Ocean Software
Licensed game masters
Notable Games
Company History
Ocean Software Ltd. was founded in 1983 in Manchester, England, by David Ward and Jon Woods. The company became one of the largest and most prolific British video game publishers of the 8-bit and 16-bit eras, known primarily for licensed games based on movies, television shows, and other entertainment properties.
Ocean emerged during the British microcomputer boom, publishing games for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, and later the Amiga and Atari ST. The company's aggressive licensing strategy secured rights to major properties: RoboCop, Batman, Jurassic Park, Terminator 2, The Addams Family, Hook, and countless others. Ocean's distinctive packaging with colorful cover art became immediately recognizable on store shelves.
While licensed games earned Ocean its commercial success, the company also published quality original titles and third-party games. The Addams Family (1992) for SNES demonstrated that licensed platformers could achieve genuine excellence. Worms was originally published by Ocean. The company distributed games from other developers and maintained internal development teams across multiple offices.
Quality varied significantly across Ocean's extensive catalog. Some licensed games were rush jobs capitalizing on movie release dates, while others received genuine development attention. The company's prolific output — sometimes dozens of releases annually — inevitably included both hidden gems and forgettable tie-ins.
Infogrames acquired Ocean Software in 1996 during a period of consolidation in the European games industry. Ocean's Manchester operation continued under Infogrames ownership before eventually being closed. The Ocean brand has occasionally been revived for re-releases and compilations.
Behind the Scenes
Ocean's development philosophy prioritized market timing over development time. Licensed games needed to release in coordination with movies, television seasons, or other marketing windows. This created pressure to ship games quickly, sometimes at the expense of polish or innovation.
The Manchester-based development teams worked under constraints that encouraged efficiency over experimentation. Established genres and proven mechanics were preferred to risky innovations. A RoboCop game should feel like an action game players expected; surprises were commercial risks.
Despite these constraints, talented developers produced memorable titles. The conversion teams who ported arcade games and console titles to European computers demonstrated remarkable technical skill. Getting arcade experiences running on 8-bit home computers required creative problem-solving and optimization expertise.
The Addams Family's quality illustrated what Ocean could achieve with adequate development time. The SNES platformer featured solid mechanics, atmospheric presentation, and gameplay depth beyond typical licensed fare. Success wasn't about the license — it was about development resources and time.
Ocean's role in British gaming culture extends beyond individual titles. The company provided employment for hundreds of developers, artists, and designers in Manchester. Skills developed at Ocean influenced British game development for decades. Many Ocean alumni went on to significant careers across the industry.
The shift from licensed gaming's dominance reflects broader industry changes. As development costs increased, licensed properties became riskier investments. A poorly-received movie could doom its game tie-in before release. Publishers increasingly preferred original properties they controlled entirely. Ocean's acquisition by Infogrames represented this transition — scale through consolidation rather than prolific original publishing.
About Ocean Software
Ocean Software is a defunct game development company founded on January 1, 1983 and headquartered in .
Known for creating iconic titles such as RoboCop, Batman (various platforms), The Addams Family and more, Ocean Software has left an indelible mark on the video game industry.