An Interview with a former Game Tester for NEC

[henrycsc]

You might be surprised to know that at least 2 of our forum members are former NEC employees! 
UPDATE: Both employees have agreed to the interview, and I now (4/14/15) have responses from one on several questions.  I will refer to her answers as R1 and to the 2nd person as R2, when I get them.

How to have Timeball of your life   
A1   What years did you work for NEC?
R1: I worked for NEC from the beginning to the end.  People were hired in waves to start, initially it was three waves of hiring, one group hired two weeks prior to the start of the opening of the helpline, two weeks later, and the following two weeks.  This gave people a chance to learn the games, learn how to field the calls.  Although knowing the games was key, we had to also be able to talk to customers for the TurboGrafx Customer Service line.  Originally the number was a regular toll call.  The idea was that if someone was stuck on a game, or needed help with finding games, wanted to know release dates, or anything relating to Turbo games, we would be able to help them.  Originally we could not provide codes to games.  Later we switched to a 1-900 format which required customers to pay by the minute, so then we could provide programmers codes to people who asked.  The irony was that all the magazines at the time (Game Pro, etc.) printed them up anyways! 

A2   How old were you when you got hired?
A3   You worked in NEC's Wood Dale, IL location, were you living there before the job?
A4   Were you hired before the launch of the TG16?
A5   How did you find out about the job?

A6   Describe what you remember of the interview process.
R1: The interview process was very easy for me, as they were eager to hire me (probably because I was a girl!)  The uniquest question I can recall is they asked me questions about what Easter Eggs were, and what bosses in levels were!
   
Trail-Blazing Lazers   
B1   What specifically did you do for NEC that was Turbo-related?
R1: My specific job was to learn games that were coming out, test new games (sometimes on e-proms or unlabeled CD's, play test games on occasion on the PC Engine and answer calls.  I helped critique some of the games that were coming out before they came out.  I helped look for bugs in games.  I worked on some projects that were early in their development, and some that were already developed but needed tweaking.   I was involved in the Play Tour that was a game tour where they featured Turbo Games, console play, and various giveaways at different venues to promote the system when it was coming out.  These were so much fun!  : )  Actually everything was fun!  : )

B2   Describe a typical work-day.
B3   What was the office setup?  (Big open room? Cubicles? Games being tested everywhere?)
R1: NEC at one time had two locations that I was aware of, in IL.  One in Schaumburg, and one in Wood Dale.  To my knowledge, all of the TurboGrafx Dept, including Marketing, was located in Wood Dale.  All Reps worked out of the Wood Dale Location.  To my recollection, there were around 45 Reps, give or take a few.  No one worked from home.  All calls went to the Wood Dale location to our call center. 
Not all the Reps were passionate about the system.  Reps had varying background, most were college students, but there were a few older Reps as well.  Our office setup changed as the powers that be changed it.  Originally we had open tables with monitors at "stations".  There were only a few that had CD players on them, most of us had the basic TurboGrafx system with a TurboBooster to start.  Later as more CD games came out, they upped their game with more CD stations.  The monitors were NEC monitors, and we basically had phones with headset options.  We could play games unless we had calls, but I will tell you some of the guys turned the phones off, or disconnected their phones if they wanted to keep playing the games.  Some people tried to transfer calls to other Reps, just so they could play their game.  I wasn't like that, but some of them felt they were there just to play the games or test games, and didn't really want to provide customer service, which was supposed to be our goal...to support the TurboGrafx.  Just like we had hiring waves, we had firing waves too.  We had employees that wouldn't show up, not do their job, or try to take things, because you have to imagine that thousands of dollars of equipment were just laying there...things started to "walk away".  Games had to be locked up in a filing cabinet, and checked in and out at some points.  Even eproms just kind of "walked away". That was the dark side of things.
We started out in this really prime spacious spot then ended up in what felt like a really big closet with cubicles in the end.  I think I knew things were going downhill fast was when our Marketing Dept. in their infinite wisdumb (yes spelled that way on purpose!) decided to launch the phone number as a 1900 number.  I remember them coming in to tell us this, and being like, we are now officially the Titanic, because it was such a bad idea!  Who wants to pay $1.00 a minute to ask questions about a game that they already paid for?!!!  Seriously?!!!!  This is when our "Don't give out the codes" policy went out the window.  A majority of our calls were "Give me the code to beat the game" calls.  Back then 1900 calls were the in thing, so Marketing claimed they were being trendy....my thing was it was  yet another attempt to syringe more  blood from a turnip.  We received less calls, and were less able to have that good contact with TurboGrafx fans...plus it just ticked everyone off! 
To summarize...we started out in Neutopia, and ended up in Double Dungeons!!!! 

