1991 Digital Magic Software
Platform: SEGA Mega Drive
Described as a sort of strategic Space Harrier game, ShockWave sent enough shockwaves to impress magazines of the day for the Amiga, but did you know that a SEGA Mega Drive edition was later on the cards in 1991?
Thanks to an article with Digital Magic Software in June 1991 (published July 1991 in Games X magazine), they reveal that the group were bringing in equipment to do Mega Drive games, and Shockwave was being lined up as the first title.
We were not sure how far the team got with a conversion – but it seemed unlikely likely that they didn’t get anywhere. DMS would close its doors not too long after the article, leaving titles like Escape from Colditz to gather dust. But then who knows – perhaps a test or something more was done?
Jules Burt kindly got in touch via the comments, not recalling the timelines exactly – but saying that they did get the SEGA hardware and began learning how to use it. It took a few weeks before it was felt they could be productive. However, the team got work to convert Titus’ Prehistorik to Genesis. After not getting paid, they ended up prototyping and pitching a Beach Volleyball game to EA, before ending up doing the EA Sports Soccer prototype instead.
From an interview with Jules, it looks like this was after the closure of DMS, and that they never got the SEGA kit whilst DMS was running. It looks like Shockwave on the Genesis therefore never got off the ground at all – so it could very well be a case closed already!
With thanks to Ross Sillifant for highlighting, Jules Burt for information and Archive.org for the scans.
Gallery
I definitely don’t recall the timelines…but I do know we got the Sega hardware and did start learning how to use it. It was quite different from the Amiga I do remember and it took me a number of weeks before I started feeling like I could be productive. Then we got some work to convert Titus’ Prehistorik to Genesis but after not getting paid, we were also prototyping and pitching a beach volleyball game to EA, but ended up doing the EA Sports Soccer prototype instead…and the rest as they say is history! :-)
Keep in mind that back then, the runway for articles in print magazines was easily 6 to 12 weeks. So in theory, they could have gotten at least a bit into the port.
Then again, sind they were new to the platform, chances are that even then they were still finding their way around.