Editing Infocom

{{short description|American software company}}
{{About|the software company|the web hosting service company|InfoCom Corporation|the field of information and communications technology|Infocommunications|the conference|Conference on Computer Communications}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Infocom, Inc.
| logo = Logo of Infocom Inc.svg
| industry = [[Video game industry|Video games]]
| foundation = {{Sda|1979|06|22}}
| founders = {{Unbulleted list|[[Tim Anderson (programmer)|Tim Anderson]]|Joel Berez|[[Marc Blank]]|Mike Broos|Scott Cutler|Stu Galley|[[Dave Lebling]]|[[J. C. R. Licklider]]|Chris Reeve|[[Al Vezza]]}}
| fate = Merged into [[Activision]] on 13 June 1986<ref name="wilson199111"/>
| defunct = {{End date|1989|05|05}}<ref name="CGW"/>
| location = [[Cambridge, Massachusetts]], US
| key_people = Joel Berez ([[President (corporate title)|president]], [[CEO]])
| num_employees = 
| products = ''[[Zork]]''<br>''[[Deadline (1982 video game)|Deadline]]''<br>''[[Planetfall]]''<br>''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (computer game)|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]''<br>''[[A Mind Forever Voyaging]]''<br>''[[Leather Goddesses of Phobos]]''
| parent = [[Activision]]
| homepage = 
}}

'''Infocom, Inc.''', was an American [[software company]] based in [[Cambridge, Massachusetts]], that produced numerous works of [[interactive fiction]]. They also produced a business application, a [[relational database]] called ''[[Cornerstone (software)|Cornerstone]]''.<ref name=briceno2000/>

Infocom was founded on June 22, 1979, by staff and students of [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]], and lasted as an independent company until 1986, when it was bought by [[Activision]]. Activision shut down the Infocom division in 1989, although they released some titles in the 1990s under the Infocom ''[[Zork]]'' brand. Activision abandoned the Infocom trademark in 2002.

==Overview==
Infocom games are [[interactive fiction|text adventures]] where users direct the action by entering short strings of words to give commands when prompted. Generally the program will respond by describing the results of the action, often the contents of a room if the player has moved within the virtual world. The user reads this information, decides what to do, and enters another short series of words. Examples include "go west", "take flashlight", or "give the letter to the woman then ask her for a book".

Infocom games were written using a programming language called [[Z-machine|ZIL]] (Zork Implementation Language), itself derived directly from [[MDL (programming language)|MDL]], that compiled into a [[bytecode]] able to run on a standardized [[virtual machine]] called the [[Z-machine]]. As the games were text based and used variants of the same Z-machine interpreter, the interpreter had to be ported to new [[computer architecture]]s only once per architecture, rather than once per game. Each game file included a sophisticated [[parser]] which allowed the user to type complex instructions to the game. Unlike earlier works of interactive fiction which only understood commands of the form 'verb noun', Infocom's parser could understand a wider variety of sentences. For instance one might type "open the large door, then go west", or "go to festeron".<ref>[http://www.lemonamiga.com/games/docs.php?id=1795 The ''Wishbringer'' manual] with more examples of complex commands possible with Infocom games.</ref>

With the Z-machine, Infocom was able to release most of their games for most popular [[home computer]]s simultaneously: [[Apple II]], [[Atari 8-bit computers]], [[IBM PC compatible]]s, [[Amstrad CPC]]/[[Amstrad PCW|PCW]] (one disc worked on both machines), [[Commodore 64]], [[Commodore Plus/4]], [[Commodore 128]],<ref>Infocom was actually one of the very few companies to release game software for the C128's native mode, contrary to most software houses' practice of only catering for the combined C64/128 market (as the C128 was compatible with the C64)</ref> [[Kaypro]] [[CP/M]], [[TI-99/4A]], [[Mac (computer)|Macintosh]], [[Atari ST]], [[Amiga]], [[TRS-80]], and [[TRS-80 Color Computer]].
<!-- Note 1: Infocom was actually one of the very few companies (if not the only one) to release game software for the C128 as such, contrary to most software houses, who only catered for the C64 (and thence the compatible C128 in C64 mode only). -->

==History==

===Foundation and Zork===
Infocom began as a collaboration between [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] (MIT) faculty and alumni, some of whom had previously worked a [[Interactive fiction|text-based adventure]] game called ''[[Zork]]''.<ref name="Globe1984">{{cite news |last=Dyer |first=Richard |date=May 6, 1984 |title=Masters of the Game |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |url=http://www.csd.uwo.ca/Infocom/Articles/globe84.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970607204921/http://www.csd.uwo.ca/Infocom/Articles/globe84.html |archive-date=June 7, 1997}}</ref> Development of ''Zork'' began in 1977 at the MIT [[Project MAC|Laboratory for Computer Science]], with an initial team including [[Tim Anderson (programmer)|Tim Anderson]], [[Marc Blank]], and [[Dave Lebling]], as well as [[Bruce Daniels]].<ref name="GDCTalk">{{cite AV media |url=https://www.gdcvault.com/play/1020612/Classic-Game-Postmortem |title=Classic Game Postmortem: Zork |date=March 2014 |last=Lebling |first=Dave |type=conference presentation |author-link=Dave Lebling |access-date=August 17, 2022 |via=[[Game Developers Conference]]}}</ref> Inspired by ''[[Colossal Cave Adventure]]'',<ref name="smith">{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Alexander |title=They Create Worlds: The Story of the People and Companies That Shaped the Video Game Industry, Vol. I: 1971-1982 |date=2019 |publisher=[[CRC Press]] |isbn=978-0-429-75261-2}}</ref> the developers aspired to improve on the formula with a more robust [[text parser]] and more logical puzzles.<ref name="History1">{{cite magazine |last=Anderson |first=Tim |author-link=Tim Anderson (programmer) |date=Winter 1985 |title=The History of Zork – First in a series |url=https://archive.org/details/New_Zork_Times_The_Vol._IV_No._1_1985-03_Infocom_US/page/n5/mode/2up |magazine=The New Zork Times |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=6–7, 11}}</ref> They did not announce their game while it was in development, but a lack of security on the MIT systems meant that anyone who could access the [[PDP-10]] computer over the [[ARPANET]] could see what programs were being run. As a result, a small community of people discovered the new "Zork" adventure game and spread word of it under that name.<ref name="GDCTalk" /><ref name="History2">{{cite magazine |last=Anderson |first=Tim |author-link=Tim Anderson (programmer) |date=Spring 1985 |title=The History of Zork – Second in a series |url=https://archive.org/details/New_Zork_Times_The_Vol._4_No._2_1985-06_Infocom_US/page/n1/mode/2up |magazine=The New Zork Times |volume=4 |issue=2 |pages=3–5}}</ref> This community interacted with the developers as they created the game, playtesting additions and submitting [[Software bug|bug]] reports.<ref name="History2" /><ref name="Retro77">{{cite magazine |date=May 2010 |title=The Making of Zork |magazine=[[Retro Gamer]] |issue=77 |pages=36–39 |issn=1742-3155}}</ref> 