B4   Did NEC make you take work home, and were you upset in any way by this?
B5   How many people worked in your area doing the same thing?
B6   Were any of the testers female?
B7   What is the approximate age range for the group of testers?
B8   Did you pay attention to retail launches of any of the games you tested?
B9   Do you remember testing any games that never got released?  If so, what games?
   
Making sure it's a Victory Run   
C1   Do you know if every NEC released game got tested in your group?
C2   Did you get to test/collaborate with any of the third party developers?  (Working Designs, Accolade, etc)
C3   Were each of the game testers assigned specific games, or did everyone get to play all the games?
C4   What measures did NEC take to ensure the quality of not only the games being tested, but also the testers themselves while on the job to ensure their in-house standards for game quality were being met?
C5   How did NEC train you to meet their in-house standards for evaluating game quality?
C6   Do you still have any of NEC's QC documents?
C7   Were you also testing for sound effects and game music quality?
C8   Did you have a nice audio setup for testing audio during gameplay?
C9   Were you expected to complete each game you tested?
   
Crew of Silent Debuggers   
D1   Can you think of an example where a game was originally presented to you with glitches or bugs that made it potentially unplayable?  How was that situation handled?
D2   How did you officially give feedback?  Written? Oral? Was there a rating sheet/score system?
D3   Are there any particularly memorable Class A (soft-lock/hard-lock/crash) bugs that you remember?
D4   Are there any particularly memorable Class B (standards compliance) bugs that you remember?
D5   Did a developer ever really and seriously respond to a Class C (it-would-be-better-if) bug report?
D6   Do you remember any game getting released with known Class A bugs?
D7   Do you remember any particular games and/or developers as having to go through round-after-round of submissions to get a product passed?
D8   Do you have any memories of particular late nights trying to get a developer's game approved before a production deadline (usually for a Thanksgiving release here in the US)?
D9   Were most of the games fully translated at the time you tested them?
D9a   If yes, were you able to provide feedback on grammar or storyline?
D9b   If no, were you given any written translation to help with gameplay?
D10   Were you allowed to give input on gameplay mechanics?
D11   What was NEC or your supervisor's reaction if you had negative feedback about a game?
D12   Since NEC ended your group, have you been in touch with any them?
D13   Were you allowed to bring visitors (family/friends) to the office?
D14   Were you sworn to secrecy or allowed to brag about what you were playing?
   
Outside the Boxyboy   
E1   Did NEC encourge feedback about the product that was outside the scope of your job description?
E2   What is your opinion on why the TG16 was not more successful in North America?
E3   Did you get to give feedback on the packaging artwork, and what did you think about it?
E4   What did you think of NEC's marketing strategy?
E5   Did NEC ever ask your group for feedback on marketing strategy?
E6   Did your group's feedback help approve or block a game for release?
E7   Did you get a chance to test games that were going to be released in the U.S but never came out?
   
