Looking Glass Studios
Looking Glass Studios was a developer whose history is closely tied to Origin, creating Ultima Underworld and Ultima Underworld II.
History[edit]
The origins of Looking Glass can be traced back to a decision by Origin to move to New Hampshire in 1984, since Austin in Texas had less resources for a new software house to build from the ground up. When Origin did move back to Texas in 1989, game designer Paul Neurath didn't want to move to Texas, so he decided to create his own game development company Blue Sky Productions in the now vacated offices of Origin in New Hampshire.
However, the connection to his former employer was still present and when Blue Sky Productions showed a demo of the game Underworld at the 1990 Summer Consumer Electronics Show, showcasing as revolutionary 3d-engine, Richard Garriott showed interest to publish the game as an Ultima game as Ultima Underworld. That history also does explain a number of weird elements in the game, as due to time constraints it couldn't be fully converted into the universe.
Origin wanted a sequel as fast as possible, and in the course of development, Blue Sky fused with Lerner Interactive to form Looking Glass Technologies (later Studios). Despite being on a time crunch they did manage to create Ultima Underworld II in less than a year, improving significantly on the original game. The final cooperation with Origin was the game System Shock, which was made with the experiences made with both Ultima Underworld games.
After parting ways with Origin, Looking Glass would publish a number of critically acclaimed games, but sadly that didn't translate into financial success. In 2000, Looking Glass had to declare bankruptcy.
Developed Games[edit]
- Ultima Underworld - The Stygian Abyss (1992, published by Origin)
- John Madden Football '93 (1992, published by EA Sports)
- Ultima Underworld II - Labyrinth of Worlds (1993, published by Origin)
- System Shock (1994, published by Origin)
- Flight Unlimited (1995)
- Terra Nova: Strike Force Centauri (1996)
- British Open Championship Golf (1997)
- Flight Unlimited II (1997, published bei Eidos)
- Thief - The Dark Project (1998, published bei Eidos)
- System Shock 2 (1999, published by Electronic Arts)
- Flight Unlimited III (1999, published by Electronic Arts)
- Destruction Derby 64 (1999, published by THQ)
- Thief II - The Metal Age (2000, published bei Eidos)
Logo Gallery[edit]
The logo in Ultima Underworld (as Blue Sky Productions)
The logo in Ultima Underworld II
The logo in System Shock
Extermanl Links[edit]
| Companies involved with the Ultima series | |
|---|---|
| The Main Studio | Origin Systems Inc. |
| Western Companies | California Pacific Computer Co. ☥ Electronic Arts ☥ Looking Glass Studios ☥ MicroProse ☥ Mindscape ☥ Sierra On-Line, Inc. |
| Japanese Companies | Fujitsu Ltd. ☥ PonyCanyon Inc. ☥ StarCraft Inc. |