Presto Studios
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video game development |
| Founded | 1990s |
| Fate | Ceased software creation in 2002 |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Products | The Journeyman Project series, Myst III: Exile, Whacked! |
Presto Studios was a computer game developer active during the 1990s, recognized primarily for the acclaimed The Journeyman Project series and the 2001 follow-up to Cyan's Myst series, Myst III: Exile.
In August 2002, after launching the Xbox game Whacked!, Presto Studios halted all new development activities. Executive producer Greg Uhler explained:
Owing to a combination of business, financial, and personal factors, Presto Studios will discontinue software creation. Whacked! for Xbox will be our final release. Although the company will continue to exist legally for several years, it will no longer produce new titles. A small team, including Michel and myself, will remain until the end of October.
Company shutdown
The last game developed by Presto Studios was Whacked!. Even with financial stability, the firm encountered difficulties adapting from PC-based development to console platforms. With expectations of a declining PC gaming market, management opted to close operations while still in a strong position. Numerous creative personnel subsequently moved on to influential positions within the film and animation industries.
Game releases
| Year | Title | Platform |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Hi-Rez Audio Volume 1 | Macintosh |
| 1993 | The Journeyman Project | Macintosh, Windows |
| 1994 | The Journeyman Project Turbo! | |
| 1995 | The Journeyman Project 2: Buried in Time | |
| 1997 | The Journeyman Project: Pegasus Prime | Macintosh, Windows, Linux |
| Gundam 0079: The War for Earth | Macintosh, PlayStation, Windows | |
| 1998 | The Journeyman Project 3: Legacy of Time | Macintosh, Windows |
| 1999 | Star Trek: Hidden Evil | Windows |
| 1999 | Stephen King's F13 | Macintosh, Windows |
| 2000 | Myst: Masterpiece Edition | Macintosh |
| 2001 | Myst III: Exile | Macintosh, Windows, Xbox, PlayStation 2 |
| 2002 | Whacked! | Xbox |
| Cancelled | Beneath (intended release in 1999) | — |
| The Journeyman Project 4: Resurrection (planned for 2000) |
Beneath
Developed as a third-person action-adventure game, Beneath was intended for release by Activision in 1999 but was ultimately shelved.
Set during the year 1906, the storyline centered on Jack Wells’ Arctic expedition in search of his missing father, which led him into an extensive underground realm.
Its 3D engine utilized 16-bit graphics combined with hardware acceleration technology, designed to offer cutting-edge visual capabilities for its era.