Editing Sensible Software

{{Short description|Software company}}
{{EngvarB|date=April 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}}
{{Infobox company
| image            = Sensible Software logo.png
| type             = Private (defunct)
| genre            = [[Software company|Software]]
| fate             = Acquired by [[Codemasters]]
| predecessor      = 
| successor        = 
| foundation       = 1986
| founder          = [[Jon Hare]]<br>Chris Yates
| defunct          = 1999
| location_city    = [[Chelmsford]]
| location_country = England
| locations        = 
| key_people       = 
| industry         = [[Video game industry|Video games]]
| products         = ''[[Wizball]]''<br>''[[Mega-Lo-Mania]]''<br>''[[Sensible Soccer]]''<br>''[[Cannon Fodder (video game)|Cannon Fodder]]''
| num_employees    = 6 (1993)
}}{{More citations needed|date=February 2025}}
'''Sensible Software''' was a British [[software company]] founded by [[Jon Hare]] and Chris Yates which was active from March 1986 to June 1999. It released seven number-one hit games<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mobygames.com/company/sensible-software|title=Sensible Software}}</ref> and won numerous industry awards.

The company used exaggeratedly small [[sprite (computer science)|sprite]]s as the [[player character]]s in many of their games, including ''[[Mega Lo Mania]]'', ''[[Sensible Soccer]]'', ''[[Cannon Fodder (video game)|Cannon Fodder]]'' and ''[[Sensible Golf]]''.

==History==
===8-bit era===
Sensible Software was formed in [[Chelmsford]], Essex in 1986 by two former school friends, [[Jon Hare]] and Chris Yates. They worked for nine months at LT Software in [[Basildon]], and started Sensible Software in March 1986.

Sensible initially released games for the [[ZX Spectrum]] and later the [[Commodore 64]], clinching market praise with ''[[Parallax (video game)|Parallax]]'', ''[[Shoot'Em-Up Construction Kit]]'' and ''[[Wizball]]'' (later voted Game of the Decade by ''[[Zzap!64]]'' magazine). At the time, the pair's output was well known among gamers for its high-quality and offbeat sense of humour.{{Citation needed|date=November 2008}}

In 1988 [[Martin Galway]] joined the team, making it a three-way partnership.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/gtw64/touchstone/|title = Touchstone (C64) - 1989 Origin Systems - GTW64| date=2 October 1989 }}</ref> In mid-1988, it released ''[[Microprose Soccer]]'', its first venture into [[association football]] games.

By 1993 there were 6 staff members.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://metro.co.uk/2012/10/23/jon-hare-sensible-software-interview-theres-only-one-person-thats-better-than-me-606298/|title=Jon Hare Sensible Software interview – 'There's only one person that's better than me'|website=Metro.co.uk|date=23 October 2012}}</ref>

===16-bit era===
Galway left in 1990 to join [[Origin Systems]] in the US, and over the next few years the company swapped the 8-bit machines for the more powerful 16-bit [[Amiga]] and [[Atari ST]] systems, where games such as ''[[Wizkid: The Story of Wizball II]]'', ''[[Mega-Lo-Mania]]'', the ''[[Sensible Soccer]]'' series and the ''[[Cannon Fodder (video game)|Cannon Fodder]]'' series became classics all over Europe, especially in the UK where various Sensible games were number one for 52 weeks of the three-year period between June 1992 – 1995.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}} With the rise of the 16-bit home console market, Sensible's games were ported to a wide range of [[computing platform]]s, including [[MS-DOS]], the [[Sega Genesis|Mega Drive]] and [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|Super NES]].

===32-bit era===
Though Sensible had a strong presence on the 8-bit and 16-bit machines that dominated the late 1980s and early 1990s, this success was not repeated on the 32-bit machines such as the [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] prominent in the mid 1990s. The trademark look of cute 2D characters had slipped out of vogue with the advent of cheap 3D rendering abilities and games such as ''[[Actua Soccer]]'' and ''[[FIFA (video game series)|FIFA]]'' turned to 2.5D and 3D gradually shoving the ''[[Sensible Soccer]]'' series aside though belatedly converting the game to 3D in 1998.