Infocom was officially founded as a [[software company]] on June 22, 1979, with founding members Tim Anderson, Joel Berez, Marc Blank, Mike Broos, Scott Cutler, Stu Galley, Dave Lebling, [[J. C. R. Licklider]], Chris Reeve, and [[Al Vezza]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Williams |first=Wayne |title=The Next Dimension |magazine=[[Retro Gamer]] |publisher=[[Imagine Publishing]] |issue=10 |pages=30–41}}</ref> By the end of the year, the core ''Zork'' game was complete, and Berez was elected the company's president.<ref name="History3">{{cite magazine |last=Galley |first=Stu |date=Summer 1985 |title=The History of Zork – Third in a series |url=https://archive.org/details/New_Zork_Times_The_Vol._IV_No._3_1985-09_Infocom_US/page/n3/mode/2up |magazine=The New Zork Times |volume=4 |issue=3 |pages=4–5}}</ref> The studio began seeking a professional publisher with store and distributor connections. After [[Microsoft]] passed on the project due to competition with their own ''[[Microsoft Adventure]]'' (1979), Infocom negotiated a publishing agreement with [[VisiCorp|Personal Software]], one of the first professional software publishing companies.<ref name="History3" /><ref name="USG2015">{{cite web |last1=Rignall |first1=Jaz |author-link1=Julian Rignall |last2=Parish |first2=Jeremy |date=December 25, 2015 |title=Dave Lebling on the Genesis of the Adventure Game – and the Creation of Zork |url=http://www.usgamer.net/articles/dave-lebling-interview |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220730040255/https://www.usgamer.net/articles/dave-lebling-interview |archive-date=July 30, 2022 |access-date=August 5, 2022 |website=[[Gamer Network|USGamer]]}}</ref> However, Infocom grew wary of the publisher's lack of advertising for ''Zork I'', and lack of enthusiasm for additional episodes and games. The developer decided to self-publish their games from that moment forward, buying out Personal Software's remaining inventory of ''Zork'' games.<ref name="History3" />

