Home > Odin Computer Graphics
Odin Computer Graphics ( Odin for short) were a Liverpool-based computer games developer who came to prominence in the mid-1980s with a variety of titles for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and Amstrad CPC home computers. 1 History
Prior to the release of their debut title, Nodes of Yesod, in 1985, Odin had previously released a number of games under the name Thor. Although they developed a couple of in-house titles as Thor, they mainly acquired the publishing rights to homegrown titles from anonymous bedroom programmers. These early titles were mostly regarded as critical and commercial failures. When Thor decided to switch to in-house development, they thought it wise to change their name, hence Odin Computer Graphics was born.
Odin made a very deliberate attempt to ensure they were mistaken for Ultimate Play The Game, one of the most critically acclaimed game developers of the 1980s. As well as establishing a very similar name (Odin Computer Graphics vs. Ashby Computer Graphics), many of their games were heavily inspired by Ultimate's output (Odin's Nodes of Yesod certainly owes a considerable debt to Ultimate's Underwurlde). The advertisements for Odin's games also bore an uncanny resemblance to the highly stylised, airbrushed artwork that graced the adverts for Ultimate's games.
Nodes of Yesod became an instant critical and commercial success, prompting Telecomsoft (the software division of British Telecom) to offer them a six-figure contract to develop ten games within a 12 month period. While Odin's earlier games (including Robin of the Wood and Heartland) were well received, later titles failed to live up to expected standards.
In 1986, less than a year after their initial success, Odin finally self-destructed, a victim of non-existent internal management and very little accountability. Although they delivered all the necessary titles to fulfil their contract, Telecomsoft deemed many of them to be embarrassing, unplayable and not worthy of release. By this time many of Odin's core programmers and artists had already jumped ship. Many ex-Odin staff initially joined Denton Designs , another Liverpool-based games developer, before going their separate ways.
The old Odin studios were eventually converted into a warehouse by Telecomsoft and used to store unsold copies of games on their Firebird, Rainbird and Beyond labels.
2 Games developed
- Nodes of Yesod (ZX Spectrum, C64, Amstrad CPC)
- Robin of the Wood (ZX Spectrum, C64)
- Arc of Yesod (ZX Spectrum, C64)
- I.C.C.U.P.S. (ZX Spectrum, C64)
- Mission A.D. (C64)
- Heartland (ZX Spectrum, C64, Amstrad CPC)
- Hypa-Ball (ZX Spectrum, C64)
- On the Tiles (unreleased)
- Sidewize (ZX Spectrum)
- U.F.O. (unreleased)
- Gladiator (unreleased)
- The Gunpowder Plot (unreleased)
- Tank Game (unreleased)
- P.L.O.D. (unreleased)
- Lusitania (unreleased)
- Crosswize (ZX Spectrum)
Defunct computer and video game companies
