Microprose returns to show Commodore how to really tarnish a brand

As if seeing the Commodore logo slapped on a whole slew of thoroughly unremarkable devices wasn't enough to make folks of a certain age feel a little wistful for their early computing days, legendary game developer Microprose is now getting in on the action as well, and seemingly outdoing Commodore to boot. As the Classic Gaming website reports, Microprose, once known as the name behind Civilization, Railroad Tycoon and other classic games, is now set to release a bundle of new products that likely wouldn't garner a second glance if not for the brand. Those include the MPI-500 digital TV receiver and MPI-100 HDMI switch pictured above, as well as a series of REDLINE cabling products aimed at gamers, a battery pack/stand for the PSP, and the Microprose Arcade Professional PC joystick (pictured after the break), which at least brings a little old school flavor with it (including a trackball). No word on a price for any of 'em just, but at least the joystick will apparently be available in May.

[Via Classic Gaming, thanks Curt]

[BigD145 @ Feb 29th 2008 1:31PM]

/snore

It all looks like rebranding to me.

[Locke @ Feb 29th 2008 1:42PM]

I just threw up a little...

Microprose, how about a new X-COM game? UFO Defense was my first PC game, back in 1996, when we bought our first computer (Dell, Pentium I @ 200 MHz).

[Geir E @ Feb 29th 2008 5:09PM]

UFO was amazing. UFO 2 is probably my all time favorite strategy game.

[Axyl @ May 10th 2008 10:58PM]

Your first pc game are you serious? That game sucked!
PS- 300 sequel search it up before you make fun of someone

[Charles R Hamilton @ Feb 29th 2008 1:45PM]

WTF...

[ReductiMat @ Feb 29th 2008 2:19PM]

A thousand monkey's at a thousand typewriters...

[BigD145 @ Feb 29th 2008 3:19PM]

can NOT produce Shakespeare.

[greymullet @ Feb 29th 2008 4:13PM]

...would probably misuse apostrophes.

[Sporkinum @ Feb 29th 2008 2:34PM]

The stick portion of the joystick looks an awful lot like an Atari 2600 stick.

They claim on their website that they will use the name for "Software development has also begun and an all new line of strategic simulations are on the horizon in the same spirit of quality and exciting gameplay that players expect from Microprose."

[saintchuck @ Feb 29th 2008 2:55PM]

If they can make a Silent Service and a Railroad Tycoon that doesn't suck, that would be great though they don't own the rights any longer so that is unlikely. Falcon 5.0 would be excellent, as well.

[TrueDis @ Feb 29th 2008 3:07PM]

And by "pictured after the break," of course you mean "not pictured after the break."

[John B @ Feb 29th 2008 3:16PM]

Oh, for f*ck's sake... What the F*CK do "Gunship" and "F15 Strike Eagle" have to with an HDMI switch?!

At least the Commodore brand stayed with computers. Microprose, you suck!

[YoMomma @ Feb 29th 2008 4:02PM]

Can a Commodore play Crysis on high details?

[tyecies @ Feb 29th 2008 5:37PM]

microprose/FASA made 2 of my favorite games, mechcommander 1 and 2, so sad to see what has become to both of them

[bob @ Feb 29th 2008 6:42PM]

C= ftw...

but can it play Doom?

[bearz @ Feb 29th 2008 8:33PM]

CDTV II ???

Can it run Falcon?

[Martin Goldberg @ Feb 29th 2008 8:53PM]

Just saw this, and quite frankly I'm surprised at the childish title and some of these responses. As stated in the article, they will be going in to software again as well (it also clearly states this on the website). There was no Microprose from 1999/2000 until just this past fall. The name and its properties were sitting languishing under Infogrames until they were all purchased by this group of gaming industry people. This is hardly a case of someone unrelated appropriating a "name" to bleed it. They chose to do consumer electronics based products to get a monetary base to relaunch the games. Unless you have a large parent company to start pumping wads of money for software development, you have to have some other means. Likewise, there is no "rebranding" or slapping of a name on someone else's product going on here these were designed from the ground up by the people involved in Microprose.

[markgil @ Mar 2nd 2008 7:33AM]

MOM2!!!!