Following its 1980 release, ''Zork I'' became a [[bestseller]] from 1983 through 1985.<ref name="Inc19832">{{cite magazine |last=Solomon |first=Abby |date=October 1983 |title=Games Businesspeople Play |url=https://www.inc.com/magazine/19831001/5758.html |url-status=live |magazine=[[Inc. (magazine)|Inc.]] |issn=0162-8968 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407063306/https://www.inc.com/magazine/19831001/5758.html |archive-date=April 7, 2022 |access-date=August 8, 2022}}</ref><ref name="IW19842">{{cite magazine |last=Mace |first=Scott |date=April 2, 1984 |title=Games with windows |magazine=[[InfoWorld]] |page=56 |issn=0199-6649}}</ref><ref name="Video12">{{cite magazine |last1=Ditlea |first1=Steve |last2=Onosco |first2=Tim |last3=Kunkel |first3=Bill |author-link3=Bill Kunkel (gaming) |date=February 1985 |title=Random Access: Best Sellers/Recreation |magazine=[[Video (magazine)|Video]] |volume=8 |issue=11 |page=35 |issn=0147-8907}}</ref><ref name="Video22">{{cite magazine |last1=Onosco |first1=Tim |last2=Kohl |first2=Louise |last3=Kunkel |first3=Bill |author-link3=Bill Kunkel (gaming) |last4=Garr |first4=Doug |date=March 1985 |title=Random Access: Best Sellers/Recreation |magazine=[[Video (magazine)|Video]] |volume=8 |issue=12 |page=43 |issn=0147-8907}}</ref><ref name="IIC19852">{{cite magazine |last=Ciraolo |first=Michael |date=October 1985 |title=Top Software / A List of Favorites |url=https://archive.org/stream/II_Computing_Vol_1_No_1_Oct_Nov_85_Premiere#page/n51/mode/2up |magazine=II Computing |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=51 |issn=0889-9134}}</ref> By 1986, the game had sold 380,000 copies, with 680,000 sales for the trilogy overall, comprising one-third of Infocom's two million game sales.<ref name="GSW2008">{{cite web |last=Carless |first=Simon |author-link=Simon Carless |date=September 20, 2008 |title=Great Scott: Infocom's All-Time Sales Numbers Revealed |url=http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2008/09/great_scott_infocoms_alltime_s.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080924074642/http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2008/09/great_scott_infocoms_alltime_s.php |archive-date=September 24, 2008 |access-date=September 23, 2008 |work=[[Game Developer (website)#GameSetWatch|GameSetWatch]]}}</ref> Reviewers hailed ''Zork'' as the best adventure game to date,<ref name="CM1983">{{cite magazine |date=November 1983 |title=Zork |magazine=Commodore Magazine |volume=3 |issue=6 |pages=8–11 |issn=0814-5741}}</ref><ref name="FC1983">{{cite magazine |last=Grevstad |first=Eric |date=September 1983 |title=Zork I (Adventure) |url=https://archive.org/details/family-computing-01/page/n97/mode/2up |magazine=[[Family Computing]] |volume=1 |issue=1 |page=98 |issn=0899-7373}}</ref> with later critics regarding it as [[List of video games considered the best|one of the greatest games of all time]].<ref name="GreatestGames2">{{cite book |last1=Gutman |first1=Dan |title=The Greatest Games: The 93 Best Computer Games of All Time |last2=Addams |first2=Shay |publisher=[[Compute!]] Publications, Inc. |year=1985 |isbn=0-942386-95-7}}</ref><ref name="Gamecenter2">{{cite web |date=January 5, 2000 |title=The Top 40 Games of the Millennium |url=http://www.gamecenter.com/Features/Exclusives/Top40games/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000617031446/http://www.gamecenter.com/Features/Exclusives/Top40games/ss14.html |archive-date=June 17, 2000 |access-date=August 23, 2022 |website=[[CNET#Gamecenter|Gamecenter]]}}</ref><ref name="GameSpy2">{{cite web |year=2001 |title=GameSpy's Top 50 Games of All Time |url=http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/july01/top50index/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040604135802/http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/july01/top50index/ |archive-date=June 4, 2004 |access-date=April 22, 2022 |website=[[GameSpy]]}}</ref><ref name="SMH2">{{cite news |last=Hollingworth |first=David |date=June 6, 2002 |title=Top 50 video games of all time |website=[[Sydney Morning Herald]] |type=Published in print, with additional preface, as part of the ''Herald'''s monthly ''e)mag'' supplement. |url=https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/top-50-video-games-of-all-time-20020606-gdfcdk.html |url-status=live |access-date=May 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126020406/https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/top-50-video-games-of-all-time-20020606-gdfcdk.html |archive-date=January 26, 2021}}</ref><ref name="GI20092">{{cite magazine |date=January 2010 |title=The Top 200 Games of All Time |magazine=[[Game Informer]] |issue=200}}</ref><ref name="IGN20152">{{cite web |date=June 1, 2015 |title=Top 100 Video Games of All Time |url=http://ca.ign.com/lists/top-100-games/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171210124028/http://ign.com/lists/top-100-games/ |archive-date=December 10, 2017 |access-date=October 28, 2017 |website=IGN}}</ref><ref name="PopularMechanics20142">{{cite magazine |last=Moore |first=Bo |date=June 16, 2014 |title=The 100 Greatest Video Games of All Time |url=http://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/gaming/g134/the-100-greatest-video-games-of-all-time/ |url-status=dead |magazine=[[Popular Mechanics]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161202235359/http://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/gaming/g134/the-100-greatest-video-games-of-all-time/ |archive-date=December 2, 2016}}</ref><ref name="Time20122">{{cite magazine |date=November 15, 2012 |title=All-TIME 100 Video Games |url=https://techland.time.com/2012/11/15/all-time-100-video-games/ |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307075016/https://techland.time.com/2012/11/15/all-time-100-video-games/ |archive-date=March 7, 2016 |url-status=live |access-date=October 28, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Time20162">{{cite magazine |last1=Peckham |first1=Matt |last2=Eadicicco |first2=Lisa |last3=Fitzpatrick |first3=Alex |last4=Vella |first4=Matt |last5=Patrick Pullen |first5=John |last6=Raab |first6=Josh |last7=Grossman |first7=Lev |date=August 23, 2016 |title=The 50 Best Video Games of All Time |url=https://time.com/4458554/best-video-games-all-time/ |url-status=live |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160830154639/https://time.com/4458554/best-video-games-all-time/ |archive-date=August 30, 2016 |access-date=August 30, 2016}}</ref><ref name="1001Games2">{{cite book |title=[[1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die]] |publisher=[[Universe Publishing]] |year=2013 |isbn=978-1844037667 |editor=Tony Mott}}</ref><ref name="TheWrap2">{{cite web |last=Owen |first=Phil |date=March 13, 2017 |title=The 30 Best Video Games of All Time, Ranked |url=https://www.thewrap.com/the-30-best-video-games-of-all-time-photos/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171029172938/https://www.thewrap.com/the-30-best-video-games-of-all-time-photos/ |archive-date=October 29, 2017 |access-date=October 29, 2017 |website=thewrap.com}}</ref><ref name="Polygon2">{{cite web |last=Polygon Staff |date=November 27, 2017 |title=The 500 Best Video Games of All Time |url=https://www.polygon.com/features/2017/11/27/16158276/polygon-500-best-games-of-all-time-500-401 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180303210843/https://www.polygon.com/features/2017/11/27/16158276/polygon-500-best-games-of-all-time-500-401 |archive-date=March 3, 2018 |access-date=December 1, 2017 |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon.com]]}}</ref><ref name="GI20182">{{cite magazine |date=April 2018 |title=The Top 300 Games of All Time |magazine=[[Game Informer]] |issue=300}}</ref><ref name="PopularMechanics20192">{{cite magazine |last1=Moore |first1=Bo |last2=Schuback |first2=Adam |date=March 21, 2019 |title=The 100 Greatest Video Games of All Time |url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/gaming/g134/the-100-greatest-video-games-of-all-time/ |url-status=dead |magazine=[[Popular Mechanics]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190527230757/https://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/gaming/g134/the-100-greatest-video-games-of-all-time/ |archive-date=May 27, 2019 |access-date=May 27, 2019}}</ref> Historians noted the game as a foundation for the adventure game genre,<ref name="GS2007">{{cite web |last=Barton |first=Matt |date=June 28, 2007 |title=The History Of Zork |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/pc/the-history-of-zork |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220809014122/https://www.gamedeveloper.com/pc/the-history-of-zork |archive-date=August 9, 2022 |access-date=August 8, 2022 |website=[[Game Developer (website)|Game Developer]]}}</ref> as well as influencing the [[Multi-user dungeon|MUD]] and [[massively multiplayer online role-playing game]] genres.<ref name="GS2016">{{cite web |last=Heron |first=Michael |date=August 3, 2016 |title=Hunt The Syntax, Part One |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/hunt-the-syntax-part-one |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220108020637/https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/hunt-the-syntax-part-one |archive-date=January 8, 2022 |access-date=January 8, 2022 |website=[[Game Developer (website)|Game Developer]]}}</ref>[[File:Zork I screenshot video game Gargoyle interpreter on Ubuntu Linux.png|thumb|300px|''[[Zork I]]'' was Infocom's first product. This screenshot of ''Zork I'' is representative of the sort of interaction a player has with Infocom's [[interactive fiction]] titles. Here it is depicted running on a modern [[Z-machine (interpreter)|Z-machine interpreter]].]]

=== Expansion ===
Lebling and Blank each authored several more games, and additional game writers (or "Implementers") were hired, notably including [[Steve Meretzky]].<ref name="zzap64.co.uk">{{cite web |title=Four Minds Forever Voyaging (Part I) |url=http://www.zzap64.co.uk/zzap13/four_minds01.html}}</ref> Other popular and inventive titles included a number of sequels and spinoff games in the ''Zork'' series, ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (video game)|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]'' by [[Douglas Adams]], and ''[[A Mind Forever Voyaging]]''.<ref name="zzap64.co.uk" />

In its first few years of operation, text adventures proved to be a huge revenue stream for the company. Whereas most computer games of the era would achieve initial success and then suffer a significant drop-off in sales, Infocom titles continued to sell for years and years. Employee [[Tim Anderson (programmer)|Tim Anderson]] said of their situation, "It was phenomenal – we had a basement that just printed money."<ref name=briceno2000/> By 1983 Infocom was perhaps the dominant computer-game company; for example, all ten of its games were on the ''Softsel'' top 40 list of best-selling computer games for the week of December 12, 1983, with ''Zork'' in first place and two others in the top ten.{{r|maher20130320}} In late 1984, management declined an offer by publisher [[Simon & Schuster]] to acquire Infocom for $28&nbsp;million, far more than the board of directors's valuation of $10–12&nbsp;million.<ref name="maher20131023">{{cite web |url=http://www.filfre.net/2013/10/masters-of-the-game/ |title=Masters of the Game |work=The Digital Antiquarian |date=October 23, 2013 |access-date=July 11, 2014 |author=Maher, Jimmy}}</ref> In 1993, ''Computer Gaming World'' described this era as the "Cambridge [[Camelot]], where the [[Great Underground Empire]] was formed".<ref name="cgw199307">{{cite news |url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=108 |title=The 7th International Computer Game Developers Conference |magazine=Computer Gaming World |date=July 1993 |access-date=July 12, 2014 |page=34}}</ref>

