Incline SSI founder donates company collection to museum

[LESS T_T]

The Strong National Museum of Play's International Center for the History of Electronic Games has acquired another great piece of video game history. Joel Billings, founder of Strategic Simulations, Inc. has donated a collection including company documents, source code, and games to the museum covering the period from the company's 1979 founding until its sale to Mindscape in 1994.

SSI is best remembered for its "gold box" series of games based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons franchise, which kicked off in 1988 with the release of Pool of Radiance.

Over the last several years, the museum has racked up some important collections, including one from Microsoft covering Windows and Xbox products, and a massive collection of Japanese video games.

For more on this extensive new addition to the museum's library, head over to its CHEGheads blogfor the post from ICHEG director Jon-Paul C. Dyson.

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/...under_donates_company_collection_to_ICHEG.php

donated a collection including company documents, source code, and games to the museum covering the period from the company's 1979 founding until its sale to Mindscape in 1994

The museum also has acquired documents from Will Wright, Don Daglow, Ken Williams and Roberta Williams before.

Unfortunately, these are not accessible to the public and it seems they have no online archives for these yet. But if you are researcher, journalist or someone, you could appoint on-site access to the collections.

I wodner any codex scholars interested in dig these up for the codex?


Oh, and this.

Spoiler

 

[Trash]

That's fucking awesome. SSI were responsible for some of the best gaming experiences of my youth. Amazing company. Buck Rogers, Dark Sun, Eye of the Beholder, Roadwar.

 

[Cyberarmy]

That's fucking awesome. SSI were responsible for some of the best gaming experiences of my youth. Amazing company. Buck Rogers, Dark Sun, Eye of the Beholder, Roadwar.

Those were the days...
I knew that I won't be dissapointed when I see SSI logo. Can't say this for any company nowadays.

 

[Gondolin]

Panzer General

 

[Trash]

That's fucking awesome. SSI were responsible for some of the best gaming experiences of my youth. Amazing company. Buck Rogers, Dark Sun, Eye of the Beholder, Roadwar.

Those were the days...
I knew that I won't be dissapointed when I see SSI logo. Can't say this for any company nowadays.

Not to mention that when I would open the box (an actual box!) I knew I would find a nice manual. Often with reference cards, maps and other assorted goodies. Sure, they had nothing on what Microprose added in this department but compared to today these games where veritable goodie bags.

 

[Cyberarmy]

Them boxes...
Each boxed game was a collectors edition back then by todays standarts. Closest games I got like this lately are Withcer 2 and Demons Souls...

 

[Art Vandelay]

You bought that Witcher crap?hahahaha

 

[artakserkso]

Just saw yesterday's news posted on GOG today, hope there isn't an open thread about it already.

Long story short, Joel Billings donated a bunch of SSI-related goodies to The Strong National Museum of Play's International Center for the History of Electronic Games. Here is the original blog post:

http://www.icheg.org/blog/chegheads/2013/12/the-strategic-simulations-inc-collection

and a relevant snippet:

"Billings has given to ICHEG an extensive array of materials documenting more than 15 years of SSI history, from its founding through its acquisition by Mindscape in 1994. The collection includes documents, market research, company meeting notes, financial statements, clippings, company catalogs, and many other business records—including a printout of the master copy of the code for Computer Bismarck."

You can see the photo of the collection if you follow the link to the blog post above.

EDIT: Was duplicate thread (now merged with this one).

 

[Luzur]

uh, Ubisoft retired SSI years ago, how can SSI give things away then?

should be "Joel Billings gives away stuff to museum".

 

[Dorateen]

"It belongs in a museum!"

 

[Luzur]

too bad SSI was retired by Ubisoft years ago..

 

[artakserkso]

uh, Ubisoft retired SSI years ago, how can SSI give things away then?

should be "Joel Billings gives away stuff to museum".

True dat. Fixed.

EDIT: Oops, it was a duplicate thread after all. Oh well.

 

[taxalot]

You know one day, Ubi Soft is going to join that museum.

 

[mondblut]

Greatest company ever

Too bad a certain pile of Sir-Tech documents is unlikely to ever appear in that museum

 

[Galdred]

It's one of the company I miss the most (with Microprose). Steel Panthers, Gold Box, Chaos Gate...

 

[Excidium]

I think I remember him talking about that on the matt chat interview. Neat.

 

[Abelian]

Any chance that the Sir-tech documents from the ebay auction will end up in the museum?

Spoiler

 

[deuxhero]

They have the source code but didn't release it to the public?

I'm assuming there are some rights issues involved, who do we pester to allow this to be released to the public? Normally companies say they lost it, but they can't use that excuse now.

 

[Irenaeus]

One of my favourite companies as a kid. Loved Great Naval Battles: North Atlantic