Strategy First
Encyclopedia
Strategy First is a software company based in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. Founded in 1988, the company has published numerous well-known games, such as the Disciples series
Disciples 3: Renaissance
Disciples III: Renaissance is a turn-based strategy game. The publisher Strategy First changed the developer from Game Factory Interactive to Akella's studio .dat. It has been working on this project since the summer of 2005....

, Jagged Alliance series, Space Empires series, and Galactic Civilizations
Galactic Civilizations
Galactic Civilizations is a turn-based strategy computer game developed by Stardock and released in March 2003. The game is a remake of a vintage OS/2 series of the same name. An expansion pack entitled Altarian Prophecy was released in July 2004...

.

Conflicts

Strategy First has had conflict with Introversion Software
Introversion Software
-History:The company was founded in 2001 by three friends, Chris Delay; Mark Morris; and Thomas Arundel, who met when they were undergraduates at Imperial College London...

. The company was distributing copies of Introversion's title Uplink
Uplink (computer game)
Uplink is a video game released in 2001 by the British software company Introversion Software. On 23 August 2006, it was made available for purchase on Valve's Steam service and on 24 March 2011 it was made available for purchase from the Ubuntu Software Center...

entitled Uplink: Hacker Elite. However, after filing for bankruptcy, Strategy First suspended paying royalties to Introversion, already owing them tens of thousands of dollars. Introversion severed its ties with the company.

Former Strategy First developer Legend Studios also reported a conflict culminating in a press release issued February 11, 2005 where they claimed the publisher "breached the Software Publishing and Distribution Agreement", and that "we have not receive a single sales report, payments for royalties and they practically have not fulfilled a single point in our agreement."

In a postmortem article about the development of Galactic Civilizations II, Stardock
Stardock
Stardock Corporation is a software development company founded in 1991 and incorporated in 1993 as Stardock Systems. Stardock initially developed for the OS/2 platform, but was forced to switch to Windows due to the collapse of the OS/2 software market between 1997 and 1998...

 founder Brad Wardell stated, regarding the original title, that "Publisher Strategy First filed for bankruptcy without paying a significant portion of the royalties we were owed." Gaming news sites have also reported conflicts involving Strategy First, such as a news item by gaming industry site Gamasutra
Gamasutra
Gamasutra is a website founded in 1997 for video game developers. It is owned and operated by UBM TechWeb , a division of United Business Media, and acts as the online sister publication to the print magazine Game Developer...

 that reported developer BattleGoat Studios
BattleGoat Studios
BattleGoat Studios is a Canadian software developer founded in 2000. They were formed to develop the PC Game title Supreme Ruler 2010, which is a new updated version of a game concept originally developed by George Geczy in 1982, a text-based strategy video game called Supreme Ruler released for...

 co-founder George Geczy stating that "We had to give them 50 cents off the dollar just to get our money out of them."

The strategy developer Pollux Gamelabs
Pollux Gamelabs
Pollux Gamelabs was a Danish game development company. It was started in May 2004 by Flemming Pedersen, later joined by 3 friends and in March 2005 the company moved into the IT-University...

 also reported a conflict with Strategy First and the release of the 4X strategy game Lost Empire
Lost Empire
Lost Empire is a 4X turn-based strategy video game developed by Pollux Gamelabs and released in June 2007.-Synopsis:The game is set in the year 4620. There are seven major civilizations in space, humankind is one of them...

. According to the Lost Empire
Lost Empire
Lost Empire is a 4X turn-based strategy video game developed by Pollux Gamelabs and released in June 2007.-Synopsis:The game is set in the year 4620. There are seven major civilizations in space, humankind is one of them...

forums, Pollux Gamelabs
Pollux Gamelabs
Pollux Gamelabs was a Danish game development company. It was started in May 2004 by Flemming Pedersen, later joined by 3 friends and in March 2005 the company moved into the IT-University...

 cancelled all cooperation with Strategy First due to some disagreements between the two companies, details of which were not specified.

An openly published accusation from i-Deal Games Studio, who were responsible for the sanctioned mod Jagged Alliance 2: Wildfire, states: "Due Methodical breach of software distribution agreement by Strategy First side i-Deal Games has terminated its agreement with Startegy First inc."

In a post on the Steam community forum on June 14, 2009, Technetium Games, publishers of "SlamIt Pinball", also posted claims that Strategy First was not paying royalties or making reports of sales. "Strategy First is still not paying us any money. They are not sending us any report on sales. They are telling us stories and giving explanations."