===Reception===
Infocom games were popular, ''[[InfoWorld]]'' said, in part because "in offices all over America (more than anyone realizes) executives and managers are playing games on their computers".{{r|mace19840402}} An estimated 25% had a computer game "hidden somewhere in their drawers", ''[[Inc. (magazine)|Inc.]]'' reported, and they preferred Infocom adventures to arcade games.<ref name="solomon198310">{{Cite magazine |last=Solomon |first=Abby |date=October 1983 |title=Games Businesspeople Play |url=https://www.inc.com/magazine/19831001/5758.html |magazine=Inc. |language=en}}</ref> The company stated that year that 75% of players were over 25 years old and that 80% were men; more women played its games than other companies', especially the mysteries. Most players enjoyed reading books;<ref name="dyer19840506">{{Cite news |url=https://www.resonant.org/games/infocom/Articles/globe84.html |title=Masters of the Game |last=Dyer |first=Richard |date=May 6, 1984 |newspaper=Boston Globe |access-date=October 9, 2017 |archive-date=July 5, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090705032556/http://www.resonant.org/games/infocom/Articles/globe84.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> in 1987 president [[Joel Berez]] stated, "[Infocom's] audience tends to be composed of heavy readers. We sell to the minority that does read".{{r|ferrell198801}}

A 1996 article in ''[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]'' said Infocom's "games were noted for having more depth than any other adventure games, before or since."<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Next Generation 1996 Lexicon A to Z: Infocom|magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=15 |date=March 1996|pages=34–35}}</ref> Three components proved key to Infocom's success: marketing strategy, rich storytelling and [[feelie]]s.{{Citation needed|date=June 2007}} Whereas most game developers sold their games mainly in software stores, Infocom also distributed their games via bookstores.<ref name=briceno2000/> Infocom's products appealed more to those with expensive computers, such as the [[Mac (computer)|Apple Macintosh]], [[IBM PC]], and [[Amiga|Commodore Amiga]]. Berez stated that "there is no noticeable correlation between graphics machines and our penetration. There is a high correlation between the price of the machine and our sales ... people who are putting more money into their machines tend to buy more of our software".<ref name="ferrell198801">{{cite news |url=https://archive.org/stream/1988-01-compute-magazine/Compute_Issue_092_1988_Jan#page/n17/mode/2up |title=Interactive Text in an Animated Age |work=Compute! |date=January 1988 |access-date=November 10, 2013 |author=Ferrell, Keith |page=17}}</ref> Since their games were text-based, patrons of bookstores were drawn to the Infocom games as they were already interested in reading. Unlike most computer software, Infocom titles were distributed under a no-returns policy,{{Citation needed|date=December 2008}} which allowed them to make money from a single game for a longer period of time.

Next, Infocom titles featured strong storytelling and rich descriptions, eschewing the inherent restrictions of graphic displays and allowing users to use their own imaginations for the lavish and exotic locations the games described.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Crib Sheet|magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=24 |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |date=December 1996|page=26}}</ref> Infocom's puzzles were unique in that they were usually tightly integrated into the storyline, and rarely did gamers feel like they were being made to jump through one arbitrary hoop after another, as was the case in many of the competitors' games. The puzzles were generally logical but also required close attention to the clues and hints given in the story, causing many gamers to keep copious notes as they went along.

Sometimes, though, Infocom threw in puzzles just for the humor of it—if the user never ran into these, they could still finish the game. But discovering these early [[Easter egg (media)|Easter Eggs]] was satisfying for some fans of the games. For example, one popular Easter egg was in the ''[[Enchanter (computer game)|Enchanter]]'' game, which involves collecting magic spells to use in accomplishing the quest. One of these is a summoning spell, which the player needs to use to summon certain characters at different parts of the game. At one point the game mentions the "[[Implementer (video games)|Implementers]]" who were responsible for creating the land of Zork. If the player tries to summon the Implementers, the game produces a vision of [[Dave Lebling]] and [[Marc Blank]] at their computers, surprised at this "bug" in the game and working feverishly to fix it.

Third, the inclusion of "feelies"—imaginative props and extras tied to the game's theme—provided [[copy protection]] against [[copyright infringement]].{{r|dyer19840506}} Some games were unsolvable without the extra content provided with the boxed game. And because of the cleverness and uniqueness of the feelies, users rarely felt like they were an intrusion or inconvenience, as was the case with most of the other copy-protection schemes of the time.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Peters|first=Ian M.|date=2014-06-15|title=Peril-sensitive sunglasses, superheroes in miniature, and pink polka-dot boxers: Artifact and collectible video game feelies, play, and the paratextual gaming experience|url=https://journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/twc/article/view/509|journal=Transformative Works and Cultures|language=en|volume=16|doi=10.3983/twc.2014.0509|issn=1941-2258|doi-access=free}}</ref> Feelies also provided the player with a physical aspect to the gameplay of their text adventures, giving another dimension of strategy to what would other-wise just be a text parser.

Although Infocom started out with ''Zork'', and although the ''Zork'' world was the centerpiece of their product line throughout the ''Zork'' and ''Enchanter'' series, the company quickly branched out into a wide variety of story lines: fantasy, science-fiction, mystery, horror, historical adventure, children's stories, and others that defied easy categorization. In an attempt to reach out to female customers, Infocom also produced ''[[Plundered Hearts]]'', which cast the gamer in the role of the heroine of a swashbuckling adventure on the high seas, and which required the heroine to use more feminine tactics to win the game, since hacking-and-slashing was not a very ladylike way to behave. Infocom also came out with ''[[Leather Goddesses of Phobos]]'' in 1986, which featured "tame", "suggestive", and "lewd" playing modes. It included among its "feelies" a "scratch-and-sniff" card with six odors that corresponded to cues given to the player during the game.

====Invisiclues====
Originally, hints for the game were provided as a "pay-per-hint" service created by [[Mike Dornbrook]], called the Zork Users Group (ZUG). Dornbrook also started Infocom's customer newsletter, called ''The New Zork Times'', to discuss game hints and preview and showcase new products.

The pay-per-hint service eventually led to the development of [[InvisiClues]]: books with hints, maps, clues, and solutions for puzzles in the games. The answers to the puzzles were printed in [[invisible ink]] that only became visible when rubbed with a special marker that was provided with each book. Usually, two or more answers were given for each question that a gamer might have. The first answer would provide a subtle hint, the second a less subtle hint, and so forth until the last one gave an explicit [[Strategy guide|walkthrough]]. Gamers could thus reveal only the hints that they needed to have to play the game. To prevent the mere questions (printed in normal ink) from giving away too much information about the game, a certain number of misleading fake questions were included in every InvisiClues book. Answers to these questions would start by giving misleading or impossible to carry out answers, before the final answer revealed that the question was a fake (and usually admonishing the player that revealing random clues from the book would [[spoiler (media)|spoil]] their enjoyment of the game). The InvisiClues books were regularly ranked in near the top of best seller lists for computer books.<ref name=briceno2000/>

In the Solid Gold line of re-releases, InvisiClues were integrated into the game. By typing "HINT" twice the player would open up a screen of possible topics where they could then reveal one hint at a time for each puzzle, just like the books.

