Out of
the ashes of
MicroProse Software (1982-2001) co-founded by legendary game designer
Sid Meier emerged
MicroProse Systems (
MPS) last summer -- yes, the "p" is lowercase now. The MPS brand was acquired from
Atari Interactive (formerly
Infogrames Interactive) and earlier this year an initial lineup of consumer electronics cabling, power products and game controllers was announced. Headquartered in
New York City, New York, it already appears that this 'next generation' MPS has aligned itself more with the hardware and accessory side of the industry though they have stated that they have game development ongoing too. The company
also has [PDF file] three offices, one in three different cities and states:
Wilmington, DE,
Lorain, OH and
Mountain View, CA. All of
these locales have populations of roughly 70,000 people with one on the American West Coast and two on the East
as is MPS' headquarters. None of these locations currently
have entries in directory listings provided by American communications giant
AT&T. Oh, in case you were wondering: no they are
not providing support of
legacy MicroProse Software products...
at this time.
PRODUCTS
According to the
company's entry on
Wikipedia (
WP), MicroProse Systems has been divided into two divisions: "Blue" for their consumer electronics and "Red" for its video game and software division. While this has yet to be confirmed or denied by any MPS representative publicly, this supposition is given credence given the colour scheme of its website, logo and byline on that logo as also seen on
their website (reproduced farther below). As stated by the
company itself, they have an
all new line of strategic simulations... on the horizon that are
in the same spirit of quality and exciting gameplay that players expect from [MPS]. At the same time, it is also stated -- on the same page of their website no less -- that they are a
Video Game accessories and Consumer Electronics products firm and make no mention of software in the same breath. At present MPS'
product lineup consists of Digital Television Receiver/Converters, a High Definition Multimedia Interface (
HDMI) switch, cabling for consoles including the
PlayStation 3,
Wii and
Xbox 360, lithium batteries for the
PlayStation Portable and three gaming controllers, some of which appear to be compatible with computing platforms including the
Macintosh and
Linux operating systems. One of MPS' converters received
National Telecommunications and Information Administration (
NTIA) certification on March 3rd
of this year. But the road to that certification was rocky and has left some would-be early customers of MicroProse Systems with a bad taste in their mouths.
The NTIA is a
United States government agency that is principal adviser to its President on telecommunications policies pertaining to the country's economic and technological advancement and on regulation of the telecommunications industry. In late May, they
issued a consumer alert about MPS' digital-to-analog TV converter box that the company claimed capable of passing analog signals through to a TV set. The reason: they had not certified it eligible for their 'TV Converter Box Coupon Program'. The model in question was the 'MPI-500PT', not the 'MPI-500' pictured above -- as
found on PRLog -- that had been specifically announced as being NTIA certified. Then and still now, their converter program is for households in the United States wanting to keep their analog television sets after February 17, 2009 when full-power TV broadcasters in the U.S. switch from analog to fully digital signals. (Why this measure? To offer
consumers a clearer picture, more programming choices and... free up the airwaves for better communications among emergency first responders and new telecommunications services as
worded by the country's
Department of Commerce (
DoC).) The public program allows each household to obtain up to two coupons, worth $40US each, that can be applied towards the cost of eligible converter boxes. (Such boxes
cost between $45-$70US according to the DoC.) The NTIA alert came swiftly, two days after MPS in conjunction with the American
Community Broadcasters Association (
CBA) issued a press release that
reasonably implied the 'MPI-500PT' converter from MPS was eligible for this coupon program too. The CBA's Vice President
placed the blame on the NTIA for bureaucratic delays, further stating that not only did MPS communicate to them that this converter had the agency's approval but that the CBA's own tests indicated that the unit performed exactly at it should.
But there's more to this story. It has been
said that for the roughly two weeks prior to the NTIA alert, MicroProse Systems had been selling the contested 'MPI-500PT' converter in its online store. A user on the
AV Science forums
published a picture of his MPS converter box that he received, claiming with it that though he ordered a 'MPI-500' he received one of its 'PT' cousins instead. Yet not only does the photo show that the receiver looks like the 'MPI-500' but the box that is also shown in the shot reads "Model MPI-500". In any event, it seems that
within a day of the
National Telecommunications and Information Administration alert being issued, MPS apparently
cancelled those outstanding orders and
shut down its online store in response. Beyond redeeming a few of the NTIA-supplied coupons they had received by then, it
sounds as though MPS staff donated their
own coupons to customers who lost theirs because of the NTIA alert and aftermath.
