SubSpace (video game)
| SubSpace: The Internet Game | |
|---|---|
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| Developer(s) | Burst, Virgin Interactive |
| Publisher(s) | Virgin Interactive |
| Director(s) | Michael Simpson |
| Producer(s) | Rod Humble |
| Designer(s) | Virgin Interactive |
| Programmer(s) |
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| Artist(s) | Juan L. Sanchez |
| Composer(s) |
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| Platform(s) | Windows |
| Release date(s) | December 1997 |
| Genre(s) | Action |
| Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
SubSpace is a two-dimensional space shooter computer game created in 1995 and finally released in 1997 by Virgin Interactive Entertainment (VIE) which was a finalist for the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Online Game of the Year Award in 1998.SubSpace incorporates quasi-realistic zero-friction physics into a massively multiplayer online game. It is no longer operated by VIE; instead, fans and players of the game provide servers and technical updates. The action is viewed from above, which presents challenges very different from those of a three-dimensional game. The game has no built-in story or set of goals; players may enter a variety of servers, each of which have differing objectives, maps, sounds, and graphics.
SubSpace is widely considered an early entry in the massively multiplayer online genre due to its unprecedented player counts.
SubSpace evolved from a game originally called Sniper (1995), a project to test the effects and severity of lag in a massively multiplayer environment over dialup connections. After its creators realized its viability as an actual game, public beta testing began in February, 1996, and it became fully public later that year. The game was released commercially in December 1997 with a list price of US$27.99 for unlimited play, requiring no monthly or hourly fees. The game was originally developed by Burst, led by Jeff Petersen, Rod Humble and Juan Sanchez, for the US branch of the now-defunct Virgin Interactive.
When the game was officially released, it was not a commercial success due to a lack of marketing and the relative newness of internet gaming. Two years of playing for free became problematic as many players refused to pay for a game that they had beta tested for two years, and instead opted to pirate the software.
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