The Cult Hit The Red Star is Coming This Spring to PSPgo and iPhone". IGN. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
[edit]
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