====Interactive fiction====
Infocom also released a small number of "interactive fiction paperbacks" ([[gamebooks]]), which were based on the games (such as ''Zork'') and featured the ability to choose a different path through the story. Similar to the ''[[Choose Your Own Adventure]]'' series, every couple of pages the book would give the reader the chance to make a choice, such as which direction they wanted to go or how they wanted to respond to another character. The reader would then choose one of the given answers and turn to the appropriate page. These books, however, never did sell particularly well, and quickly disappeared from the bookshelves.

===''Cornerstone''===
Despite their success with computer games, Vezza and other company founders hoped to produce successful business programs like [[Lotus Development]], also founded by people from MIT<ref name="wilson199111">{{cite news |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 |author=Wilson, Johnny L. |page=10}}</ref> and located in the same building as Infocom. Lotus released its first product, [[Lotus 1-2-3|1-2-3]], in January 1983; within a year it had earned $53&nbsp;million, compared to Infocom's $6&nbsp;million. In 1982 Infocom started putting resources into a new division to produce business products.{{r|maher20130320}} In 1985 they released a [[relational database|database]] product, ''[[Cornerstone (software)|Cornerstone]]'', aimed at capturing the then booming database market for small business. Though this application was hailed upon its release for ease of use, it sold only 10,000 copies; not enough to cover the development expenses.<ref name=briceno2000/>

The program failed for a number of reasons. Although it was packaged in a slick hard plastic carrying case and was a very good database for personal and home use, it was originally priced at [[United States dollar|USD]]$495 per copy and used copy-protected disks.{{Clarify|reason=why are £495 and copy protection negatives|date=September 2024}} Another serious miscalculation was that the program did not include any kind of [[scripting language]], so it was not promoted by any of the database consultants that small businesses typically hired to create and maintain their DB applications. Reviewers were also consistently disappointed that Infocom—noted for the natural language syntax of their games—did not include a natural language query ability, which had been the most anticipated feature for this database application. In a final disappointment, ''Cornerstone'' was available only for [[IBM PC]]s; while ''Cornerstone'' had been programmed with its own virtual machine for maximum portability, it was not ported to any of the other platforms that Infocom supported for their games, so that feature had become essentially irrelevant. And because ''Cornerstone'' used this virtual machine for its processing, it suffered from slow, lackluster performance.<ref name=briceno2000/>

===Changing marketplace===
Infocom's games' sales benefited significantly from the portability offered by running on top of a virtual machine. ''InfoWorld'' wrote in 1984 that "the company always sells games for computers you don't normally think of as game machines, such as the [[DEC Rainbow]] or the [[Texas Instruments Professional Computer]]. This is one of the key reasons for the continued success of old titles such as Zork."<ref name="mace19840402">{{cite news |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kC4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA56 |title=Games with windows |work=InfoWorld |date=April 2, 1984 |access-date=February 10, 2015 |author=Mace, Scott |pages=56}}</ref> Dornbrook estimated that year that of the 1.8&nbsp;million home computers in America, one half million homes had Infocom games ("all, if you count the pirated games").{{r|dyer19840506}} Computer companies sent prototypes of new systems to encourage Infocom to port Z-machine to them; the virtual machine supported more than 20 different systems, including [[orphaned technology|orphaned computers]] for which Infocom games were among the only commercial products. The company produced the only third-party games available for the Macintosh at launch,{{r|maher20130320}} and Berlyn promised that all 13 of its games would be available for the Atari ST within one month of its release.<ref name=chinsoft19850128>{{cite news|author=Chin, Kathy|title=Atari Promises Software For ST|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6i4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA15
|work=InfoWorld|date=January 28, 1985|access-date=March 19, 2011|page=17}}</ref>

The virtual machine significantly slowed ''Cornerstone''{{'}}s execution speed, however. Businesses were moving ''en masse'' to the IBM PC platform by that time, so portability was no longer a significant differentiator. Infocom had sunk much of the money from games sales into ''Cornerstone''; this, in addition to a slump in computer game sales, left the company in a very precarious financial position. By the time Infocom removed the copy-protection and reduced the price to less than $100, it was too late, and the market had moved on to other database solutions.

By 1982 the market was moving to graphic adventures. Infocom was interested in producing them, that year proposing to [[Penguin Software]] that Antonio Antiochia, author of its ''[[Transylvania (computer game)|Transylvania]]'', provide artwork. Within Infocom the game designers tended to oppose graphics, while marketing and business employees supported using them for the company to remain competitive. The partnership negotiations failed, in part because of the difficulty of adding graphics to the Z-machine, and Infocom instead began a series of advertisements mocking graphical games as "graffiti" compared to the human imagination. The marketing campaign was very successful, and Infocom's success led to other companies like [[Broderbund]] and [[Electronic Arts]] also releasing their own text games.{{r|dyer19840506}}<ref name="maher20130320">{{cite web |url=http://www.filfre.net/2013/03/the-top-of-its-game/ |title=The Top of its Game |work=The Digital Antiquarian |date=March 20, 2013 |access-date=July 10, 2014 |author=Maher, Jimmy}}</ref>

===Activision takeover===
After ''Cornerstone'''s failure, Infocom laid off half of its 100 employees,<ref name="oxner198605">{{cite magazine |title=Hobby & Industry News |magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]] |issue=28 |date=May 1986 |url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1986&pub=2&id=28 |access-date=May 21, 2016| last=Oxner |first=Bill |page=4}}</ref> and [[Activision]] acquired the company on June 13, 1986, for $7.5&nbsp;million.<ref name="wilson199111"/> The merger was pushed by Activision's CEO [[Jim Levy]], who was a fan of Infocom games and felt their two companies were in similar situations.<ref name="edge history">{{cite magazine | url = http://www.edge-online.com/features/short-history-activision/ | title = A Short History Of Activision | date = August 24, 2006 | access-date = February 13, 2019 | magazine = [[Edge (magazine)|Edge]] | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130404231907/http://www.edge-online.com/features/short-history-activision/ | archive-date=  April 4, 2013 }}</ref> Berez stated that although the two companies' headquarters and product lines would remain separate, "One of the effects of the merger will be for both of us to broaden our horizons". He said that "We're looking at graphics a lot", while Activision was reportedly interested in using Infocom's parser.<ref name="muse198609">{{cite news |url=https://archive.org/stream/inCider_1986-09#page/n15/mode/2up |title=Capturing a Buffalo |work=inCider |date=September 1986 |access-date=July 2, 2014 |author=Muse, Dan |pages=14–15}}</ref>

