Deer Avenger
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Products | Deer Avenger series |
Deer Avenger is a video game released in 1998 by Simon & Schuster Interactive. It serves as a humorous spoof of the widely known hunting title Deer Hunter.
Development
The announcement for Deer Avenger came in October 1998, with the script penned by Brian McCann, who was part of the writing team for NBC's Late Night with Conan O'Brien.
Reception
Receiving a score of 4 out of 5 from Inside Mac Games, the review highlighted that the game "fulfills its promises" for players familiar with its comedic approach.
During late 1998, it achieved the status of the best-selling software at Walmart and secured a position within the top 10 U.S. sales charts. In 1999, it ranked tenth on PC Data’s list of best-selling games, with total sales reaching 343,756 copies.
Following its launch, Simon & Schuster was met with objections from hunting enthusiasts concerning the game's content. Walter Walker, a vice president at the company, responded to these complaints with a dismissive attitude.
Sequels
The original title led to multiple follow-ups: Deer Avenger 2: Deer in the City, Deer Avenger 3D, and Deer Avenger 4: The Rednecks Strike Back.
Released in 2000 for PC, Deer Avenger 3D introduced characters rendered in polygonal graphics. A Sega Dreamcast version, developed by Westlake Interactive also in 2000 but never officially launched, was uncovered in 2017 when a pre-production GD-ROM surfaced at a garage sale in New Jersey.
In the fourth game, the character Bubba appears as an angel and alludes to a potential Deer Avenger 5, which remains unproduced.
The collection also comprises compilations such as Deer Avenger: Stag Party, featuring the first two games, and Deer Avenger: Open Season, which includes the first three installments.