GameSpy:

Strategy First

GameSpy: Who started your company and in what year?

Christina Ginger: It all began over lunch one day in 1988. After another hectic day in the financial world, Don McFatridge, Steve Wall and Dave Hill asked each other the fateful question " If you could start all over again what would you do? Drawing on their past as board game designers, they took the leap into a new and innovative business, beginning their own computer game company, Strategy First Inc. Shortly after, Richard Therrien joined the group and the dream was set in motion..

GameSpy: How did you decide on your company name?

Christina Ginger: When the partners decided to start their own computer game company, they wanted to focus on strategy titles. Most of the titles we have released thus far have featured strong strategy elements. We are now beginning to shift our focus slightly to develop and publish more mainstream games, like Zero-G Marines, The Pit (working title) etc. However, we aren't giving up on the strategy genre. It has many followers and we plan on continuing to make great games that make people think!!

GameSpy: How did you decide on the logo and are you still using the original? If it is not the original logo, what prompted you to change it?

Christina Ginger: Four partners, four characters in the logo...We wanted to represent the different styles of games that we would develop and publish. Consequently you have a sports character, a role-playing character, a space (rts) character, and an action (army) character. We have maintained the logo since the beginning. The only changes that we've made is make it gold and also 3D so that it is rotatable on our web site.

2006 Update: Strategy First has now published over 100 video games and developed a number of strategy titles.

Blizzard

GameSpy: Who started your company and in what year?

Debra Osborne: Allen Adham, Mike Morhaime & Frank Pearce founded the company under the name of Silicon & Synapse in February, 1991. The name was changed to Blizzard Entertainment in 1994.

GameSpy: How did you decide on your company name?

Debra Osborne: The Silicon & Synapse name was a high concept creation by Allen, Mike and Frank. The Blizzard name was randomly picked out of a dictionary by Allen.

GameSpy: How did you decide on the logo and are you still using the original? If it is not the original logo, what prompted you to change it?

Debra Osborne: The Silicon & Synapse logo was created by Stu Rose, one of our long-time artists. The original Blizzard logo was also created by Stu and is still in use today.

2006 Update: Blizzard acquired console developer Swingin' Ape in 2005, and they are currently running the world's most popular MMO, World of Warcraft.

Digital Anvil

GameSpy: Who started your company and in what year?

Eric Peterson -- co-founder: There were 8 founders in 1996. Chris Roberts, Erin Roberts, Tony Zurovec, Marten Davies, Craig Cox, John Miles, Eric Peterson, Robert Rodriguez.

GameSpy: How did you decide on your company name?

Eric Peterson: We were trying to come up with a name that sounded like it fit our image...hard work & high tech. Thus Digital Anvil was born.

GameSpy: How did you decide on the logo and are you still using the original? If it is not the original logo, what prompted you to change it?

Eric Peterson: It is not the original logo, we have since updated to a more 3D logo.

2006 Update: Microsoft officially dissolved Digital Anvil on January 31, 2006.

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