Bit Managers

Bit Managers
Company typePrivate
IndustryVideo games
Founded1988 (as "New Frontier")
FounderAlberto Jose González (co-founder)
Defunct2005
FateBought by Virtual Toys
HeadquartersBarcelona, Spain

Bit Managers, formerly known as New Frontier, was a video game developer based in Barcelona (Spain). It was co-founded by Alberto Jose González, who composed the music for all of their games except Bang!, a coin-operated arcade machine. [1]

History

The company was founded in 1988 as "New Frontier", initially programming games for ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and MSX computer systems. The company at first met with only modest success. In 1992, the company changed its name to Bit Managers and began to make games for Nintendo consoles (especially for Game Boy). It focused on creating innovative games based on Franco-Belgian comics such as Asterix, The Smurfs or The Adventures of Tintin for a client company, Infogrames.

In 1997, Bit Managers was chosen by Acclaim Entertainment to develop some games of the Turok series for Game Boy. In 1998, the year of the launch of Game Boy Color, Bit Managers was the first third-party developer to finish two Game Boy Color titles (Turok 2 and Sylvester & Tweety).

That same year, the company was bought by a Spanish arcade video gaming company Gaelco. Bit Managers also ported the Gaelco arcade game Radikal Bikers to PlayStation shortly afterward.

In 2001, the former principals of Bit Managers re-purchased the company. Bit Managers continued their relationship with Infogrames, developing several games for Game Boy Advance.

In 2005, the Spanish video game company Virtual Toys, bought Bit Managers. That business relationship continues and Bit Managers is a subsidiary of Virtual Toys Barcelona.[2]

Games

Title Console Publisher Date
The Morning Adventure Game Boy Advance Virtual Toys Summer 2003
Inspector Gadget Racing Game Boy Advance LSP Christmas 2002
The Revenge of the Smurfs Game Boy Advance Infogrames Autumn 2002
Droopy's Tennis Open Game Boy Advance LSP Summer 2002
Asterix & Obelix: Bash Them All! Game Boy Advance Infogrames February 2002
Baby Felix Halloween Game Boy Color LSP Christmas 2001
Tintin in Tibet Game Boy Color Infogrames Spring 2001
Tintin: Prisoners of the Sun Game Boy Color Infogrames Christmas 2000
Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion Game Boy Color Acclaim Summer 2000
UEFA 2000 Game Boy Color Infogrames Summer 2000
Radikal Bikers PlayStation Infogrames Summer 2000
Ronaldo V-Football (Ronaldo V-Soccer in the USA) Game Boy Color - B/W Infogrames 2001, January 1, 2002 (USA)
Turok: Rage Wars Game Boy Color Acclaim 2000
Die-Maus Game Boy Color Infogrames Autumn 1999
Asterix & Obelix Game Boy Color Infogrames Summer 1999
Hugo 2½ Game Boy Color - B/W Infogrames Summer 1999
Turok 2: Seeds of Evil Game Boy Color - B/W Acclaim Christmas 1998
Sylvester & Tweety: Breakfast on the Run (Looney Tunes: Twouble! in the USA) Game Boy Color - B/W Infogrames Christmas 1998
Ottifanten Game Boy Infogrames Autumn 1998
Sea Battle Game Boy Infogrames Autumn 1998
Bang! Coin-op Gaelco Spring 1998
Die-Maus Game Boy Infogrames Spring 1998
Turok: Battle of the Bionosaurs Game Boy Acclaim Christmas 1997
Hugo 2 Game Boy Laguna Christmas 1997
Tintin: Prisoners of the Sun Game Boy Infogrames Spring 1997
Spirou Game Gear Infogrames Unpublished (1996 copyright date)
Spirou Game Boy Infogrames Christmas 1996
Tintin in Tibet Game Gear Infogrames Autumn 1996
Tintin in Tibet Game Boy Infogrames Summer 1996
Asterix & Obelix Super NES Infogrames Christmas 1995
Asterix & Obelix Game Boy Infogrames Summer 1995
The Smurfs Master System Infogrames Christmas 1994
The Smurfs Game Gear Infogrames Christmas 1994
The Smurfs NES Infogrames Autumn 1994
The Smurfs Game Boy Infogrames Summer 1994, 1998 (USA)
Metal Masters Game Boy Electro Brain Christmas 1993
Asterix NES Infogrames Autumn 1993
Asterix Game Boy Infogrames Summer 1993
Bomb Jack Game Boy Infogrames Summer 1992
Pop Up (Cool Ball in the USA) Game Boy Infogrames, Takara (USA) Spring 1992, August 1994 (USA)
Mystical Spectrum Infogrames Autumn 1991
The Light Corridor Spectrum, Amstrad, MSX Infogrames Summer 1991
North & South Spectrum, Amstrad, MSX Infogrames Christmas 1990
Hostages Spectrum, Amstrad, MSX Infogrames Spring 1990
Magic Johnson Basketball Spectrum, Amstrad, MSX Zafiro Spring 1990
Time Out Spectrum, Amstrad, MSX Zafiro Christmas 1988

Bang!

Bang! is a wild west shoot 'em up game created for the Gaelco GG-1v machine, and released by Gaelco in 1998.[3] It featured cartoon graphics; single-player and 2-player modes, and offered the use of a light gun and control button inputs.[4][5]

References

  1. ^ "Interview: Alberto Gonzalez". good-evil. July 16, 2009. Archived from the original on March 16, 2010. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  2. ^ "Press Start!" (PDF). Retro Maniac. May 2012. pp. 20–21. Retrieved January 21, 2013.[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ Bang! at the Killer List of Videogames
  4. ^ Note: The rules are the same as Point Blank: the player starts up with three lives, with a goal to complete each stage by reaching the requested quota of hits (or points). If the player fails; gets hit by a bandit; or shoots the wrong target; they lose a life.
  5. ^ Bang!; at Arcade History; retrieved .