Daydream Software
Their first game was "Safecracker", a point and click adventure game published by DreamCatcher Interactive. The game had a tumultuous production, starting when GT Interactive bought initial publisher Warner Interactive Europe. Daydream Software went public in late 1996. The company's goal was to increase its economic and decision-making freedom, and to secure the ability to select a publisher at the end of each game's development rather than at the beginning. President Jans Phersson-Broburg argued that self-financing Daydream's future games with money from Swedish investors, instead of obtaining "funding linked to specific projects" from publishers, would offer the developer more stability, flexibility and room for growth. For Daydream's public launch, roughly 20 million kr worth of shares, or 45.5% of the company, were offered to investors in Sweden. The initial public offering was a success, and Daydream opened on the Stockholm Stock Exchange's Stockholm Börsinformation (SBI) list in January 1997. Daydream was eventually able to buy back the rights to "Safecracker".
Rare (company)
Famicom's owner, Nintendo, once claimed that it would be impossible for their console to be decoded. Using the information the Ultimate Play the Game team learnt from Rare, the team prepared several tech demos and showed them to the Nintendo executive Minoru Arakawa in Kyoto. Impressed with their efforts, Nintendo decided to grant the Ultimate Play the Game team an unlimited budget for them to work on games for the Famicom platform. After they returned to England, they moved from Ashby-de-la-Zouch to Twycross, and established a new studio through Rare. They set their headquarters in a Manor Farmhouse. Rare also set up another company known as Rare, Inc., in Miami, Florida. Headed by Joel Hochberg, the American company was involved in maintaining Rare's operation in the US and contacting major US publishers. Famicom was eventually released in North America and Europe under the name Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).
With the unlimited budget, the Rare studio could work a large variety of different games. The first project Rare worked on was "Slalom", a downhill skiing title. The company then worked with various gaming publishers that included Tradewest, Acclaim Entertainment, Electronic Arts, Sega, Mindscape, and Gametek to produce over 60 games for the NES and several additional Game Boy conversions. They helped in creating new and original intellectual properties, including "R.C. Pro-Am", a racing game with vehicular combat elements, and "Snake Rattle 'n' Roll", an action platform game with Tim Stamper developing the game's graphics. Rare also developed "Battletoads", a beat'em up inspired by the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" franchise. The game became known for its extreme difficulty, and upon seeing success, publisher Tradewest published multiple ports for the game, and tasked Rare to develop sequels. Tradewest also gave their own "Double Dragon" licence to Rare, allowing them to develop a crossover game between the two franchises. Rare released three "Battletoads" games in 1993, including "", "Battletoads in Ragnarok's World" and "Battletoads in Battlemaniacs". The last "Battletoads" game was released for the arcade in 1994. Several "Battletoads" games were also ported to Sega's Mega Drive/Genesis.