New ownership

In 2004, Strategy First Inc filed for bankruptcy protection.
On April 21, 2005 Strategy First was acquired by Silverstar Holdings. Terms of the acquisition included "cash consideration to the creditors of Strategy First of $609,000; we issued 377,000 shares of our common stock; warrants to purchase 200,000 shares of our common stock; and assumed approximately $400,000 in existing bank debt, as well as contingent consideration based on the future profitability of Strategy First."
Silverstar Holdings Ltd. was a publicly traded company registered in Bermuda (traded on NASDAQ
NASDAQ
The NASDAQ Stock Market, also known as the NASDAQ, is an American stock exchange. "NASDAQ" originally stood for "National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations". It is the second-largest stock exchange by market capitalization in the world, after the New York Stock Exchange. As of...

 under symbol SSTR), with their web home page stating that they are "focusing on acquiring controlling positions in high-growth retail-driven and fee-based electronic game businesses that stand to benefit from the economies of scale generated by the Internet and other technology-related platforms." Silverstar completed a purchase of game developer Empire Interactive
Empire Interactive
Empire Interactive was a UK based video game developer and publisher founded in 1987. It was closed under administration on 4 May 2009.-About Empire Interactive:...

 on December 4, 2006, and claimed in a December 14, 2006 press release that with the addition of Empire Interactive titles to the Valve 'Steam' service, "we are delighted that in this short time the first collaborative effort between Empire and Strategy First has born fruit."

The Silverstar SEC filing for its quarter ended September 30, 2006, indicates that Strategy First was not providing a significant flow of revenue: "We have recognized a net loss of $941,000 during first quarter fiscal 2007 compared to a net loss of $48,000 during the same period in the prior fiscal year. Significant items that contributed to the increased loss included an increase in operating losses to $583,000 in the first quarter of fiscal 2007 as compared to $421,000 in the first quarter of fiscal 2006. This increase was primarily caused by decreases in sales recognized by Strategy First."

Financial difficulties

On March 12, 2009 Strategy First's parent company Silverstar Holdings Ltd was formally delisted from the NASDAQ market after failing to meet a timeline extension to become compliant with NASDAQ Marketplace Rules, specifically they "had not regained compliance with the stockholders’ equity requirement". The final statements publicly published by Silverstar were for the period ending December 31, 2008, filed on February 20, 2009. In these statements, Silverstar indicated that Strategy First revenues were minimal for the three months ended December 31, 2008 ("about $400,000" out of revenues of $8.7 million), with the bulk of revenues coming from the Empire Interactive division. Silverstar's total loss for this period was $3.4 million. As of December 31, 2008 Silverstar reports current assets of about $4 million versus liabilities of $17 million. Accounts Payable and Royalties Payable totaled $4.3 million, versus only $422,000 in available cash. In their management review Silverstar states "These factors raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Since June 2008, the Company has been seeking to raise additional capital in the form of both debt and equity; to this point with no success. The results of the quarter ended December 31, 2008 have further impacted the Company’s liquidity position and without a very short-term solution to this lack of liquidity, there is substantial doubt about the Company’s ongoing viability."

Subsequent to the SEC 10-Q filing, Silverstar reported that on May 1, 2009 their Empire Interactive
Empire Interactive
Empire Interactive was a UK based video game developer and publisher founded in 1987. It was closed under administration on 4 May 2009.-About Empire Interactive:...

 division filed for "administration" (bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....

) in the UK, and that "Empire has sold its intellectual property assets to New World IP, LLC ", and all 49 staff were laid off. New World IP then leased the rights to publish Empire's entire catalogue to Zoo Games.

Additionally, Silverstar has reported that it is in default on its repayments on both its 2008 and 2006 Debentures

Industry partners

In December 2005, Strategy First partnered with Valve Corporation's
Valve Corporation
Valve Corporation is an American video game development and digital distribution company based in Bellevue, Washington, United States...

 Steam distribution network, becoming the first entertainment software publisher to do so. Most of Strategy First's titles are available through Steam, including franchises such as Disciples, Jagged Alliance, and Space Empires.

Notable titles

  • 1914 Shells of Fury
  • Brigade E5: New Jagged Union
    Brigade E5: New Jagged Union
    Brigade E5: New Jagged Union is a real-time tactical role-playing game game developed by Russian developer Aperion. It was released in 2005 in Russia, and on 17 October 2006 in North America. It has received poor reviews and has a rating of 41 out of 100 from Metacritic...

  • Culpa Innata
    Culpa Innata
    Culpa Innata is a third person point-and-click adventure game by Istanbul-based developer Momentum AS and published by Strategy First. The game, according to the developer, was inspired by Alev Alatlı's novel Schrödinger's Cat.-Gameplay:...

  • Dangerous Waters
    Dangerous Waters
    Dangerous Waters is a naval simulator developed by Sonalysts Combat Simulations, and was released on February 22, 2005.-Overview:Dangerous Waters features many player-controllable units deployed in the armed forces of 18 different countries. Campaign mode allows a player to control forces as the...

  • Darkstar: The Interactive Movie
  • Disciples: Sacred Lands
    Disciples: Sacred Lands
    Disciples: Sacred Lands is a turn-based PC strategy game published by Strategy First in 1999. Set in a fantasy world known as the Sacred Lands, it was a battle for dominance between four races of the world of Nevendaar: The Empire , the Mountain Clans the Legions of the Damned , and the Undead...

  • Disciples II: Dark Prophecy
    Disciples II: Dark Prophecy
    Disciples II: Dark Prophecy is a PC game by Strategy First that was released on January 24, 2002. The game is the sequel to the 1999 game Disciples: Sacred Lands, and has become significantly more successful in terms of both sales and popularity than its predecessor...

