Editing MicroProse (section)

===Independent company (1982–1993)===
====1980s====
In summer 1982, mutual friends who knew of their shared interest in aviation arranged for retired military pilot [[Bill Stealey]] and computer programmer [[Sid Meier]] to meet in [[Las Vegas]]. After Meier surprised Stealey by repeatedly defeating him when playing ''[[Red Baron (1980 video game)|Red Baron]]'', he explained that he had analyzed the game's programming to predict future actions and claimed that he could design a better home computer game in one week. Stealey promised to sell the game if Meier could develop it. Although Meier needed two months to produce [[Hellcat Ace]], Stealey sold 50 copies in his first sales appointment and the game became the first product of their new company.<ref name="cgw198806">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1988&pub=2&id=48 |title=MicroProse Captures "Red Baron" as Corporate Momento |magazine=Computer Gaming World |issue=48 |date=June 1988 |access-date=November 3, 2013 |pages=9 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104134322/http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1988&pub=2&id=48 |archive-date=November 4, 2013 }}</ref> They planned to name it Smugger's Software, but chose MicroProse. (In 1987 the company agreed to change its name to avoid confusion with [[MicroPro International]], but MicroPro decided to rename itself after its [[WordStar]] word processor).<ref name="wilson199111">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1991&pub=2&id=88 |title=A History of Computer Games |magazine=Computer Gaming World |date=November 1991 |access-date=November 18, 2013 |issue=88 |author=Wilson, Johnny L. |pages=10 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202225217/http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1991&pub=2&id=88 |archive-date=December 2, 2013 }}</ref> MicroProse became profitable in its second month and had $10 million in sales by 1986.{{r|brooks198711}}

MicroProse advertised its first batch of games in 1982, under the headline "Experience the MicroProse Challenge!!!" All three were written by Sid Meier for the [[Atari 8-bit computers]]: platform game ''[[Floyd of the Jungle]]'',<ref>{{cite web|last1=Kaltman |first1=Eric |title=Sid Meier's First(?) Game and an Early Look at MicroProse |url=https://web.stanford.edu/group/htgg/cgi-bin/drupal/?q=node/237 |date=July 30, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160130051205/https://web.stanford.edu/group/htgg/cgi-bin/drupal/?q=node%2F237 |archive-date=January 30, 2016 }}</ref> 2D shooter ''Chopper Rescue'',<ref>{{cite web|title=Chopper Hunt |url=http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-chopper-rescue_1049.html |website=Atari Mania |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160208104615/http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-chopper-rescue_1049.html |archive-date=February 8, 2016 }}</ref> and first-person airplane combat game ''Hellcat Ace''.<ref name="floyd">{{cite web|title=Floyd of the Jungle Manual|url=https://archive.org/details/FloydOfTheJungle|website=archive.org}}</ref> ''Hellcat Ace'' began a series of increasingly sophisticated 8-bit flight simulation games, including ''[[Spitfire Ace]]'' (1982) and ''[[Solo Flight (video game)|Solo Flight]]'' (1983), that defined the company.

[[File:Gunship jacket.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Gregg Tavares's ''[[Gunship (video game)|Gunship]]'' Design Team flight jacket]]

In 1983, MicroProse ported ''Floyd of the Jungle'' to the [[Commodore 64]], their first product for that machine. By 1984, the company had begun supporting the [[Apple II]] and [[IBM PC compatible]]s. MicroProse released the air traffic control game ''[[Kennedy Approach]]'', written by [[Andy Hollis]], in 1985.<ref name="giantlist">{{cite web |title=The Giant List of Classic Game Programmers |url=https://dadgum.com/giantlist/ |last1=Hague |first1=James |access-date=September 2, 2019 |archive-date=April 29, 1999 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990429062703/https://dadgum.com/giantlist/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Conflict in Vietnam'' (1986) was MicroProse's final Atari 8-bit game.

By 1987, ''[[Computer Gaming World]]'' considered MicroProse one of the top five computer game companies, alongside likes of [[Activision]] and [[Electronic Arts]].{{citation needed|date=September 2021}}

MicroProse also started a branch in the United Kingdom to cross-publish titles in Europe,<ref name="brooks198711">{{cite magazine|title=Titans of the Computer Gaming World / MicroProse |magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]] |issue=41 |date=November 1987 |url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1987&pub=2&id=41 |access-date=May 21, 2016 |last=Brooks |first=M. Evan |pages=16–18, 54 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160702195259/http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1987&pub=2&id=41 |archive-date=July 2, 2016 }}</ref> and to import some European titles to be published in the United States. Notable products from this period include simulation games ''[[F-15 Strike Eagle (video game)|F-15 Strike Eagle]]'', ''[[F-19 Stealth Fighter]]'', ''[[Gunship (video game)|Gunship]]'', ''[[Project Stealth Fighter]]'', ''[[Red Storm Rising (video game)|Red Storm Rising]]'' and ''[[Silent Service (video game)|Silent Service]]'', and action-strategy games such as ''[[Sid Meier's Pirates!]]'' and ''[[Sword of the Samurai (video game)|Sword of the Samurai]]''. Several games from different developers were also published by MicroProse under the labels "Firebird" and "Rainbird" (acquired after buying [[Telecomsoft]] in May 1989),<ref>{{cite magazine
| url = https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_63/page/n9/mode/1up
| magazine = [[Computer Gaming World]]
| title = Microprose Acquires British Telecomsoft
| issue = 63
| date = September 1989
| page = 10
}}</ref> including ''[[Mr. Heli]]'', ''[[Midwinter (video game)|Midwinter]]'' and [[Core Design|Core Design's]] ''[[Rick Dangerous]]''. During the same period, MicroProse created two labels: MicroStyle (UK), and MicroPlay Software (US), using them for publishing a variety of externally developed games, such as ''[[Challenge of the Five Realms]]'', ''[[Command HQ]]'', ''[[Global Conquest]]'', ''[[Elite Plus]]'', ''[[Flames of Freedom]]'', ''[[Rick Dangerous]]'', ''[[Stunt Car Racer]]'', ''[[Xenophobe (video game)|Xenophobe]]'' and ''[[XF5700 Mantis]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mobygames.com/company/microstyle |title=MicroStyle |publisher=[[MobyGames]] |access-date=October 19, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120802090541/http://www.mobygames.com/company/microstyle |archive-date=August 2, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mobygames.com/company/microplay-software |title=Microplay Software |publisher=[[MobyGames]] |access-date=October 19, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018155546/http://www.mobygames.com/company/microplay-software |archive-date=October 18, 2012 }}</ref> By the late 1980s, the company maintained a division, Medialist International, in order to distribute and develop independent titles that was publish through the MicroPlay and MicroProse labels.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 1989 |title=Medialist International Division of MicroProse Announces Titles |pages=4 |work=[[Computer Entertainer]] |url=https://retrocdn.net/images/f/f0/ComputerEntertainer_US_Vol.8_02.pdf |access-date=September 23, 2023}}</ref>