''Sensible Golf'', a simple [[golf]] video game (not a simulation), did not perform well in the market and with most of Sensible's staffing resources having been thrown into ''Sex 'n' Drugs 'n' Rock 'n' Roll'', a game that had initially been signed by [[Renegade Software]] (a [[Time Warner Interactive]] subsidiary) was dropped by their purchasers, [[GT Interactive]] (best known for [[Doom II]], [[Duke Nukem 3D]], [[Quake (video game)|Quake]] and [[Unreal Tournament]]), the owners were looking for a smooth exit.

Though never finished, this final project was discussed in certain sections of the media outside of the game press.  It was featured in an ''[[Independent on Sunday]]'' article in mid-1997.<ref>{{cite news |last=Walker |first=Sophie |date=6 July 1997 |title=Computer nerds discover sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/computer-nerds-discover-sex-drugs-and-rock-n-roll-1249248.html |work=[[The Independent]] |access-date=6 May 2019}}</ref> Two years later in 1999, the pre-rendered [[music videos]] – created for the game with animation by Khalifa Saber – were showcased within a feature piece on ''Ex Machina'', a TV show covering the [[Computer-generated imagery|CG animation]] scene on [[.tv (TV channel)|.tv]].

Another cancelled game that was being developed during this final development period was a PlayStation action game titled ''Have a Nice Day'', also known as ''Office Chair Massacre''.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://metro.co.uk/2013/10/09/sensible-software-1986-1999-book-review-the-rise-and-fall-of-a-british-giant-4140211/|title=Sensible Software 1986-1999 book review – the rise and fall of a British giant|website=Metro.co.uk|date=9 October 2013}}</ref>  Though screenshots have never been released, it was a [[first-person shooter]], inspired somewhat by the simplicity of ''[[Re-Loaded]]'', a first generation PlayStation game by [[Gremlin Interactive]]. [[Jon Hare]] has spoken about the project in various interviews, but has never discussed the game's content and gameplay features in depth.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://worldofstuart.excellentcontent.com/world/ctw/jops.htm |title=CTW – Jon Hare interview |publisher=Worldofstuart.excellentcontent.com |access-date=28 April 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/column_index.php?story=6937 |title=Playing Catch-Up: Sensible Software's Jon Hare |publisher=Gamasutra |date=24 October 2005 |access-date=28 April 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090508234058/http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/column_index.php?story=6937 |archive-date=8 May 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.c64.com/interviews/hare.html |title=For the best in C64 nostalgia |publisher=C64.COM |date=20 January 1966 |access-date=28 April 2009}}</ref> Aside from the likelihood that it contained themes as controversial as ''Sex 'n' Drugs 'n' Rock 'n' Roll'', in an interview with ''Total Video Game''{{'}}s Derek dela Fuente, Hare mentioned that the game had "hit some technical barriers" during its development.

Sensible Software was sold in 1999 to veteran UK games publishers [[Codemasters]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.denofgeek.com/games/sensible-software-1986-1999-book-review/|title=Sensible Software 1986-1999 book review|date=15 October 2013}}</ref> and since this date Hare has maintained a close working relationship with Codemasters, designing many of its games, including a variety of updates of both ''Sensible Soccer'' and ''Cannon Fodder''.

==Legacy==
In 2006, the Sensible Software game [[Sensible World of Soccer|''Sensible World of Soccer'']] was entered into a Games Canon of the ten most important video games of all time by [[Stanford University]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/12/arts/design/12vide.html|title = Is That Just Some Game? No, It's a Cultural Artifact|newspaper = The New York Times|date = 12 March 2007|last1 = Chaplin|first1 = Heather}}</ref> It was the only game developed in Europe to make the list, which also included ''[[Spacewar!]]'', ''[[Star Raiders]]'', ''[[Zork]]'', ''[[Tetris]]'', ''[[SimCity]]'', ''[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]'', ''[[Civilization (series)|Civilization]]'', ''[[Doom (franchise)|Doom]]'' and the ''[[Warcraft]]'' series.

In 2013, the book ''[[Sensible Software 1986–1999]]'' was released.<ref name="SS book">{{cite book |last1=Penn |first1=Gary |date=7 October 2013 |title=[[Sensible Software 1986–1999]] |publisher=[[Read-Only Memory (publisher)|Read-Only Memory]] |isbn=978-0957576803 }}</ref> This comprehensive retrospective on the history of the company was written by ''[[Zzap!64]]'' games journalist Gary Penn in conversational style. It features 19 different contributors including extensive interviews with Jon Hare, plus luminaries of the era including [[David Darling (entrepreneur)|David Darling]], [[Dominik Diamond]] and [[Peter Molyneux]]. Chris Yates declined to be interviewed for the book.<ref name="auto"/>  Half art book and half retrospective analysis,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.denofgeek.com/games/sensible-software-1986-1999-book-review/|title=Sensible Software 1986-1999 book review|date=15 October 2013|website=Den of Geek}}</ref> the book is the first of its kind to cover the creative, business and technical issues that shaped the whole era of early games development in the UK and Sensible Software in particular.

