{{short description|German video game developer}} {{Multiple issues| {{expand German|topic=|otherarticle=Ariolasoft|date=December 2017}} {{one source|date=April 2018}} }}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox company | name = Ariolasoft GmbH | logo = Ariolasoft.jpg | type = GmbH | fate = Acquired by MicroProse Germany | predecessor = none | successor = United Software<ref name="moby"/> | foundation = 1983 | founder = Ariola Records | defunct = {{End date|1993}}<ref name="moby"/> | location_city = | location_country = West Germany | location = Germany | area_served = Europe | key_people = | industry = Video games | products = Computer games | revenue = | operating_income = | net_income = | assets = | equity = | owner = | parent = Ariola Records | num_employees = | subsid = Ariolasoft UK | homepage = }}
'''Ariolasoft GmbH''', later known as '''United Software''', was a German video game developer, publisher and distributor. It started in 1983<ref name="moby">{{cite web |url=http://www.mobygames.com/company/united-software-gmbh |title=United Software GmbH |publisher=MobyGames |accessdate=22 April 2018}}</ref> as the software subsidiary of Ariola Records, itself the record division of Germany's large Bertelsmann empire. From 1985 to 1988 Stephen Molyneux, formerly Head of Software at Atari International GmbH in Hamburg, held the position of Head of Software<ref>{{cite web |last1=Molyneux |first1=Stephen |title=Stephen Molyneux LinkedIn Profile |url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevemolyneux/ |via=LinkedIn |accessdate=20 June 2019}}</ref> with responsibility for international negotiations and licensing of software at its headquarters in Munich. Ariolasoft also had a British subsidiary, Ariolasoft UK, which was run by Ashley Gray (later replaced by Willie Carminke) and Frank Brunger.<ref name="moby"/>
The company released games for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, Atari 8-bit, Atari ST and Amiga systems. It was also the German publisher for Activision games developed for the Atari 2600, and the European publisher for Electronic Arts and Broderbund games, before those companies set up their own European offices. Ariolasoft also developed the cassette ports of those titles, and also developed original games. In addition to software activities, they were also the German distributor of the Master System between approximately 1987 and 1988.<ref name="moby"/>
In 1990, the company was renamed United Software, which in 1993 was taken over by MicroProse Germany.<ref name="moby"/>
==Original games and non-EA or Broderbund titles== The following table includes titles developed, commissioned, or licensed for European release by Ariolasoft (excluding North American imports from Electronic Arts and Broderbund).
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;" |- ! rowspan="2" style="vertical-align: bottom;" | Game Name ! rowspan="2" style="vertical-align: bottom;" | Year ! rowspan="2" style="vertical-align: bottom;" | Developer ! rowspan="2" style="vertical-align: bottom;" | Label ! colspan="10" | Platforms |- ! style="height: 110px; vertical-align: bottom; padding: 0;" | <div style="writing-mode: vertical-rl; transform: rotate(180deg); width: 25px; margin: auto;">C64</div> ! style="height: 110px; vertical-align: bottom; padding: 0;" | <div style="writing-mode: vertical-rl; transform: rotate(180deg); width: 25px; margin: auto;">CPC</div> ! style="height: 110px; vertical-align: bottom; padding: 0;" | <div style="writing-mode: vertical-rl; transform: rotate(180deg); width: 25px; margin: auto;">Spec</div> ! style="height: 110px; vertical-align: bottom; padding: 0;" | <div style="writing-mode: vertical-rl; transform: rotate(180deg); width: 25px; margin: auto;">Atari</div> ! style="height: 110px; vertical-align: bottom; padding: 0;" | <div style="writing-mode: vertical-rl; transform: rotate(180deg); width: 25px; margin: auto;">MSX</div> ! style="height: 110px; vertical-align: bottom; padding: 0;" | <div style="writing-mode: vertical-rl; transform: rotate(180deg); width: 25px; margin: auto;">ST</div> ! style="height: 110px; vertical-align: bottom; padding: 0;" | <div style="writing-mode: vertical-rl; transform: rotate(180deg); width: 25px; margin: auto;">Amiga</div> ! style="height: 110px; vertical-align: bottom; padding: 0;" | <div style="writing-mode: vertical-rl; transform: rotate(180deg); width: 25px; margin: auto;">Apple II</div> ! style="height: 110px; vertical-align: bottom; padding: 0;" | <div style="writing-mode: vertical-rl; transform: rotate(180deg); width: 25px; margin: auto;">PCW</div> ! style="height: 110px; vertical-align: bottom; padding: 0;" | <div style="writing-mode: vertical-rl; transform: rotate(180deg); width: 25px; margin: auto;">C16</div> |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Batalyx'' || 1985 || Batlalyx || Ariolasoft || ● || || || || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Bride of Frankenstein'' || 1987 || Viz Design || 39 Steps || ● || ● || ● || || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Camelot Warriors'' || 1985 || Dinamic Software || Ariolasoft || ● || ● || ● || || ● || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Centurions: Power X Treme'' || 1987 || Byte Engineers || Reaktor || ● || ● || ● || || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Challenge of the Gobots'' || 1987 || Tony Crowther || Reaktor || ● || ● || ● || || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Deadringer'' || 1987 || Ariolasoft || Reaktor || ● || || ● || || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Deactivators'' || 1986 || Tigress || Reaktor || ● || ● || ● || || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Deathscape'' || 1987 || Starlight || Starlight || ● || ● || ● || || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Degas'' || 1985 || Batteries Included || Ariolasoft || || || || || || ● || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Degas Elite'' || 1986 || Batteries Included || Ariolasoft || || || || || || ●|| || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Dogfight 2187'' || 1987 || Starlight || Starlight || ● || ● || ● || || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Floyd the Droid'' || 1985 || Radarsoft || Ariolasoft || ● || || || || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Golf Construction Set'' || 1985 || Andromeda / Tigress || Ariolasoft || ● || || || || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Greyfell: Legend of Norman'' || 1987 || Starlight || Starlight || ● || ● || ● || || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Hybrid'' || 1987 || Starlight || Starlight || ● || ● || ● || || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Hyperforce'' || 1986 || Tony Takoushi || Ariolasoft || ● || || || || || || ● || || || ● |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Kaiser'' || 1984 || Ariolasoft || Ariolasoft || ● || ● || || ● || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Killer Ring'' || 1987 || Tony Crowther || Reaktor || ● || ● || || || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Lapis Philosophorum'' || 1985 || pH Soft || Ariolasoft || ● || || || ● || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Len Deighton's Blitzkrieg'' || 1987 || Gary Yorke || 39 Steps || ● || || || || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Maps Britain'' || 1985 || Radarsoft || Ariolasoft || ● || || || || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Matrix and Laserzone'' || 1986 || LLamasoft || Ariolasoft || || || || || || || || || || ● |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Mountie Mick's Deathride'' || 1987 || Ariolasoft || Reaktor || ● || ● || ● || || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Mrs. Mop'' || 1987 || John Stevenson || Ariolasoft || ● || || || || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Out of this World'' || 1987 || Bettertech || Reaktor || ● || ● || ● || || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Panzadrome'' || 1985 || RamJam Corp || Ariolasoft || || ● || ● || || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Paperclip'' || 1985 || Batteries Included || Ariolasoft || ● || || || ● || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Pile-Up!'' || 1987 || Christop Shulte Vennbur || Reaktor || ● || || || || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Red L.E.D.'' || 1987 || Starlight || Starlight || ● || ● || ● || || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Scarabaeus'' || 1985 || Andromeda || Ariolasoft || ● || || || || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Sepulcri'' || 1986 || Chris Sawyer || Ariolasoft || || ● || ● || || ● || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Starburst'' || 1986 || Tony Takoushi || Ariolasoft || || || || || || || || || || ● |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Starfox'' || 1987 || Realtime Games || Reaktor || ● || ● || ● || || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Starship Andromeda'' || 1986 || Andromeda || Ariolasoft || ● || || || || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''The Big Deal (Floyd 2)'' || 1986 || Radarsoft || Ariolasoft || ● || || || || || || || ● || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''The Fourth Protocol'' || 1985 || Electronic Pencil Co || Ariolasoft || ● || ● || ● || || || ● || || || ● || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''The Terrors of Trantoss'' || 1986 || RamJam Corp || Ariolasoft || || ● || ● || || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''They $tole a Million'' || 1986 || Tigress || 39 Steps || ● || ● || ● || || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Think!'' || 1985 || Tigress || Ariolasoft || || ● || ● || || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Toadrunner'' || 1986 || Dave Harper || Ariolasoft || ● || ● || ● || || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Triaxos'' || 1987 || Pennsoft || 39 Steps || ● || ● || ● || || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''TUJAD'' || 1986 || Orpheus || Ariolasoft || || ● || ● || || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Valkyrie 17'' || 1984 || Ram Jam || Ariolasoft || ● || || ● || || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Vermeer'' || 1987 || Ralf Glau / Ariolasoft || Ariolasoft || ● || || || || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Voidrunner + Hellgate'' || 1987 || LLamasoft || Ariolasoft || || || || || || || || || || ● |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Werewolves of London'' || 1987 || Viz Design || Ariolasoft || ● || ● || ● || || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Werner: Let's go!'' || 1986 || Semmel Verlach || Ariolasoft || ● || ● || || || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Wild West'' || 1985 || Andromeda || Ariolasoft || ● || || || || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Wizard'' || 1984 || Progressive || Ariolasoft || ● || || || || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Zarjaz'' || 1987 || Daryl Etherington || Reaktor || ● || || || || || || || || || |- | style="text-align:left;" | ''Ziggurat'' || 1988 || Chris Sawyer || Ariolasoft || ● || ● || ● || || || || || || || |- |}
==Collaborations== *''Cavelord'' with Atari Germany
==References== {{reflist}}
Category:Defunct video game companies of Germany Category:Video game companies established in 1983 Category:Video game companies disestablished in 1993 Category:Video game development companies Category:Video game publishers Category:1983 establishments in West Germany Category:German companies established in 1983 Category:MicroProse Category:German companies disestablished in 1993
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