Working Designs
This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
Redding, CA 96001 | |
Key people | Victor Ireland, Todd Mark, Sylvia Schmitt |
---|---|
Website | http://www.workingdesigns.com/ |
Working Designs was an American
On December 12, 2005, Victor Ireland, President of Working Designs, announced via the company's
History
Working Designs was initially founded as a software company focusing on logging management software for the IBM PC.[1] After lead programmer Todd Mark's death in 1988, Victor Ireland was hired to complete Mark's unfinished work before transitioning the company to a game publisher in 1990.[2]
Working Designs published games for the
Working Designs became known for their incorporating quirky, distinctively American humor in their translations. President Victor Ireland maintained that the company has always adhered as closely to the original Japanese text as they could while making it understandable to U.S. audiences, and said the addition of American-style humor was necessary to replace Japanese jokes which most Americans would not be able to understand.[3]
When the
Working Designs often postponed releases for upwards of a year.[
Working Designs did not publish for the GameCube or Xbox. Ireland had been pursuing the rights to titles on both consoles, but kept finding himself outbid on the few titles that matched his company's skills.[citation needed] When asked why he passed on Lunar Legend for the Game Boy Advance, a title he already owned the right of first-refusal on, he said it was because the game was mediocre and because he still disliked the expense of publishing cartridges.[citation needed] He initially dismissed the Nintendo DS, saying that although production costs had come down significantly, the high wait times were still costly, and endorsed Sony's PlayStation Portable (PSP) and may have been pursuing titles for that handheld. Upon his company's demise, Ireland quietly withdrew his support of the PSP, and voiced his support for the Xbox 360.[citation needed]
Due to a series of delays, approval snags, and sagging sales, Working Designs announced on December 12, 2005 that all existing staff had been laid off and the company was effectively defunct.[citation needed] In a public statement posted on the message board hosted at Working Designs' official site, President Victor Ireland, though expressing much gratitude for strong core fan support over the years, stated that a series of complications related to the approval of upcoming games for the PlayStation 2 had created a loss of revenue from which the company would not be able to recover. Ireland however went on to express optimism that a possible publishing deal may occur in the future with the support of remaining WD staff, likely for the Xbox 360.[citation needed]
Games published (in alphabetical order)
TurboGrafx-16
- Cadash
- Cosmic Fantasy 2
- Exile
- Exile: Wicked Phenomenon
- Parasol Stars
- Vasteel
Sega CD
- Lunar: The Silver Star
- Lunar: Eternal Blue
- Popful Mail: Magical Fantasy Adventure
- Vay
Sega Saturn
- Albert Odyssey: Legend of Eldean
- Dragon Force
- Iron Storm
- Magic Knight Rayearth
- Sega Ages
- Shining Wisdom
PlayStation
- Alundra
- Arc the Lad Collection
- Elemental Gearbolt
- Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete
- Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete
- RayStorm
- RayCrisis
- Silhouette Mirage
- Thunder Force V
- Vanguard Bandits
PlayStation 2
- Growlanser II and III as Growlanser Generations
- Gungriffon Blaze
- Silpheed: The Lost Planet
References
- ^ "WD Trivia/Storytime Thread - Page 17". www.gaijinworks.com. Retrieved 2019-05-09.
- ^ "Working Designs Company Profile". Working Designs. 2005-01-11. Archived from the original on 2005-12-30. Retrieved 2019-05-09.
- ^ a b "Working Designs: Sega's RPG Workhorse". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 88. Ziff Davis. November 1996. pp. 134, 138.
- ^ "Behind the Screens". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 85. Ziff Davis. August 1996. p. 61.
- Imagine Media. June 1997. p. 19.
- ^ "Working Designs to End Publishing for Sega". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 98. Ziff Davis. September 1997. p. 73.