What R-Type did you use?   
F1   Did you test on a standard Turbo Grafx 16?
F2   Did you test on a standard Turbo Grafx CD?
F3   Did you test on a standard Turbo Express?
F4   Did you test on a standard Turbo Duo?
F5   Did you test on PC Engine Hardware modified to play US games?
F6   Did you test on any developer or custom hardware?  If yes, can you describe what you remember about it?
F7   Articles have indicated that in the era before CD-R technology, the expense of pressing sample discs resulted in NEC using modified hardware with PC technology for debugging, did you use or see any of this type of configuration?
F8   Assuming only one custom hardware setup was available to the group, were you assigned shifts for using it?
F9   Are you familiar with the Super Grafx, and did NEC discuss integrating that system into the US market?
F10   Did you test hucards on EPROMS?
F11   Did you test sample hucards?
F12   Did you test retail pc engine hucards using a region adapter?
F13   Do you have any memory of how test CDs were marked (handwritten? Typed? Codes? Names?)
F14   Since this was before CD-R technology, did NEC have strict handling practices for sample discs?
F15   Did you get to test any Super-CD Rom titles?
F16   Did you point out hardware issues? (ie Using the 6' extension between the tap and console causes controller lag)
F17   Did you test games using a Turbo-Link with two Turbo Express setup?
F18   Did you test four and five player games within the group, how were those sessions?
F19   Do you know what language the developers used to write the games? (C or Assembly?)
F20   Do you know if NEC's development toolkit made a big difference for game developers?
   
   
Life in Fantasy Zone   
G1   Do you remember the first game you ever tested?
R1: The first game everyone had to pass was Keith Courage....I HATED THAT GAME!  It was horrible...You had to pass it before you could play any others.  We had to pass games in a certain order in the beginning, because we needed to know everything about them.  All the guys were beating it so quickly and moved on, but here I was still stuck on stupid Keith Courage.  Don't get me wrong, I was a gamer, but this game was so aggravating!  They promoted that it was this great game they were going to throw in with the system, because they wanted to appeal to a wide audience.  I was dying because I just hated the game so much, (sorry Keith Courage Fans!), and just wanted to move on!  So some of the guys were like hey you want the code to win....I didn't do it, but apparently a lot of them had, just so they could pass the game!  Finally I won, and so I was so excited to get my next game, and what do they put me on? Victory Run!  Seriously?  Could I not be tortured any more? LOL! 

G1A: SO, IT SOUNDS LIKE NEC "PUSHED" KEITH COURAGE INTERNALLY.  DID THEY TAKE ANY CRITICISM ABOUT IT?
R1: NEC seemed to promote Keith Courage as a fun family game, basically because it was coming with the system.  They had decided (to my knowledge) that it would appeal to most audiences, especially younger players.  There was some statistic about the average gamer age that was repeated, however I do not recall what the actual statistic was.  They were originally seeming to market it to that bracket, but I found through my rep experience that it was actually appealing to a different demographic as the games evolved in complexity and became more sophisticated.  It seemed to appeal more to the hardcore gamers because of the games offered. 

G1B: DID NEC JUSTIFY WHY THEY FELT KEITH COURAGE WAS THE MOST APPROPRIATE PACK-IN?
R1:I did hear quite often that Keith Courage was not a favorite from many older callers, and that it did not accurately showcase the TurboGrafx graphics or abilities.  Quite honestly, as much as I personally disliked the game, I was of the opinion that most systems did not usually include their best game with their systems "starter pack" anyways so that you would want to purchase more games.  I was more of the thought that it was hard to appeal to a wide variety of interests, so including an Adventure Game category did make sense, because if you think of it, if you included a shooting game or just a role play game, those typically appeal to a certain audience.  Adventure games can appeal to a wider audience when you are trying to "sell" a system.  Those are just my thoughts on it.  I don't recall ever being pushed to promote Keith Courage by itself per se...it was just the game that came with the system.  My personal opinion was that a better game could have been included, but looking at it from the marketing perspective, I can see why it was chosen.  (That is about where my agreement with any marketing strategies regarding the Turbografx ends!!!!)

