Editing MicroProse (section)

====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>