Editing Ambrosia Software (section)

== History ==
The first game distributed under the Ambrosia Software name was ''[[Maelstrom (1992 video game)|Maelstrom]]'', a 1992 [[Video game remake|remake]] of the 1979 ''[[Asteroids (arcade game)|Asteroids]]'' arcade video game. It uses raster graphics similar in style to Atari's later ''[[Blasteroids]]'' (1987) and the Atari ST game ''Megaroids'' (1988).<ref>{{cite web |title=Megaroids |url=http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-st-megaroids_9945.html |website=Atari Mania}}</ref> Despite the concept being 13 years old at the time of release, ''Maelstrom'' was popular at a time when Macintosh action games were in short supply, and it won some software awards.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.macobserver.com/news/99/december/991208/maelstorm3code.html |title=Into the Maelstrom |access-date=2011-04-28 |date=1999-12-08 |publisher=The Mac Observer | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110608104639/http://www.macobserver.com/news/99/december/991208/maelstorm3code.html| archive-date= 8 June 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref>

''Ambrosia Software'' was incorporated August 18, 1993, by Andrew Welch after he graduated from the [[Rochester Institute of Technology]] in 1992.<ref name="rit">"Home-grown Ambrosia feeds software niche", Michael Saffran. In ''RIT: The University Magazine'',  Vol. 10, #1</ref> ''Maelstrom'' was followed by more action games, including  [[Apeiron (video game)|''Apeiron'']] (a remake of [[Centipede (arcade game)|''Centipede'']]), ''Swoop'' (a clone of ''[[Galaxian]]''), and ''Barrack'' (a clone of ''[[JezzBall]]''). In 1999, Cameron Crotty of ''[[Macworld]]'' wrote that "No other company has gotten so much mileage out of renovating mid-1980s arcade hits."<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Crotty|first1=Cameron|title=Mars Rising|url=http://www.macworld.com/article/1014755/marsRising.html|date=January 1999|journal=[[Macworld]]}}</ref>

Nearly all of the company's ten employees were laid off in 2013, but Welch denied rumors of the company closing.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Mathis|first1=Joel|date=April 11, 2013|title=Despite layoffs, Ambrosia says it's still in business|url=http://www.macworld.com/article/2033846/despite-layoffs-ambrosia-says-its-still-in-business.html|url-status=live|website=[[Macworld]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130415074254/http://www.macworld.com:80/article/2033846/despite-layoffs-ambrosia-says-its-still-in-business.html |archive-date=April 15, 2013 }}</ref> In late 2018, the company's last remaining employee announced that Ambrosia was officially shutting down operations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lifeandtimes.games/episodes/files/pax-aus-19-ambrosia-sw-talk|title=Bonus: The Rise & Fall of Ambrosia Software, '90s Mac Legends - PAX Aus 2019 talk}}</ref>