G2   Do you remember the titles that were officially available on launch day?
G3   Are there any games that you specifically remember testing?
G4   Can you list your top 10 favorite TG16/PC Engine titles?
R1: My favorite Turbo Games, in no particular order, are Ys I and II, Dungeon Explorer, Military Madness, Neutopia, Dragon's Curse, Devil's Crush, Alien Crush, Blazing Lazers, Galaga, Bonk's Adventure, Bonk's Revenge, Legendary Axe, JB Harold, It Came From the Desert (even with all the glitches LOL), Splatterhouse, Sherlock Holmes to name a few.  My least favorite  is Camp Califorrnia for a million and one reasons...I consider that game our "jump the shark" moment for which I can go into another day! 

G5   What was your best part of working for NEC?
R1: The best part about working for NEC was talking to people from all over the country, and playing games before they came out!  I met so many interesting people over the phones, and I and a few other reps began to have callers that called for us....they were kind of like turbo "fans", and were excited to know what it was like to work there.  I would get regular callers that would call me a certain day of the week, that would only want to talk  to me.  There  were  a few reps that had a following.

G6   What were your favorite games that you tested?
G7   What was your favorite drink/snack while you game tested?
G8   When "the boss" bought the testers dinner for those late nights ... was it ever anything more interesting than the industry-standard pizza?
G9   Any good Christmas Party memories?
G10   Of the group of testers, were you the best at 5 player bomberman?
G11   Do you remember the last game that you tested for NEC?
   
   
Working with the Lords of the Rising Sun   
H1   Did you get to meet any of the executives from Japan?
H2   Were you aware at the time of the PC Engine's successes in Japan?
H3   Did you get to meet any of NEC's North American decision makers?
H4   Were you given announcements of PC Engine titles that were under consideration for importing to the US?
H5   Do you know of any of NEC's plans to market in Europe or other regions, and the fate of those plans?
   
Getting the Legendary Axe   
I1   Were you there when NEC decided to stop support for the TG16?  If so, how did they handle your position?
I2   When it was announced that NEC would no longer support the TG16, how did they break the news?
I3   Were you surprised of the announcement?
I4   Do you know if NEC disposed of games or merchandise when the closed your office?
I5   Did Turbo Technologies, Inc. (TTI) offer you or your co-workers a position in their California location?
I6   Do you know if any of the game testers took a position with TTI?
   
King of Casino   
J1   Did you own/get to have a TG16 or games to play at home while you worked at NEC?
J2   Were your friends aware/jealous of your job?
J3   Did NEC give you game or mechandise freebies to give to family and friends as a marketing tool?
J4   Did you get an employee discount, and do you remember buying anything using the discount?
J5   Did you get to keep anything after leaving NEC as a game tester that was not released to the public?
   
Final Lap Twin   
K1   Do you remember feeling as if the system would be able to develop a long term following that it has earned?
K2   Have you played any TG16 titles since leaving NEC?
K3   Since leaving NEC, what types of jobs have you had?
K4   Do you play any other video games?  If so, what are some of your all time favorite non-NEC games?
K5   Are you surprised that people are interested in your story?
K6   Is there anything else about your time at NEC or it's impact on your life since that you could share with us?

[LostFlunky]

Q: Can you think of an example where a game was originally presented to you with glitches or bugs that made it potentially unplayable?  How was that situation handled?

Q: Did you play test Darkwing Duck?  (just kidding - we all know that NO ONE tested Darkwing Duck!)

[BigusSchmuck]

Q: What is the story of the Bonk RPG game?

Q: Did you get a chance to play test games that were going to be released in the U.S but never came out?

[henrycsc]

Thanks for the responses guys.  I will get clarification, but I am pretty sure he just worked for NEC, not TTI, so questions about later releases/developments probably won't be in his wheelhouse (ex: Darkwing Duck and Bonk RPG questions)  I will add these questions back if I find out otherwise.

