Tiertex Design Studios (also known as simple Tiertex) was a British video game developer from Manchester founded in 1987[1]. Working under publisher U.S. Gold, Tiertex worked on the European home computer ports of Strider and later developed Strider II as an original sequel, under license from Capcom USA.
History
Tiertex was initially founded in 1987 by programmers Donald Campbell and John Prince, in a time when work for console and handheld consoles was on the rise and there were plenty of opportunities for independent game developers[1]. Tiertex was primarily contracted by U.S. Gold to develop ports of successful Arcade games for various home computer platforms on Europe. Tiertex's initial works include ports of the skateboarding Arcade game 720°, helicopter-based shooting game Thunder Blade and the Indiana Jones game based on the third film.[1]
In 1989, U.S. Gold hired Tiertex to produce ports of Strider to home computers. Tiertex developed six different ports simultaneously for the 16-bit home computers Amiga and Atari ST; 8-bit home computers Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64; as well as a DOS port for PC. Tiertex has to code all ports basically from scratch, with Capcom's only involvement being handing the company an Arcade cabinet for the staff to play and extract graphics from. The ports were released later that year and received mostly positive reviews in spite of their numerous shortcomings.
Some time later, U.S. Gold and Tiertex took advantage of the Strider license and made their very own sequel titled Strider II for the same formats. Developed originally as a completely unrelated game codenamed "TOR", Strider II was not as well received as the original and has since been removed from the series canon.
Tiertex went on to develop more than 200 titles for a variety of platforms, both in the domestic and handheld markets, until at least the early 2000s. Currently, the company is focused on embedded designs, developing USB development boards and USB LED matrix displays, a move founder Campbell explains was made to return to the company's roots as programmers of 8-bit games.[1]
Staff
This is a list of known staff members at Tiertex who worked on either Strider or Strider II, revealed through video game magazine articles and interviews conducted years later. The lack of staff roll credits was a common practice at Tiertex, whose higher ups vehemently opposed inclusion of staff rolls in their games and preferred no individual to be credited over the company itself.[2]
| Position | Name | Worked on |
|---|---|---|
| Programmers | Chris Brunning | Strider (ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC) |
| John Prince | Strider (Amiga, Atari ST) | |
| Paul Cole | Strider, Strider II (Commodore 64) | |
| Paul Marshall | Strider (Master System) | |
| Allan Findlay | Strider II (Mega Drive) | |
| Danny Whelan | Strider II (Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Master System, Game Gear) | |
| Dave Healey | Strider II (Amiga) | |
| Paul Gill | Strider II (Atari Lynx, cancelled) | |
| Artists | Andrew Ingram | Strider (All versions), Strider II (Amiga, Atari ST) |
| James Clark | Strider (all versions) | |
| Dave Price | Strider II (Mega Drive) | |
| Steve Harding | Strider II (Atari Lynx, cancelled) | |
| Steve Watson | Strider II (Mega Drive, Game Gear) | |
| Wayne Billingham | Strider II (Commodore 64) | |
| Composer | Mark Tait | Strider (all), Strider II (home computers) note |
| Tester | Daniel Curvey | Strider II (Mega Drive, Game Gear) |
| Hired staff | Julie Bell | Strider II (Master System, Mega Drive, Game Gear) note |
| Leigh Christian | Strider II (Amiga) note | |
| Nick Pavis | Strider II (Amiga) note | |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Customer Profiles - Tiertex". rapidonline.com. Accessed December 17, 2018
- ↑ Scion (February 11, 2010). "Interview with Allan Findlay". LSCM 4.0. Accessed August 20, 2021.
| Strider video game series |
|---|
| Games |
| Strider (Home computers • Mega Drive • Master System • PC Engine • Sharp X68000 • PlayStation • Mobile) Strider (NES) • Strider II/Returns • Strider 2 • Strider (2014) Compilations • Crossovers • Related Games |
| Characters |
| Hiryu • Grandmaster Meio • Solo • Kuniang M.A. Team Tong Pooh • Hien • General Mikiel • Ouroboros |
| Recurring Elements |
| Striders • Cypher • Climb Sickle • Options • Kazakh Federation Anti-Gravity Device/Gravitron • Mecha Pon • Flying Battleship Balrog • The Third Moon |
| Other Articles |
| Capcom • Moto Kikaku • Tiertex Design Studios • Double Helix Games Isuke • Patariro • Other key staff • Strider Hiryu (Manga) • Capcom Gamebooks Merchandise • Soundtracks |