It
looks as though since early July anyway, the NTIA has had the beleagured 'MPI-500PT' converter
certified eligible for their coupon program alongside the 'MPI-500'; again, the latter is the model that does not have the same conversion ability. Nearing two months since then, the NTIA categorizes both MPS' converters as not being available for purchase. MicroProse Systems has not re-opened its online store either -- at least, not yet. Taking
some recent accounts of availability at face value, these boxes' are set to return to the marketplace September 19th of this year when MPS expects its California-based warehouse to be restocked with units of both models. This facility is likely located at or near the location of the company's reported office in the state city of Mountain View.
PEOPLE
No names behind the MicroProse brand's re-launch efforts have been disclosed by the company on their website, though they themselves collectively state that they are a
team of veterans of the video game industry. At the same time, a little digging unearths two names and varying intrigue. The company's
domain entry lists the registrant and overall contact as Frederic Chesnais. An individual by the same name has
a biography on
MobyGames which lists four
Atari Inc. titles to his credit including
Neverending Nights 2 and its
Mask of the Betrayer expansion pack. In the
latter most of these, his title is Chief Executive Officer of
Atari Interactive Inc. as
well as on
BattleZone released the year before in 2006. Corroborating this is a number of MPS press releases, including one
as recent as mid-June of this year as posted by
Reuters, which credits Chesnais as the creator of the
Interactive Game Group (
I2G)... which incidentally has no known website for itself. The document reads that I2G
acquir[es] video games and other interactive entertainment properties and notes that Chesnais is the
former Chief Executive Officer of Atari Interactive, Inc with a decade-long experience in acquiring, financing and licensing intellectual property rights in the video game industry.
As for when Chesnais must have left Atari then and under what circumstances, that is proving more difficult for members of the public to narrow down. Buried in an
edit record of Wikipedia's main entry on MicroProse is a claim that Chesnais resigned from Atari during the summer of 2007. Credibility to this entry is that the user who input it, Marty Goldberg,
has been recognized for his contributions to the online encyclopedia by one of its Senior Editors not once but twice. Further, this Editor has notably contributed to the greater
MicoProse discussion as well. A few weeks after this pertinent entry was added to WP in early March of this year, someone using the username 'Microprose'
removed that portion of the entry with no reason given. Credit for keeping Goldberg's submission at least somewhat findable online is the News Poster for
Strategy Core, Jason "baby arm" Konoske, who cites it in
a post of his on its forums. [It's how this amateur investigator came across it.] Keep Goldberg's name in mind as it will appear again later in this article.
As for the identity of the second MPS representative, his name is Curt Vendel. He is
the company's Director of New Business Development. His corporate email address has been
disclosed by some members of the public, mostly in relation to the converter box fiasco recounted earlier. His name is attached to MPS' listing on the NTIA manufacturer
contacts page, and provides an address based in Carmel, NY with a 888 number associated to it. Carmel is roughly 62 miles
north of New York City and the specific mailing address
is situated in what is arguably laid out as a residential area. Unless it's another name coincidence, this is the Vendel
who worked for Atari by contract of his
Legacy Engineering Group company between 2004 and 2005 to design video game consoles pre-programmed with classic Atari console titles of the 1970s and 1980s. While there no known photographs of Chesnais online, a
number of photos indexed by search engine
Google show a man credited as Curt Vendel and with Atari merchandise no less. One such picture can be seen at right.
In terms of the average consumer getting ahold of someone at MPS, it has been slow coming since mid-May but that should be about to change. They are
to be getting a new phone and help desk support service up and running in
late August. (Though a "Dan Kolton" is quoted at this link, there is no reasonable evidence to suggest that he works for MicroProse Systems and can instead be presumed to be quoting a MPS representative he contacted.)