[SamIAm]

Can you remember a game which had a substantial difference between its late-beta and its final beta, like Sonic 2?

[Gentlegamer]

Any former TTI employees here? Johnny Turbo?

[seieienbu]

Did every game get tested during at some point?  Even ignoring the later releases that were awful, Deep Blue was somehow found acceptable?  Were there any games that were unacceptable?

[PukeSter]

What were your favorite games that you tested?
Did you get to meet any of the executives from Japan?

[cjameslv]

Did you test on any developer or custom hardware or only on end user systems?

[Sadler]

Did every game get tested during at some point?  Even ignoring the later releases that were awful, Deep Blue was somehow found acceptable?  Were there any games that were unacceptable?

Did US testers have any input on gameplay mechanics? What was the scope of this tester's duties?

[Medic_wheat]

Q). What game were you most disappoint to not see released in the NA that you got to see
Prior to NEC closing its doors for the TG?

Q). Did you keep anything after leaving NEC as a game tester not released to the public?
         A) please include pictures
         B). Would you ever consider selling it/them?

Q).  Were there anything differences with the consoles used by game testers?
   A) how abut the Hu cards used? (similar how NES and SNES game where in proto type cases as they were being developed or translated.

Q). Did you think the TG or any older video game system would remain as popular after it was being produced?
    A). Of the systems available in that time your worked as a game tester for NEC which was your personal favorite?

Q). What are your personal top ten TG and PCE games?

Q). What lead you to become a game tester for NEC instead of other game companies in that time such as Nintendo, Sega or Neo Geo?

Q). Was there ever any talk about promoting the TG in was similar to other companies to creat awareness/interest?  I.e. video game challenges, builds of three games for the TG to be used in competition etc. 

Q). Since leaving your job as a game tester for NEC did you work for any other companies in the video game industry? 
      A). If not what do you do now?


 

[ParanoiaDragon]

Game specific testing questions

Did you do any testing, or recall any info on Riftwar Saga?

Did you test Shapeshifter &/or Camp California/Yo Bro', prior to being moved to a Super CD release, & what differences do you recall?

Did you test Off the Wall?

Any memories of games that were super close to getting a green light?

[esteban]

Love this thread! I'll be back after the "getting twins ready for school" drama/logistical chalkrnge ends.

[jordan_hillman]

This is amazing, and I cannot wait for this interview!

My question pertains more specifically to the standards and quality control that NEC required for its testers and the games that were being tested..

e.g. What measures did NEC take to ensure the quality of not only the games being tested, but also the testers themselves while on the job to ensure their in-house standards for game quality were being met?

I'm sure this question can be phrased much more eloquently

[wildfruit]

Q: What were NEC's plans for Europe and why did they get shelved?

[NecroPhile]

Q: Do you remember which titles were officially available on launch day? 

[420GOAT]

Q:did you ever get to keep stuff that was for testing only?

Q:did you own a tg-16 at the time, or was only a work task?

[esteban]

Q: Do you remember which titles were officially available on launch day? 

Hahhhahahahhaa.

[Gentlegamer]

Q: Do you remember which titles were officially available on launch day? 

Why didn't I think of this?

[NecroPhile]

Hahhhahahahhaa.

That's a serious question, dammit.  If I was going for lulz, I'd ask how many rattle cans of Krylon Gloss Clear it takes per TurboDuo. 

[CPTRAVE]

Do you know or aware of any TG16 games and systems buried in the desert?

[Medic_wheat]

How glosy is your duo?

Did you have a favorite drink/snack while you game tested?

Where they any rules while testing a game?  i.e. No brining in outside friends family into the testing area or  having to complete the entire game prior to releasing it.

What was it in your opinion that l ad to the TG never becoming more popular in the NA?

Where they odd rules when deciding what games where imported to the U.S.?  Like Sega Saturn NA CEO announcing no 2D games 3D is the future.

[elmer]

Here are some ...

Did you test both Western Developer and Japanese Developer games?

