An unusual cross-promotion tool, Palace Software was initially established to help give a shot in the arm to the newly formed Palace Home Video line which had earned itself a reputation in the UK with its distribution of the controversial Evil Dead movie.
Figuring they'd get even more column inches by taking, at that time, innovative new marketing measures, the group quickly set-up a software arm with the sole purpose of coming up with games to support their big video releases. It was a short lived plan. After the critical mauling that The Evil Dead received from critics, a re-think was had and Palace's operation was modified to create and release games that would accompany their video line, rather than emulate it.
Despite the less risqué subject matter of their games, Palace couldn't help but court controversy most notably with their advertisements for the Barbarian series which featured a scantily clad Maria Whittaker (former sexy busty Page 3 model with The Sun newspaper) draped over a muscular warrior (the future Wolf from Gladiators fact fans!)
In 1991, with the Palace Group waning, the software arm was sold to French software house Titus.
Releases for the CPC
- Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior (1987)
- Barbarian II: The Dungeon of Drax (1988)
- Cauldron (1985)
- Cauldron II (1986)
- International 3D Tennis (1990)
- Sacred Armour of Antiriad (1986)
- Stifflip & Co (1987)
Vaporwares
These games were advertised for the CPC under the Palace label but did not appear.
- Cosmic Pirate (1989)
- Rimrunner (1988)
- Troll (1988) (n.b. Troll was eventually released for the CPC on the Kixx label)
Further reading
Palace featured in Amstrad Computer User page 1/3
page 2/2
page 3/3