PERSPECTIVES
No products from MicroProse Systems are available in the marketplace... anymore if you want to get technical about it. Yet
in listing its game controllers, the company provides pricing and release dates that still read last or this month. Expectation that this MPS will continue the tradition of gaming industry excellence its predecessor was celebrated for is running high, but so is speculation that this will not be the case. The number of curiosities already surrounding its people and products seem to be at best regarded with cautious optimism. The varying shades of the "for" and "against" camps all have arguments to support their cause, though combined they arguably fit more neatly into a holding pattern. That said, the volume of this buzz by analysts and gamers alike has been minimal so far; given the low profile the new MPS has largely kept and there being plenty of other matters to attract the attention of the video and computer gaming audience, this is not necessarily surprising. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration consumer alert, the
only such alert the agency has issued on digital converter boxes from any company to date, does not seem to have attracted much attention out of immediate circles in the industry.
As is, public reaction to the 'not return' of MicroProse has been mixed. Writing for
Gaming Nexus, Dan Keener
remains neutral in his news item on the subject though the headline could be regarded as at least mildly favourable.
Classic Gaming's Marty "Retro Rogue" Goldberg has positioned himself as a staunch supporter; you may recall that name from the Wikipedia-based discussion earlier about the resignation of Frederic Chesnais from Atari, and it's highly probable that given the context this is the same individual. He
proclaims that MPS
is back with the impending
return of [the] industry legend. Following a technical rundown on the company's expected initial product lineup, he shares his belief that the company is
positioning itself for a solid base of income from which to grow and is
certainly in for the long haul. Then there are voices expressing the opposite view that are comparable to the disgruntled consumers and MPS customers in some cases on
AV Science's forum. The address of
Engadget blogger Donald Melanson's
brief on MicroProse Systems may be somewhat amusing but he most certainly is not with the emergence of this company. Its products
likely wouldn't garner a second glance if not for the brand, he laments, leaving gamers
of a certain age longing for the MPS of old even more than they already still do. His most damning and telling sentiment reads loud and clear in his headline "Microprose returns to show Commodore how to really tarnish a brand". A user whose site is his namesake (or vice versa)
takes a similar stance but with a measure of pragmatism.
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Quote:
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In what is almost a slap in the face... to gamers, [MicroProse] will... make a very crude-looking gamepad/joystick (looking like a relic from 1985) which will surely have gamers lined up around the block. All of these products branded with the once proud [MPS] logo. [..] I seriously wish them success, but I also wish they did not have to tarnish the name of one of the greatest game developers in history to get it. So I ask you, gamers who remember the [MPS] that was: Is it really back?
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With so many unknowns and uncertainties, it's difficult to gauge MPS' potential let alone any performance indicators. In mid-August, the NTIA issued a press release
expressing satisfaction with the participation in their digital conveter coupon program by those affected by the American nationwide television signal delivery turnover. These rates vary across the country, however, so despite the bumpy and ultimately late arrival to the game (no pun intended
) MPS may still be able to affect a decent profitable return on their investment on this product line. They are currently a privately held company, but could become publicly traded if its owners choose to raise funds through an
Initial Public Offering (IPO) -- its predecessor did
just that in the early 1990s following the release of two arcade games that did not fare well. But that is only one incomplete interpretation of the prospects of
Microprose Systems, a new company for which there are many unanswered questions and even more questions on those that have been answered.
Unfortunately, a number of points made in this exposition are based heavily or even solely on accounts by users to the AV Science forum; passionate and at times intriguing, they have unfortunately proven unverifiable by more credible third-parties at present. Not even the Internet Archive Wayback Machine can shed some light on what may or may not have been published on MPS' website in recent months, but hopefully this is temporary and by year's end there will be some illumination to guide the inquisitive eye. For the ears, a ditty of sorts: their website is powered by Flash and if your World Wide Web browser supports the technology, is enabled and your speakers are on and working, you should be able to hear a brief but base-intensive chord upon loading.
For better or for worse, the MicroProse name now lives on in MicroProse Systems. It has big shoes to fill.