Do you still have the TCR/TRC/or-whatever-NEC-called-their-standards document?

Are there any particularly memorable Class A (soft-lock/hard-lock/crash) bugs that you remember?

Do you remember any game getting released with known Class A bugs (it happens more often than you'd like to think)?

Are there any particularly memorable Class B (standards compliance) bugs that you remember?

Did a developer ever really and seriously respond to a Class C (it-would-be-better-if) bug report?

Do you remember any particular games and/or developers as having to go through round-after-round of submissions to get a product passed?

Do you have any memories of particular late nights trying to get a developer's game approved before a production deadline (usually for a Thanksgiving release here in the US)?

When "the boss" bought the testers dinner for those late nights ... was it ever anything more interesting than the industry-standard pizza?

Any good Christmas Party memories?

[henrycsc]

Wow, again great questions guys.  I'm trying to alter/edit these questions into a better flowing Q&A session.  I'm going to give him a complete list of released and announced titles and as for him to comment on any he has memory of.

So far, this Question list is getting huge, so I may need to pare down more to keep it manageable for him, or make the closing date for new questions sooner.

[ParanoiaDragon]

Wow, again great questions guys.  I'm trying to alter/edit these questions into a better flowing Q&A session.  I'm going to give him a complete list of released and announced titles and as for him to comment on any he has memory of.

So far, this Question list is getting huge, so I may need to pare down more to keep it manageable for him, or make the closing date for new questions sooner. 

Don't forget especially about Riftwar Saga in the announced section.  That one kills me.  The 2 pics we got made it look like it might be a decent hack n' slash.
/riftt.png

[henrycsc]

OK, I added it, but again, since it's later, we shall see.

[NightWolve]

Hahhhahahahhaa.

That's a serious question, dammit.  If I was going for lulz, I'd ask how many rattle cans of Krylon Gloss Clear it takes per TurboDuo. 

[geise]

Henry!  First, thank you for setting this interview up.  Second, do you know how much knowledge this person will really have to answer these questions?  I know people that have game tested before and they knew very little of subjects being asked in this thread.  Still though, I am excited to see what insight he can give us.  These are some fun questions.  Thanks again for doing this.

[geise]

I must be blind.  How do you know they worked from home or are you just making assumptions like you always do? O:)

[Sadler]

The amount of awesome stuff I find out about on here still blows my mind. Never saw that interview before, awesome stuff. I will now troll Josh's youtube.

[ParanoiaDragon]

OK, I added it, but again, since it's later, we shall see.

Sweet, thanks!  IIRC, it's from near the end of NEC's era, so hopefully he has some scoop on it.  That game has bugged me for over 20 years!

This reminds me, does anyone know when Paradroid & Arena 3000(I think that was the name?) were teased?  Were either of those with NEC?  Oh, I think TV Sports Baseball was NEC?

[esteban]

OK, I added it, but again, since it's later, we shall see.

Sweet, thanks!  IIRC, it's from near the end of NEC's era, so hopefully he has some scoop on it.  That game has bugged me for over 20 years!

This reminds me, does anyone know when Paradroid & Arena 3000(I think that was the name?) were teased?  Were either of those with NEC?  Oh, I think TV Sports Baseball was NEC?

I think we are two folks MOST INTERESTED IN RIFT WAR SAGA!!!!!!!

Cinemaware went bankrupt and NEC finished the projects...but I think they simply contracted services to "finish them up" ....

https://archives.tg-16.com/turbo_play_0007.htm#dave_riordan_and_cinemawares_demise


TV SPORTS Baseball
TV SPORTS Hockey
TV SPORTS Basketball
It Came From The Desert
Lords of the Rising Sun

And...something I have been curious about...

TV SPORTS CD ROM collection (with all games on it, possible pack-in)

[elmer]

Cinemaware went bankrupt and NEC finished the projects...but I think they simply contracted services to "finish them up" ....

