Ariolasoft
| Company type | GmbH |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 1983 |
| Defunct | 1993 |
| Fate | Acquired by MicroProse Germany |
| Successor | United Software |
| Headquarters | Munich , Germany |
Area served | Europe |
Key people | Stephen Molyneux (1985–1988) |
| Products | Video games, software publishing, distribution |
| Parent | Ariola Records (subsidiary of Bertelsmann) |
Ariolasoft GmbH, which was later known as United Software, functioned as a German developer, publisher, and distributor of video games. Established in 1983, it served as the software division of Ariola Records, a subsidiary within Germany's Bertelsmann conglomerate. Between 1985 and 1988, Stephen Molyneux—previously the Head of Software at Atari International GmbH—oversaw international licensing and negotiations from the company’s Munich base. Ariolasoft also maintained a UK branch, Ariolasoft UK, initially directed by Ashley Gray, followed by Willie Carminke and Frank Brunger.
The firm produced titles for a variety of platforms such as ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, and Amiga. It acted as the German publisher for Activision games on the Atari 2600 and was responsible for distributing titles from Electronic Arts and Broderbund across Europe prior to those companies setting up their own European operations. Beyond publishing, Ariolasoft developed both original games and cassette conversions. Around 1987–1988, the company also handled distribution of the Master System within Germany.
In 1990, the organization rebranded itself as United Software, which was subsequently acquired by MicroProse Germany in 1993.
Original games
| Title | Developer |
|---|---|
| Airline | |
| Atomix | Thalion Software |
| Adventure Construction Set | |
| Challenge of the Gobots | Reaktor |
| Deactivators | Tigress Marketing |
| Golf Construction Set | Chris Palmer, David Bishop |
| Hanse | Ralf Glau |
| Hellowoon: Das Geheimins des Zauberstabs | Dragonware Games |
| Kaiser | Creative Computer Design (Markus Mergard, Claudio Kronmüller, Dirk Beyelstein) |
| Ooze: Als die Geister mürbe wurden… | Dragonware Games |
| Starfox | Realtime Games Software |
| They Stole A Million | 39 Steps, Tigress Marketing |
| Vermeer | Ralf Glau |
Collaborations
- The title Cavelord was developed in cooperation with Atari Germany
- Articles with short description
- Defunct video game companies of Germany
- Video game companies established in 1983
- Video game companies disestablished in 1993
- Video game development companies
- Video game publishers
- 1983 establishments in West Germany
- German companies established in 1983
- MicroProse
- German companies disestablished in 1993