  • Enemy Engaged 2
    Enemy Engaged 2
    Enemy Engaged 2 is the sequel to Enemy Engaged: Comanche vs Hokum. It was released on May 25, 2007. Though the sequel was improved in some ways compared to the first game, it has been highly criticized for its lack of new features. Many improvements were already implemented in the of the first game...

  • Europa Universalis
    Europa Universalis
    Europa Universalis is a grand strategy video game released on March 14, 2000 by Paradox Interactive and distributed in North America by Strategy First...

  • Galactic Civilizations
    Galactic Civilizations
    Galactic Civilizations is a turn-based strategy computer game developed by Stardock and released in March 2003. The game is a remake of a vintage OS/2 series of the same name. An expansion pack entitled Altarian Prophecy was released in July 2004...

  • Hearts of Iron
    Hearts of Iron
    Hearts of Iron is a grand strategy computer game developed by Paradox Interactive and published by Strategy First, set in the years 1936-1948. In the game you can control any one nation as World War II unfolds. It was released for Windows-compatible PCs in 2002. A Macintosh version was also...

  • Jagged Alliance
    Jagged Alliance
    Jagged Alliance is a tactical role-playing game released in 1994 for MS-DOS and in 2009 for the Nintendo DS. It is the first game in the Jagged Alliance series, and was followed by Jagged Alliance: Deadly Games and Jagged Alliance 2 .-Plot:Jagged Alliance takes place on the fictional south...

  • Jagged Alliance 2
    Jagged Alliance 2
    Jagged Alliance 2 is a tactical role-playing game for PC, released in 1999 for Windows, and later ported to Linux by Tribsoft. It is the third game in the Jagged Alliance series, and was followed by two expansions: Unfinished Business and Wildfire...

  • Legion Arena
    Legion Arena
    Legion Arena is a real-time tactical RPG by Slitherine Strategies that allows the player to play as several tribes during the rise of the Roman Empire. The player can play as the Latin tribes, the Celts and the Romans. It is published by Freeverse Software for Mac OS X and Strategy First for Windows...

  • Making History: The Calm & The Storm
    Making History: The Calm & The Storm
    Making History: The Calm & The Storm is a World War II grand strategy computer game released in March 2007 by developer Muzzy Lane. Similar in ways to the popular board games Axis and Allies and Risk, Making History is turn-based with basic industrial, economic, resource, research and diplomatic...

  • O.R.B: Off-World Resource Base
    O.R.B: Off-World Resource Base
    O.R.B: Off-World Resource Base is a space strategy game developed and published by Strategy First. Much like Homeworld and its sequel Homeworld 2, units can move in all three spatial dimensions.-Story:...

  • Perimeter 2: New Earth
    Perimeter 2: New Earth
    Perimeter 2: New Earth is a sequel to the 2004 real-time strategy video game Perimeter. Despite the commercial success of its predecessor, Perimeter 2 was not a big success....

  • Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood
    Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood
    Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood is a 2002 stealth-based real-time strategy video game developed by Spellbound Studios. It is similar to games such as Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive and the Commandos series. In the game, the player controls up to five characters in a setting based on the...

  • Space Empires IV
    Space Empires IV
    Space Empires IV is a turn-based 4Xstrategy computer game developed by Malfador Machinations and published by Strategy First as part of the Space Empires series in which players control an alien race in an attempt at galactic conquest.- Gameplay :...

  • Space Empires V
    Space Empires V
    Space Empires V is a 4X turn based strategy game that was released in 2006. It was developed by Malfador Machinations and published by Strategy First. The game retains many races and technologies from its predecessor, Space Empires IV .-Gameplay:While Space Empires V retains much of its...

  • Supreme Ruler 2010
    Supreme Ruler 2010
    Supreme Ruler 2010 is a computer wargame in which a player who controls all aspects of a region's government attempts to unite a world of fragmented states of the world in the year 2010....

  • World Basketball Manager
    World Basketball Manager
    World Basketball Manager is a PC game that lets you take charge and manage basketball teams all around the world, inside or outside the NBA. It is the first Greek computer game to ever get published outside Greece....

  • World War II Online
    World War II Online
    Also known as "World War 2 Online", "WW2OL", "WWIIOL", "Battleground Europe", "BE".World War II Online: Battleground Europe is a massively multiplayer online first-person shooter computer game. It was released was on June 6, 2001 for Windows, with the Apple Macintosh version being released in 3Q...


See also

  • List of Strategy First games
  • Paradox Interactive
    Paradox Interactive
    -External links:*...

  • Stardock
    Stardock
    Stardock Corporation is a software development company founded in 1991 and incorporated in 1993 as Stardock Systems. Stardock initially developed for the OS/2 platform, but was forced to switch to Windows due to the collapse of the OS/2 software market between 1997 and 1998...

  • Steam by Valve Corporation

External links

  • Strategy First homepage
  • Strategy First profile on MobyGames
    MobyGames
    -Platforms not yet included:- Further reading :* Rusel DeMaria, Johnny L. Wilson, High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media; 2 edition , ISBN 0-07-223172-6...

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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