DID (Digital Image Design) is coming backalthough it is unclear in what form. After more than twenty years since its disappearance, it seems that we will soon see the historic software house become active again. For those who do not know it, it was founded in 1989 by Martin Kenwright and Phillip Allsopp and immediately caused a sensation with the flight simulator F29 Retaliator, an excellent title both from a technical and gameplay point of view.
Flight Simulators
Simulators were its strong point, so much so that the studio’s last game was Eurofighter Typhoon: Operation Icebreaker, dating back to 2002. To create them, DID worked with the air force (and not only) from all over the world, such as the Royal Air Force, the British Army and the Royal Navy. Its simulators were so accurate that they were used to train real pilots.
DID also created Robocop 3, a first-person shooter ante litteram completely 3D, in addition to games like Epic and Infernothe second of which had the English band Alien Sex Fiend for the soundtrack.
In short, we are talking about a big name, with many classics in its portfolio, such as TFX, EF2000 and Wargasm.
The end of DID began in 1996, when Infogrames acquired Oceanits publisher, and began pushing to buy the development studio as well. Kenwright and six others ran away to form Evolution Studios, along with Ian Hetherington, the founder of Psygnosis. Many other developers then fled DID, some of whom found refuge at Rage Games, which eventually bought the brand. With Rage’s bankruptcy in 2003, some former DID employees founded Juice Games.
A message from a new account with the DID logo appeared on X, promising a return within the year. For now, nothing is known about who is behind it. If we had to make a hypothesis, we would lean towards a remastering project of the games from the DID catalog, as done by other software houses in the past (see System 3).
#coming #development #studio #Robocop #F29 #Retaliator #TFX