While relations were cordial between the two companies at first, Activision's ousting of Levy with new CEO [[Bruce Davis (video game industry)|Bruce Davis]] created problems in the working relationship with Infocom. Davis believed that his company had paid too much for Infocom and initiated a lawsuit against them to recoup some of the cost, along with changing the way Infocom was run. For example:
* Davis required they use Activision's packaging plant instead of their own in-house one, raising the cost of each package from $0.45 to over $0.90. In addition, the Activision plant made numerous mistakes in packaging, whereas the Infocom one almost never did.
* Infocom had a successful marketing approach that kept its [[backlist]] in store inventories for years. Because of this, older titles continued to sell, and their sales rose when the company released newer games. ''Zork'' especially benefited; its sales rose for years after its initial release in 1980. To Infocom's surprise it sold almost 100,000 copies of the game in 1983, and the figure rose by more than 50% in 1984.{{r|maher20130320}}<ref name="tommervik198303">{{cite news |url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1983&pub=6&id=10 |title=By Golly, That's a Good Game! / Masters of the Mousetrap Maxim Tell Why |work=Softline |date=March 1983 |access-date=July 28, 2014 |author=Tommervik, Margot Comstock |pages=30–32}}</ref> Activision preferred to market Infocom's games the way they marketed their other titles: replacing older titles with newer ones. While this made sense for the graphically intensive games that made up the rest of Activision's catalog, since Infocom games were text based, it didn't make sense – the newer games didn't have improved ''text''. This marketing approach cut off potential revenue for numerous Infocom titles that had consistently brought in money for several years.
* Davis required the struggling developer to produce eight titles a year. Infocom had traditionally produced about four games per year with more staff than they had post-merger.
* Davis pushed Infocom to release more graphical games, but the one they did release, ''[[Fooblitzky]]'', bombed. This was, in part, due to Infocom's long-standing rule of maximum portability; a game that could display graphics on a number of different systems couldn't take advantage of the strengths of any of them.
* The cost of acquisition was amortized by deducting it from Infocom's operating revenue during the next several years.

===Later years===
By 1988, rumors spread of disputes between Activision and Infocom.<ref name="cgw198804">{{cite magazine| title=Rumored Activision/Infocom Rift Unfounded |magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]] |issue=46 |date=April 1988 |url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1988&pub=2&id=46 |access-date=May 21, 2016 |page=9}}</ref> Infocom employees reportedly believed that Activision gave poorer-quality games to Infocom, such as [[Tom Snyder Productions]]' unsuccessful ''Infocomics''.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Master Storytellers did (Info-)Comics (and nobody took notice) |url=https://www.goodolddays.net/article/id%2C27/The-Master-Storytellers-did-%28Info-%29Comics-%28and-nobody-took-notice%29.html |website=The Good Old Days |access-date=14 July 2021}}</ref> Activision moved Infocom development to California in 1989, and the company was now just a [[Imprint (trade name)|publishing label]].{{r|wilson199111}} Rising costs and falling profits, exacerbated by the lack of new products in 1988 and technical issues with its DOS products, caused Activision to close Infocom in 1989,<ref name="CGW"/> after which some of the remaining Infocom designers such as Steve Meretzky moved to the company [[Legend Entertainment]], founded by [[Bob Bates]] and [[Mike Verdu]], to continue creating games in the Infocom tradition.

Activision itself was struggling in the marketplace following Davis' promotion to CEO. Activision had rebranded itself as Mediagenic and tried to produce business productivity software, but became significantly in debt. In 1991, Mediagenic was purchased by [[Bobby Kotick]], who put into measures immediately to try to turn the company around, which included returning to its Activision name, and putting to use its past IP properties. This included the Infocom games; Kotick recognized the value of the branding of ''Zork'' and other titles.<ref name="brick">{{cite journal | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980128082919/http://www.newmedia.com/NewMedia/96/09/screens/Activision_Rebound.html | url=http://www.newmedia.com:80/NewMedia/96/09/screens/Activision_Rebound.html | title=Activision: Reorganized, Redefined and on the Rebound | date=June 24, 1996 | author=Sengstack, Jeff | archive-date=January 28, 1998 | journal=NewMedia | url-status=dead | access-date=January 23, 2020 }}</ref> Activision began to sell bundles of the Infocom games that year, packaged as themed collections (usually by genre, such as the Science Fiction collection); in 1991, they published ''[[The Lost Treasures of Infocom]]'', followed in 1992 by ''[[The Lost Treasures of Infocom|The Lost Treasures of Infocom II]]''. These compilations featured nearly every game produced by Infocom before 1988. (''[[Leather Goddesses of Phobos]]'' was not included in either bundle, but could be ordered via a coupon included with ''Lost Treasures II''.) The compilations lacked the "feelies" that came with each game, but in some cases included photographs of them. In 1996, the first bundles were followed by ''[[Classic Text Adventure Masterpieces of Infocom]]'', a single CD-ROM which contained the works of both collections. This release, however, was missing ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' and ''Shogun'' because the licenses from Douglas Adams' and [[James Clavell]]'s estates had expired. Under Kotick's leadership, Activision also developed ''[[Return to Zork]]'', published under its Infocom label.<ref name="brick"/>

Eventually, Activision abandoned the "Infocom" name. The brand name was registered by Oliver Klaeffling of Germany in 2007, then was abandoned the following year. The Infocom trademark was then held by Pete Hottelet's [[Omni Consumer Products (company)|Omni Consumer Products]], who registered the name around the same time as Klaeffling in 2007.<ref>{{ cite web |url=http://gameshelf.jmac.org/2010/02/that-new-official-infocom-web.html |title=''That "new" "official" Infocom web site'' |publisher=The Gameshelf}}</ref> As of March 2017, the trademark is owned by infocom.xyz, according to Bob Bates.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://steamcommunity.com/app/532980/discussions/0/1488861734108749074/|title=Is this going to be an Infocom branded game? :: Thaumistry: In Charm's Way General Discussions|website=steamcommunity.com|language=en|access-date=October 21, 2017}}</ref>

==Titles and authors==
[[File:Infocom (1979-1986) (6120466941).jpg|thumb|right|Retail boxes of several Infocom games, on display at the [[Digital Game Museum]]]]

