Dynamix
| Company type | Subsidiary (after 1990) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | January 1, 1984 in Eugene, Oregon, United States |
| Founder | Jeff Tunnell, Damon Slye |
| Defunct | August 2001 |
| Fate | Shut down by Sierra On-Line (Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing) |
| Headquarters | Eugene , United States |
| Products | Red Baron, The Incredible Machine, Front Page Sports series, Betrayal at Krondor, Tribes |
| Parent | Sierra On-Line (from 1990) |
Dynamix, Inc. was a United States-based video game development company active between 1984 and 2001, well-known for producing titles such as the flight simulation game Red Baron, the puzzle classic The Incredible Machine, the Front Page Sports franchise, the role-playing game Betrayal at Krondor, and the multiplayer shooter Tribes.
History
Established in Eugene, Oregon in 1984 by entrepreneurs Jeff Tunnell and Damon Slye, Dynamix had already launched its debut game, Stellar 7, before officially becoming a company. The studio created several games for the Commodore 64 platform, including the atmospheric title Project Firestart. Early on, Dynamix collaborated with Penguin Software and Electronic Arts on action games, among them one of the pioneering Amiga releases, Arcticfox. Following a brief stint as an independent publisher, Dynamix was acquired by Sierra On-Line in 1990.
At the time of acquisition, Dynamix was working on Red Baron, which initiated Sierra’s "Great Warplanes" series of flight simulators. The studio also developed notable adventure and simulation games such as The Adventures of Willy Beamish and popular puzzle games like Sid & Al's Incredible Toons. The successful Front Page Sports series—covering Football, Baseball, and Golf—was created by designers Pat Cook and Allen McPheeters. Both Red Baron and Front Page Sports Football were accessible on the ImagiNation Network.
Dynamix gained recognition for its early implementation of digitized visuals, animations, and sound effects on platforms such as PC, Atari ST, and Amiga. This technological advancement was evident in titles like Pete Rose Pennant Fever, licensed movie games including Die Hard and Ghostbusters II, as well as games like David Wolf: Secret Agent and Death Track.
By 1994, Dynamix had secured a solid foothold in the flight simulation market. That year saw the introduction of the Metaltech series—a giant robot combat franchise that progressed into two installments of Earthsiege and subsequently Starsiege. From this lineage emerged the acclaimed multiplayer series Tribes. Additionally, Dynamix developed Outpost 2: Divided Destiny, continuing Sierra’s strategy/survival game line.
In August 2001, amidst corporate restructuring under Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing, Sierra On-Line shut down Dynamix. Several leading figures, including founder Jeff Tunnell, stayed in Eugene to establish a new development studio and publisher named GarageGames, continuing their involvement in game creation.
Torque Game Engine
A number of original Dynamix staff went on to form GarageGames with a focus on creating a game engine tailored for independent developers alongside publishing efforts. They obtained the source code for Tribes 2’s engine from Sierra, revamped it, and initially released it under the name V12. Due to trademark issues, it was subsequently renamed the Torque Game Engine (TGE). TGE is a professional-quality 3D engine that was initially available for licensing starting at $100 USD before being made open source under the MIT License.
List of games developed by Dynamix
| Title | Release | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Stellar 7 | 1983 (Apple II) 1984 (C64) |
Software Entertainment Company Penguin Software (C64) |
| Sword of Kadash | 1985 (Apple II, C64) 1986 (Atari ST, MacOS) |
Penguin Software Polarware (MacOS) |
| Skyfox (ports only) | 1986 (Atari ST, MacOS) | Electronic Arts |
| Arcticfox | 1986–1989 (Multiple platforms) | Electronic Arts DROsoft (MSX) |
| GBA Championship Basketball: Two-on-Two | 1986–1987 (Multiple platforms) | Activision |
| Championship Baseball | 1987 (Amiga, Atari ST) | Activision |
| Skyfox II: The Cygnus Conflict | 1987–1989 (Multiple platforms) | Electronic Arts |
| The Train: Escape to Normandy | 1988 (DOS) | Accolade |
| Pete Rose Pennant Fever | 1988 (DOS) | Gamestar, Inc. |
| Caveman Ughlympics | 1988–1990 (Multiple platforms) | Electronic Arts Data East (NES) |
| F-14 Tomcat | 1988–1990 (C64, DOS) | Activision |
| Abrams Battle Tank | 1989–1991 (DOS, Genesis) | Electronic Arts Sega (Genesis) |
| MechWarrior | 1989–1993 (DOS, X68000, PC-98) | Activision Cross Media Soft |
| A-10 Tank Killer | 1989–1991 (DOS, Amiga) | Dynamix |
| Ghostbusters II | 1989 (DOS) | Activision |
External links
- Articles with short description
- Sierra Entertainment
- 1984 establishments in Oregon
- 2001 disestablishments in Oregon
- American companies founded in 1984
- Video game companies founded in 1984
- Video game companies closed in 2001
- Companies located in Eugene, Oregon
- Defunct Oregon-based companies
- Defunct American video game firms
- Video game development studios
- 5
- Companies of the United States by year of establishment
- American companies established in 1984