I always assumed that it was "ACME Interactive", the company that Bob Jacobs started after Cinemaware, that finished off the games for NEC. All of the familiar names are in the credits ... and there was an HU7 dev kit hanging around the office and gathering dust.

If you're into video game development history, you'll find that lots of the LA-based development studios of the 90's had a first or second degree-of-separation with Bob.

[esteban]

Cinemaware went bankrupt and NEC finished the projects...but I think they simply contracted services to "finish them up" ....

I always assumed that it was "ACME Interactive", the company that Bob Jacobs started after Cinemaware, that finished off the games for NEC. All of the familiar names are in the credits ... and there was an HU7 dev kit hanging around the office and gathering dust.

If you're into video game development history, you'll find that lots of the LA-based development studios of the 90's had a first or second degree-of-separation with Bob.

Thank you! I have been wondering about this for quite some time... Any additional info/ context would be wonderful!

[clackattack]

Where they odd rules when deciding what games where imported to the U.S.?  Like Sega Saturn NA CEO announcing no 2D games 3D is the future.

I too would be interested in knowing this, especially since the PCEngine had such a massive library compared to our TG releases.

Q: Any cool prototype hardware that you were aware of that never saw the light of day? Maybe a light gun or a radical steering wheel?

[ParanoiaDragon]

Yikes, didn't remember Cyborg 297, sounds cool, color me intrigued.  Sounds like these games were featured on a video tape, I want that damn tape!!  That description of Arena 300 sounds slightly familiar, but I remember just seeing the name listed on some NEC pamphlet BITD.  And TV Sport CD Rom collection, forgot about that.  Always wondered if there were any enhancements planned, though, probably not.

So, games to add to the list of questions are:
Paradroid
Arena 3000
Cyborg 297
TV Sports Baseball
TV Sports CD collection(might have been TTI)
Discus
Astralius
Aesop's Fables(I think that was the name, though, this may have been TTI)
There was a hack n' slash that my friends, friends dad was involved in.  Don't know the name, always wondered if it was Riftwar Saga.

Devices, to add:
NID

[henrycsc]

Henry!  First, thank you for setting this interview up.  Second, do you know how much knowledge this person will really have to answer these questions?  I know people that have game tested before and they knew very little of subjects being asked in this thread.  Still though, I am excited to see what insight he can give us.  These are some fun questions.  Thanks again for doing this.

You're welcome.  Yeah, I've been wanting to quiz him, but I agree that his info may be limited (certainly regards to corporate plans, etc.)  I'll toss him the questions to "answer what you can, or skip if you don't know anything about it."

He was indeed there at the time NEC ended support, so I'd love to hear more about how that affected people there.  I'm pretty sure they worked together back then because he has mentioned at least 2 other co-testers to me in past correspondence.

I'm sure he'll remember if the big dogs brought in pizza puffs!

[elmer]

Thank you! I have been wondering about this for quite some time... Any additional info/ context would be wonderful!

I checked with one of the programmers hired back from the ashes of Cinemaware at the start of ACME Interactive, and apparently the NEC projects pretty much just switched from one company to the other ... basically a lot of the same staff.

TV Sports Boxing became ABC's Wide World of Sports Boxing in the US.

Mass Media was formed by some of the guys that didn't move to ACME.

ACME later on merged with Malibu Comics to become Malibu Interactive ... and then collapsed. After that, Bob co-founded Interactive Studio Management and became a business agent for independent developers ... and so links to LOTS of companies.

From out of ACME/Malibu, you get Neversoft, Left Field Productions, Paradox Development and Clockwork Tortoise (but C.T. collapsed before they shipped anything). Black Ops Entertainment fits in there too, somewhere, but I was never quite sure where.

[ParanoiaDragon]

Crap, I forgot about TV Sports Boxing, I think that was also on some "to be released" lists BITD.

[henrycsc]

First questions answered.  I will try to edit the look of the first post to make it an easier read (when I get further updates.)