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.
History The company was originally founded in 1989 by Steve Grossman in order to become a Nintendo licensee to develop games for the NES and Game Boy. The company was originally abbreviated as ASW, later changing to ASC in 1991. The company then presented its first game, The Mutant Virus, by independent New Jersey-based developer Rocket Science Productions, to the NES.
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.
In 1993, the company acquired a license of the Troll dolls and decided to made the game Super Troll Islands. The company also acquired the rights to the license of the film Happily Ever After. 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.
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, as well as Super Copa, which was a reskinned version of Tony Meola's Sidekicks Soccer.
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. The company decided to attempt to get into major AAA publishing, by publishing high-profile action adventure titles S.T.O.R.M and Perfect Weapon in 1996, and then publishing the action-adventure game One, developed by Visual Concepts in 1997.
In August 1997, the company acquired the publishing rights to Mass Destruction from BMG Interactive. 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. 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.
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.
Legacy 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.
Games Published Release yearTitlePlatformDeveloperNotes1991Treasure MasterNESSoftware Creations1992The Mutant Virus: Crisis in a Computer WorldRocket Science ProductionsPower Punch IIBeam SoftwareSkuljagger: Revolt of the WesticansSuper NESRealtime Associates1993The Trolls in CrazylandNESKIDEurope onlySuper James PondSuper NESMillennium Interactive1994Super Troll IslandsChavezMalibu InteractiveMexico onlySnow White in Happily Ever AfterImagitec DesignTNN Bass Tournament of ChampionsGapsSega GenesisImagitec DesignDifferent game from the Super NES versionChavez IISuper NES, GenesisSculptured SoftwareMexico onlySuper CopaSuper NESCannondale CupSuper NESRadical Entertainment1996TNN Outdoors Bass Tournament '96Sega Genesis, MS-DOSImagitec DesignS.T.O.R.M.MS-DOS, WindowsVirtual StudioEuropean-only releasePerfect WeaponPlayStation, WindowsGray MatterTNN Motor Sports Hardcore 4x4PlayStation, Sega Saturn, WindowsGremlin InteractiveTen Pin AlleyAdrenalin Entertainment1997Mass DestructionNMS SoftwareLicensed from BMG InteractiveOnePlayStationVisual Concepts1998Grand Theft AutoWindowsDMA DesignLicensed from BMG InteractiveSanitariumDreamForge IntertainmentTNN Outdoors Pro HunterAnimaniacs: Ten Pin AlleyPlayStationSaffire1999Dead in the WaterPlayer 1Jeff Gordon XS RacingWindowsReal SportsGame Boy ColorNatsumeTNN Outdoors Fishing ChampStarfishTNN Motorsports Hardcore HeatDreamcastCSK Research InstituteTNN Outdoors Pro Hunter 2WindowsMonolith ProductionsTNN Motorsports Hardcore TRPlayStationEutechnyx
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