Software:Lombard RAC Rally (video game)

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Short description: 1988 video game
Lombard RAC Rally
Developer(s)Red Rat Software
Publisher(s)Mandarin Software
SeriesRally Championship
Platform(s)Atari ST, Amiga, MS-DOS
Release1988
Genre(s)Racing

Lombard RAC Rally is a 1988 rally video game developed by Red Rat Software and published by Mandarin Software (an imprint of Europress).

The game was based on the same rally (under the earlier sponsors' names) as the later Network Q RAC Rally games, and was the first of a series of related games published by Europress. It was released for the Atari ST,[1] Amiga[2] and MS-DOS[3] formats.

The game prominently features an animated driver, seen from behind moving the steering wheel, with the road seen through the car's windscreen.

The game cover art features Jimmy McRae's Ford Sierra RS Cosworth from 1987.[4]

Inspiration for the game came to Charles Partington and Harry Nadler (of RedRat Software) one lunch time when they were watching Lombard RAC Rally coverage on TV at the Top Cat Tavern (Manchester Corn Exchange/Hanging Ditch), which was located just around the corner from RedRat's offices. Charles and Harry had not previously seen rally coverage from an 'in-car' perspective and commented to each other that "we have to make a game out of this".

Speed Run

Speed Run
Developer(s)Red Rat Software
Publisher(s)Red Rat Software
Composer(s)Janette R. Armstrong
Platform(s)Atari 8-bit
Release1988
Genre(s)Racing

Lombard RAC Rally's developers (Red Rat Software) also released a superficially similar game called Speed Run for the Atari 8-bit family[5] with the same animated driver, but more simplistic through-the-window graphics and gameplay. Early adverts for Speed Run also mentioned an Atari ST version,[6] but do not make clear whether that proposed version later evolved into Lombard RAC Rally instead.

Lombard RAC Rally Amiga version
Speed Run Atari 8-bit version
Lombard RAC Rally (Amiga), left and Speed Run (Atari 8-bit), right

References

  1. ↑ "Atari ST Lombard RAC Rally: scans, dump, download, screenshots, ads, videos, catalog, instructions, roms". http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-st-lombard-rac-rally_22603.html. Retrieved 31 December 2018. 
  2. ↑ "Lombard RAC Rally - Lemon Amiga". http://www.lemonamiga.com/?game_id=1581. Retrieved 31 December 2018. 
  3. ↑ "Lombard RAC Rally (1988) screenshots". https://www.mobygames.com/game/lombard-rac-rally/screenshots. Retrieved 31 December 2018. 
  4. ↑ "Jimmy McRae of Great Britain driving a Ford Sierra as he races". https://www.gettyimages.ie/detail/news-photo/jimmy-mcrae-of-great-britain-driving-a-ford-sierra-as-he-news-photo/130234553. 
  5. ↑ "Atari 400 800 XL XE Speed Run: scans, dump, download, screenshots, ads, videos, catalog, instructions, roms". http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-speed-run_4893.html. Retrieved 31 December 2018. 
  6. ↑ "Speed Run (advertisement)". Page 6 Atari Users Magazine (Page 6 Publishing) (31): 2. January 1988. https://archive.org/details/Page_6_Issue_31_1988-01_ABACUS_GB/page/n1. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
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