In 2020, the [[Royal Mail]] issued a series of postage stamps celebrating great British computer games with [[Sensible Soccer|''Sensible Soccer'']] commemorated as a first-class stamp.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stanleygibbons.com/collecting-stamps/dispatches/uk-retro-game-stamps|title=Royal Mail celebrates UK retro games|date=15 January 2020|website=Stanleygibbons.com|access-date=7 November 2021}}</ref>

== Games ==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Title !! Platform(s)
|-
|| 1985
| ''[[Twister (video game)|Twister, Mother of Charlotte]]'' || [[ZX Spectrum]]
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1986
| ''[[Parallax (video game)|Parallax]]'' ||rowspan="2"| [[Commodore 64|C64]]
|-
| ''Galaxibirds''
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1987
| ''[[Wizball]]'' || C64, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC
|-
| ''[[Shoot-'Em-Up Construction Kit]]'' || C64, [[Amiga]]
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1988
| ''Oh No'' || C64
|-
| ''[[MicroProse Soccer]]'' || C64, ZX Spectrum
|-
| 1990
| ''[[International 3D Tennis]]'' || C64, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Amiga, [[Atari ST|ST]]
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1991
| ''Insects in Space'' || C64, Amiga
|-
| ''[[Mega Lo Mania]]'' || Amiga, ST, [[Mega Drive]], [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|SNES]], [[MS-DOS]]
|-
|rowspan="4"| 1992
| ''[[Wizkid (computer game)|Wizkid]]'' || Amiga, ST, MS-DOS
|-
| ''[[Sensible Soccer]]'' || Amiga, ST, Mega Drive, SNES, [[Acorn Archimedes|Archimedes]]
|-
| ''Sensible Soccer International Edition'' || Amiga, ST, [[Atari Jaguar|Jaguar]], SNES, Mega Drive
|-
| ''Sim Brick'' || Amiga
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1993
| ''Sensible Soccer 92/93'' || Amiga, ST
|-
| ''[[Cannon Fodder (video game)|Cannon Fodder]]'' || Amiga, ST, MS-DOS, [[Acorn Archimedes|Archimedes]], Mega Drive, Jaguar, 3DO, SNES
|-
|rowspan="3"| 1994
| ''[[Cannon Fodder 2]]'' ||rowspan="2"| Amiga, MS-DOS
|-
| ''[[Sensible World of Soccer]]''
|-
| ''[[World Championship Soccer 2]]'' || Mega Drive
|-
|rowspan="3"| 1995
| ''[[Sensible Golf]]'' ||rowspan="2"| Amiga, MS-DOS
|-
| ''Sensible World of Soccer 95/96''
|-
| ''[[Sensible Train Spotting]]'' || Amiga
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1996
| ''Sensible World of Soccer European Championship Edition'' ||rowspan="2"| Amiga, MS-DOS
|-
| ''Sensible World of Soccer 96/97''
|-
| 1998
| ''Sensible Soccer '98'' || MS-DOS, [[Windows 9x]]
|-
| 1998
| ''Sensible Soccer European Club Edition'' || [[PlayStation]], Windows 9x
|-
| 2000
| ''Cannon Fodder'' || [[Game Boy Color]]
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://www.mobygames.com/company/sensible-software Sensible Software] at [[MobyGames]]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJxnXyBwXYw Sensible Software interview with Jon Hare]

{{portal bar|1980s|1990s}}
{{Sensible Software}}

[[Category:1986 establishments in England]]
[[Category:1999 disestablishments in England]]
[[Category:Companies based in Chelmsford]]
[[Category:Defunct companies of England]]
[[Category:Defunct video game companies of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Golden Joystick Award winners]]
[[Category:Sensible Software| ]]
[[Category:Software companies of England]]
[[Category:Video game companies established in 1986]]
[[Category:Video game companies disestablished in 1999]]
[[Category:1999 mergers and acquisitions]]