Park Place Productions
Maktal, Inc. dba Park Place Productions was a development company near San Diego, California, United States [1], started by Michael Knox and Troy Lyndon in 1989 [2] with $3,000 and a credit card. [3] With clients such as Electronic Arts, it grew to be North America's largest independent game development company. [4]
Meteoric growth brought much expansion. Contract developer Knight Technologies was acquired. Software testing was moved in-house, which was spun off into a company called Bug Busters. Spirit of Discovery (originally incorporated in California on January 2, 1992 [5]) was established as a publishing arm for DOS and Windows software. [6] (It eventually relocated to Kaneohe, Hawaii. [7])
However, by 1994, Park Place was experiencing financial problems. Further compounding matters, Sony Imagesoft opened up a studio nearby and hired a number of former Park Place employees. [8] Still, the company limped along for a few more years with a much smaller staff.
Lyndon later started Christian game maker Left Behind Games in 2001. Knox served on the board of directors for a time. [9] Knox died of colon cancer on September 15, 2009, at the age of 48. [10]
Research Methods: Actual mentions, interviews, online resources (see Links)
3DO
- 3D Adventures (unreleased)
- 3D Football (unreleased)
Commodore 64
- ABC Monday Night Football (US Publisher: Data East)
- Game Design: Season Ticket Productions
- Dream Team, The: 3 on 3 Challenge (US/CA Publisher: Data East)
- Game Design: Season Ticket Productions
DOS
- ABC Monday Night Football (US Publisher: Data East)
- Game Design: Season Ticket Productions
- Batman Returns (US/EU Publisher: Konami)
- Game Design: Subway Software
- Beat the House (US Publisher: Spirit of Discovery)
- Berenstain Bears Learn About Counting, The (US Publisher: Compton's New Media)
- Bo Jackson Baseball / TV Sports: Baseball (US Publisher: Data East; EU Publisher: Mindscape)
- Body Illustrated (US Publisher: Spirit of Discovery)
- David Robinson Basketball (unreleased?) (Sega)
- Draft & Print (US Publisher: Spirit of Discovery)
- Dream Team, The: 3 on 3 Challenge (US/CA Publisher: Data East)
- Game Design: Season Ticket Productions
- Dvorak on Typing (US Publisher: Interplay)
- Facts in Action (US Publisher: Spirit of Discovery)
- Human Calculator, The (US Publisher: Compton's New Media)
- Learn to Type? [11]
- NFL Video Pro Football (US Publisher: Konami)
- Typing for Today (US Publisher: Interplay)
Famicom/NES
- Roundball: 2-on-2 Challenge (US/EU Publisher: Mindscape)
Game Boy
- Chessmaster, The (US Publisher: Hi Tech Expressions; JP Publisher: Altron)
- New Chessmaster, The (US Publisher: Hi Tech Expressions; JP Publisher: Altron)
Jaguar
- 3D Football (unreleased) [12]
Macintosh
- Beat the House (US Publisher: Interplay)
- Did Park Place do this version?
Mega CD/Sega CD
- Kung Fu: The Legend Continues (unreleased) (Sunsoft)
- NFL's Greatest: San Francisco vs. Dallas 1978-1993 (US Publisher: Sega)
Development of ESPN Baseball Tonight and ESPN National Hockey Night was likely started at Park Place but finished at Sony Imagesoft. (Sony hired a number of former Park Place employees.)
Mega Drive/Genesis
- Champions World Class Soccer (EU/US Publisher: Flying Edge; JP Publisher: Acclaim; BR Publisher: Tec Toy)
- Dan Marino Power Play Football (unreleased) (Virgin)
- Dick Vitale's "Awesome, Baby!" College Hoops (US/AU Publisher: Time Warner Interactive)
- ESPN Baseball Tonight (US Publisher: Sony Imagesoft)
- Jeopardy! (US Publisher: GameTek)
- Jeopardy!: Deluxe Edition (US Publisher: GameTek)
- Jeopardy!: Sports Edition (US Publisher: GameTek)
- Joe Montana Football (US/EU/JP Publisher: Sega)
- John Madden Football / John Madden American Football (US/EU Publisher: Electronic Arts; BR Publisher: Tec Toy)
- Lennox Lewis Boxing (unreleased) (Acclaim)
- Muhammad Ali Heavyweight Boxing (US/EU Publisher: Virgin)
- NHL Hockey / EA Hockey / Pro Hockey (US/EU Publisher: Electronic Arts; JP Publisher: Electronic Arts Victor)
- Road to the Cup Hockey '94 (unreleased) (Electro Brain) [13]
Development of ESPN National Hockey Night and ESPN SpeedWorld was likely started at Park Place but finished at Sony Imagesoft. (Sony hired a number of former Park Place employees.)
Lobo was originally being programmed at Park Place. It was finished at Ocean of America.
Super Famicom/Super NES
- Champions World Class Soccer (JP/US Publisher: Acclaim)
- ESPN Baseball Tonight (US Publisher: Sony Imagesoft)
- John Madden Football / Pro Football (US Publisher: Electronic Arts; JP Publisher: Imagineer)
- Kawasaki Caribbean Challenge (US Publisher: GameTek)
- Kung Fu: The Legend Continues (unreleased) (Sunsoft)
- Muhammad Ali Heavyweight Boxing (unreleased) (Virgin)
- NFL Football (US/JP Publisher: Konami)
- NHLPA Hockey 93 (US Publisher: Electronic Arts)
- Pigskin Footbrawl (unreleased) (RazorSoft)
- Road to the Cup Hockey '94 (unreleased) (Electro Brain)
- Super Slam Dunk / Magic Johnson no Super Slam Dunk (US/JP Publisher: Virgin)
Development of ESPN National Hockey Night and ESPN SpeedWorld was likely started at Park Place but finished at Sony Imagesoft. (Sony hired a number of former Park Place employees.)
NFL Quarterback Club was originally being developed at Park Place. Unfortunately, Park Place programmers going to Sony delayed the game [14], and the final product was developed at Iguana. [15]
Windows
- Beat the House (US Publisher: Interplay)]
- Beat the House 2 (game design) (US Publisher: Interplay)
- Developer: Cetasoft
- Caesars Palace series (game design) (US Publisher: Interplay)
- Developer: Cetasoft
- Gales Indy Extreme (unreleased)
- Jeopardy! (US Publisher: GameTek)
- Jeopardy! Deluxe?
- Wheel of Fortune (US Publisher: GameTek)
- Wheel of Fortune Deluxe?