===Interactive fiction===
* The ''[[Zork]]'' series:
** The original Zork Trilogy (Marc Blank & Dave Lebling):
*** ''[[Zork I|Zork I: The Great Underground Empire]]'' (1980)
*** ''[[Zork II|Zork II: The Wizard of Frobozz]]'' (1981)
*** ''[[Zork III|Zork III: The Dungeon Master]]'' (1982)
** The ''Enchanter'' Trilogy:
*** ''[[Enchanter (video game)|Enchanter]]'' (1983, Marc Blank and Dave Lebling)
*** ''[[Sorcerer (video game)|Sorcerer]]'' (1984, [[Steve Meretzky]])
*** ''[[Spellbreaker]]'' (1985, Dave Lebling)
** ''[[Mini Zork I|Mini Zork I: The Great Underground Empire]]'' (1987, Marc Blank & Dave Lebling, free cut-down, single load tape version of game, covermounted on [[United Kingdom|UK's]] ''[[ZZAP!64]]'' magazine)
** ''[[Beyond Zork|Beyond Zork: The Coconut of Quendor]]'' (1987, [[Brian Moriarty]])
** ''[[Zork Zero|Zork Zero: The Revenge of Megaboz]]'' (1988, Steve Meretzky)
** ''[[Zork: The Undiscovered Underground]]'' (1997, [[Michael Berlyn]] and Marc Blank)
* The ''[[Planetfall]]'' series:
** ''[[Planetfall]]'' (1983, Steve Meretzky)
** ''[[Stationfall]]'' (1987, Steve Meretzky)
* ''[[Deadline (1982 video game)|Deadline]]'' (1982, Marc Blank)
* ''[[Starcross (video game)|Starcross]]'' (1982, Dave Lebling)
* ''[[Suspended (video game)|Suspended: A Cryogenic Nightmare]]'' (1983, Michael Berlyn)
* ''[[The Witness (1983 video game)|The Witness]]'' (1983, [[Stu Galley]])
* ''[[Infidel (video game)|Infidel]]'' (1983, Michael Berlyn)
* ''[[Seastalker]]'' (1984, [[Stu Galley]] & [[Jim Lawrence (cartoonist)|Jim Lawrence]])
* ''[[Cutthroats (video game)|Cutthroats]]'' (1984, Michael Berlyn & [[Jerry Wolper]])
* ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (computer game)|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]'' (1984, Steve Meretzky & [[Douglas Adams]])
* ''[[Suspect (video game)|Suspect]]'' (1984, Dave Lebling)
* ''[[A Mind Forever Voyaging]]'' (1985, Steve Meretzky)
* ''[[Wishbringer|Wishbringer: The Magick Stone of Dreams]]'' (1985, Brian Moriarty)
* ''[[Ballyhoo (video game)|Ballyhoo]]'' (1986, [[Jeff O'Neill (game designer)|Jeff O'Neill]])
* ''[[Hollywood Hijinx]]'' (1986, [[Dave Anderson (game designer)|"Hollywood" Dave Anderson]])
* ''[[Leather Goddesses of Phobos]]'' (1986, Steve Meretzky)
* ''[[Moonmist]]'' (1986, [[Stu Galley]] & [[Jim Lawrence (cartoonist)|Jim Lawrence]])
* ''[[Trinity (video game)|Trinity]]'' (1986, Brian Moriarty)
* ''[[Border Zone]]'' (1987, Marc Blank)
* ''[[Bureaucracy (video game)|Bureaucracy]]'' (1987, Infocom & Douglas Adams)
* ''[[The Lurking Horror]]'' (1987, Dave Lebling)
* ''[[Nord and Bert Couldn't Make Head or Tail of It]]'' (1987, Jeff O'Neill)
* ''[[Plundered Hearts]]'' (1987, [[Amy Briggs]])
* ''[[Sherlock: The Riddle of the Crown Jewels]]'' (1988, [[Bob Bates]])
* ''[[Arthur: The Quest for Excalibur]]'' (1989, Bob Bates)
* ''[[James Clavell's Shogun]]'' (1989, Dave Lebling)
* ''[[Journey (1989 video game)|Journey]]'' (1989, Marc Blank)

===Other titles===
* Graphic adventures
** ''[[Leather Goddesses of Phobos 2: Gas Pump Girls Meet the Pulsating Inconvenience from Planet X!]]'' (1992, Steve Meretzky)
** ''[[Return to Zork]]'' (1993, Doug Barnett)
** ''[[Zork Nemesis|Zork Nemesis: The Forbidden Lands]]'' (1996, developed [[Zombie Studios|Zombie LLC]])
** ''[[Zork Grand Inquisitor]]'' (1997, developed by [[Activision]])
* [[BattleTech]] games
** ''[[BattleTech: The Crescent Hawk's Inception]]'' (1988, developed by [[Westwood Studios]])
** ''[[BattleTech: The Crescent Hawk's Revenge]]'' (1991, developed by Westwood Studios)
* Other games
** ''[[Fooblitzky]]'' (1985, Marc Blank, Mike Berlyn, [[Poh Lim]] & [[Paula Maxwell]])
** ''[[Quarterstaff: The Tomb of Setmoth]]'' (1988, [[Scott Schmitz]], [[Ken Updike]] & Amy Briggs)
** ''[[Mines of Titan]]'' (1988, [[Louis Castle]] & [[Brett Sperry]])
** ''[[Tombs & Treasure]]'' (1989, developed by [[Nihon Falcom]])
** ''[[Circuit's Edge]]'' (1989, developed by [[Westwood Studios]])
* Infocomics
** ''Lane Mastodon vs. the Blubbermen'' (1988, Steve Meretzky)
** ''Gamma Force in Pit of a Thousand Screams'' (1988, Amy Briggs)
** ''ZorkQuest: Assault on Egreth Castle'' (1988, [[Elizabeth Langosy]])
** ''ZorkQuest II: The Crystal of Doom'' (1988, Elizabeth Langosy)

===Collections===
* ''The Zork Trilogy'' (1986; contained ''Zork I'', ''Zork II'' & ''Zork III'')
* ''The Enchanter Trilogy'' (1986; contained ''Enchanter'', ''Sorcerer'' & ''Spellbreaker'')
* ''[[The Lost Treasures of Infocom]]'' (1991; contained 20 of Infocom's interactive fiction games)
* ''[[The Lost Treasures of Infocom|The Lost Treasures of Infocom II]]'' (1992; contained 11 interactive fiction games)
* ''[[The Zork Anthology]]'' (1994; contained ''Zork I'', ''Zork II'', ''Zork III'', ''Beyond Zork'' & ''Zork Zero'', plus Planetfall)
* ''Five [[Interactive Fiction Collections]]'' (1995; Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Mystery, and Sci-Fi)
* ''[[Classic Text Adventure Masterpieces of Infocom]]'' (1996; contained 33 Infocom games plus six winners of the 1995 [[Interactive Fiction Competition]], which was not affiliated with Infocom)
* ''Zork Special Edition'' (1997; contained ''Zork I'', ''Zork II'', ''Zork III'', ''Beyond Zork'', ''Zork Zero'', ''Return to Zork'', ''Zork: Nemesis'', and ''Planetfall'')
* ''Zork Classics: Interactive Fiction'' (2000)
* ''The Zork Legacy Collection'' (2002; contained ''The Zork Anthology'', ''Return to Zork'', and ''Zork Nemesis'')
* ''The Zork Adventure Trilogy'' (contained ''Return to Zork'', ''Zork Nemesis'', and ''Zork Grand Inquisitor'')
* ''Lost Treasures of Infocom'' (2012; In-App purchases for most of the titles)