====1990s====
In the early 1990s, MicroProse released the strategy games ''[[Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon]]'' and ''[[Civilization (video game)|Sid Meier's Civilization]]'', designed by Meier and developed by its internal division, MPS Labs, on multiple platforms. Critically acclaimed, both of them quickly became two of the bestselling strategy games of all time and spawned multiple sequels. Some of MicroProse's simulation games from the 1980s received [[video game remake|remakes]] in the early 1990s, such as ''[[Night Hawk: F-117A Stealth Fighter 2.0]]'', ''[[Silent Service II]]'' and ''[[Gunship 2000]]'', and made some first cautious attempts to expand into the console market with ''[[F-117A Stealth Fighter]]'' and ''[[Super Strike Eagle]]'' (MicroProse also ported several of their titles to the 16- and 32-bit consoles during the mid-1990s). Brand new simulation and strategy titles included ''[[1942: The Pacific Air War]]'', ''[[Dogfight (video game)|Dogfight]]'', ''[[Fields of Glory]]'', ''[[Formula One Grand Prix (video game)|Formula One Grand Prix]]'', ''[[Harrier Jump Jet (video game)|Harrier Jump Jet]]'', ''[[Knights of the Sky]]'', ''[[Starlord (video game)|Starlord]]'', ''[[Subwar 2050]]'' and ''[[Task Force 1942]]''.

MicroProse attempted to diversify beyond its niche roots as a sim and strategy game company, looking for opportunities into the arcade game industry. MicroProse designed further action-strategy titles such as ''[[Sid Meier's Covert Action|Covert Action]]'' (also designed by Sid Meier) and ''[[Hyperspeed]]'', and experimented with the [[Role-playing video game|role-playing]] genre by developing ''[[BloodNet]]'' and ''[[Darklands (video game)|Darklands]]'' (in addition to publishing ''[[The Legacy: Realm of Terror]]''). The company invested a large sum of money to create its [[arcade game]] division as well as their own [[Graphic adventure game|graphic adventure]] [[game engine]]. Meier felt that Stealey was taking the company in a risky direction, and the two could not work out their differences.  Meier opted to quietly sell Stealey his share of the company but remained on in the same apparent role for all other purposes to the rest of the staff and their customers to allow Stealey to proceed in this direction.<ref name="pcgamesn meier memoir">{{cite web | url = https://www.pcgamesn.com/sid-meiers-memoir-civilization | title = An excerpt from Sid Meier's Memoir! on the making of Civilization | first = Richard | last = Scott-Jones | date = September 1, 2020 | access-date = September 26, 2020 | work = [[PCGamesN]] | archive-date = September 19, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200919020135/https://www.pcgamesn.com/sid-meiers-memoir-civilization | url-status = live }}</ref>

The arcade division did not perform well, and was canceled after making only two games: ''F-15 Strike Eagle: The Arcade Game'' and ''Battle of the Solar System'' (both of which featured high-end 3D graphics but failed to become popular as they were too different from existing machines), while the adventure game engine was used for just three games: ''[[Rex Nebular and the Cosmic Gender Bender]]'', ''[[Return of the Phantom]]'' and ''[[Dragonsphere]]'', before it was sold off to [[Sanctuary Woods]].{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}

In August 1991, MicroProse filed for an [[initial public offering]]. The company hoped to raise $18 million to help repay debts from its unsuccessful arcade games.<ref name="cgw199111">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1991&pub=2&id=88 |title=MicroProse Files for Initial Public Offering |magazine=Computer Gaming World |date=November 1991 |issue=88 |access-date=November 18, 2013 |pages=12 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202225217/http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1991&pub=2&id=88 |archive-date=December 2, 2013 }}</ref>  In 1992 MicroProse acquired [[Paragon Software]].<ref name="cgw199210">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1992&pub=2&id=99 |title=MicroProse Acquires Paragon Software |magazine=Computer Gaming World |date=October 1992 |issue=99 |access-date=July 4, 2014 |pages=16 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140702235549/http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1992&pub=2&id=99 |archive-date=July 2, 2014 }}</ref> It also acquired [[Leeds]]-based flight simulation developer [[Vektor Grafix]],<ref>"MicroProse buys Vektor Grafix", ''Computer Business Review Online''</ref> which had already developed titles for them (such as ''[[B-17 Flying Fortress (video game)|B-17 Flying Fortress]]''), turning it into a satellite development studio named MicroProse Leeds.