Storm Impact
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software development, Video game publishing |
| Founded | 1989 |
| Founder | David Cook |
| Defunct | 1997 |
| Headquarters | Glenview, Illinois , United States |
Key people | David Cook, Tom Zehner, Dan Schwimmer, Dave Friedman |
| Products | TaskMaker, MacSki, Asterbamm, Technical Snapshot, The Tomb of the TaskMaker |
Storm Impact operated as a software developer and publisher specializing in Macintosh platforms, headquartered in Glenview, Illinois. The company was active from 1989 until 1997. The founding member and principal figure was David Cook, accompanied by artist Tom Zehner, with additional input from Dan Schwimmer and Dave Friedman. Initially, Storm Impact licensed its products to external publishers but transitioned to distributing shareware independently starting in 1993.
Products
The company's debut release was the role-playing game TaskMaker, which came out in 1989 through XOR Corporation. The following year, XOR published Storm Impact’s most successful commercial title, the skiing simulator MacSki. This game earned favorable critiques in Macworld and was honored with induction into the magazine’s Game Hall of Fame as the Best Sports Game of 1990.
In 1993, Storm Impact introduced an enhanced shareware edition of TaskMaker, followed by an improved shareware version of MacSki in 1994.
By 1996, the company launched the shareware shoot 'em up Asterbamm along with the utility software Technical Snapshot, although both failed to achieve significant commercial success. In 1997, they released The Tomb of the TaskMaker, a sequel to their original role-playing game.
Litigation
In 1998, Storm Impact and David Cook initiated legal action against Software of the Month Club for unauthorized distribution of shareware copies of TaskMaker and MacSki. The court ruled in favor of Storm Impact, recognizing copyright infringement and awarding $20,000 in statutory damages. The judgment also clarified that posting software online does not authorize unrestricted distribution.
Demise
David Cook, owner of Storm Impact, cites several reasons behind the company’s closure, including market evolution and insufficient capital investment. Contributing factors encompassed a declining Macintosh user base, rapid advancements in gaming technology exceeding the company’s development capacity, and the shareware business model’s demands for continuous order fulfillment and customer support well beyond initial release.