==Legacy==
With the exception of ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' and ''Shogun'', the copyrights to the Infocom games are believed to be still held by Activision. ''[[Zork#Creation|Dungeon]]'', the mainframe precursor to the commercial Zork trilogy, is believed to be free for non-commercial use.<ref>After a systems engineer at DEC obtained the source code for the MDL version by working out how to work around the implementors' directory protection and then brute-forcing their encryption, the implementors conceded that he deserved it if he was willing to go to that much effort.{{cite web |url=http://www.vaxdungeon.com/Infocom/Articles/NZT/zorkhist.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160202214348/http://www.vaxdungeon.com/Infocom/Articles/NZT/zorkhist.asp |archive-date=February 2, 2016 |url-status=dead |title=Infocom Interactive Fiction (Peter Scheyen Archive) }}</ref> but prohibited for commercial use.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://github.com/inge91/Zork-For-Android/blob/master/DMAIN.C |title=Zork for Android |website=[[GitHub]] |date=January 23, 2015 }}</ref> It was this copy that the popular Fortran mainframe version was based on.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vaxdungeon.com/Infocom/Articles/NZT/zorkhist.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160202214348/http://www.vaxdungeon.com/Infocom/Articles/NZT/zorkhist.asp |archive-date=February 2, 2016 |url-status=dead |title=Infocom Interactive Fiction (Peter Scheyen Archive)
 }}</ref> The C version was based on the Fortran version.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://github.com/inge91/Zork-For-Android/blob/master/HISTORY |title=Zork for Android – History |website=[[GitHub]] |date=January 23, 2015 }}</ref> and is available from The Interactive Fiction Archive as original [[FORTRAN]] [[source code]], a [[Z-machine]] story file and as various native [[source port]]s. Many Infocom titles can be downloaded via the [[Internet]], but only in violation of the copyright. Activision did at one point release the original trilogy for free-of-charge download as a promotion<ref>{{cite web |url=http://vaxdungeon.com/Infocom/download.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111101112625/http://www.vaxdungeon.com/Infocom/download.asp |archive-date=November 1, 2011 |url-status=dead |title=Infocom Interactive Fiction (Peter Scheyen Archive) }}</ref> but prohibited redistribution<ref>{{cite web|url=http://people.oregonstate.edu/~petersp/ORST/WR121_files/README.TXT|title=Readme from the release|website=oregonstate.edu}}</ref> and have since discontinued this.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://liberatedgames.com/forums/index.php?t=msg&th=7&start=0&rid=0&S= |title=Liberated Games Forums: FAQs => General Liberated Games FAQ |date=October 12, 2007 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012152419/http://liberatedgames.com/forums/index.php?t=msg&th=7&start=0&rid=0&S= |archive-date=October 12, 2007  }}</ref> There are currently at least four Infocom sampler and demos available from the IF Archive as Z-machine story files which require a Z-machine [[Interpreter (computing)|interpreter]] to play. Interpreters are available for most computer platforms, the most widely used being the [[Frotz]], [[Z-machine#Zip|Zip]], and [[Z-machine#Nitfol|Nitfol]] interpreters.

Five games (''Zork I'', ''Planetfall'', ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'', ''Wishbringer'' and ''Leather Goddesses of Phobos'') were re-released in Solid Gold format. The Solid Gold versions of those games include a built-in InvisiClues hint system.

In 2012, Activision released ''Lost Treasures of Infocom'' for iOS devices. In-app purchases provide access for 27 of the titles. It also lacks ''Shogun'' and ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' as well as ''Beyond Zork'', ''Zork Zero'' and ''Nord and Bert''.

Efforts have been made to make the Infocom games source code available for preservation. In 2008, [[Jason Scott]], a video game preservationist contributing towards the [[Internet Archive]], received the so-called "Infocom Drive", a large archive of the entire contents of Infocom's main server made during the last few days before the company was relocated to California; besides [[source code]] for all of Infocom's games (including unreleased ones), it also contained the software manuals, design documents and other essential content alongside Infocom's business documentation.<ref>[http://ascii.textfiles.com/archives/3778 GET LAMP Raw Interviews Pretty Much Up] on ascii.[[textfiles.com]] by [[Jason Scott]] (December 3, 2012)</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2008/04/infocom-drive-t/| title='Infocom Drive' Turns Up Long-Lost Hitchhiker Sequel |date=April 18, 2008 |quote=''Remnants of the unreleased sequel to Infocom's text adventure version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy have been made available to the public by Waxy.org. Playable prototypes, design docs, source code and a string of e-mails between Infocom designers and management provide a fascinating look at the game's turbulent, if aborted, development process. Among the assets included: design documents, e-mail archives, employee phone numbers, sales figures, internal meeting notes, corporate newsletters, and the source code and game files for every released and unreleased game Infocom made."'' |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |first=Chris |last=Kohler |access-date=January 26, 2016}}</ref> Scott later published all of the source files in their original Z-engine format to [[GitHub]] in 2019.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/the-source-code-for-infocom-s-classic-text-adventures-is-now-on-github | title=  The source code for Infocom's classic text adventures is now on Github  | first = Chris | last= Kerr | date = April 16, 2019  |access-date = April 16, 2019  | work = [[Gamasutra]] }}</ref>

''Zork'' made a cameo appearance as an [[Easter egg (media)|easter egg]] in Activision and [[Treyarch]]'s ''[[Call of Duty: Black Ops]]''. It can be accessed from the main menu.

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="CGW">{{citation |date=September 1989 |magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]] |title=Inside the Industry: Infocom's West Coast Move Stirs Controversy |page=10}}</ref>
<ref name="briceno2000">{{cite web |url=http://web.mit.edu/6.933/www/Fall2000/infocom/ |title=Down From the Top of Its Game: The Story of Infocom, Inc. |access-date=June 7, 2007 |date=December 15, 2000 |last=Briceno |first=Hector |author2=Wesley Chao |author3=Andrew Glenn |author4=Stanley Hu |author5=Ashwin Krishnamurthy |author6=Bruce Tsuchida |archive-date=September 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929022503/http://web.mit.edu/6.933/www/Fall2000/infocom/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
}}

==External links==
* [http://www.mobygames.com/company/infocom-inc/ Infocom company profile] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117153005/http://www.mobygames.com/company/infocom-inc/ |date=January 17, 2021 }} from [[MobyGames]]
* [http://www.infocom-if.org/ Infocom-The Master Storytellers] Infocom history, authors, etc.; often updated with any news from Activision

{{Infocom games}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1979 establishments in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:1989 disestablishments in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Companies based in Cambridge, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Defunct Activision subsidiaries]]
[[Category:Defunct companies based in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Defunct video game companies of the United States]]
[[Category:Infocom| ]]
[[Category:Software companies based in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Video game companies established in 1979]]
[[Category:Video game companies disestablished in 1989]]
[[Category:Defunct software companies of the United States]]