Software:Port Royale: Gold, Power and Pirates

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Short description: 2002 video game
Port Royale: Gold, Power and Pirates
Developer(s)Ascaron Entertainment
Publisher(s)
Platform(s)Windows
Release
Genre(s)Business simulation game
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Port Royale: Gold, Power and Pirates (known in Germany as Port Royale: Gold, Macht und Kanonen) is a business simulation game set in the Caribbean and partly the Atlantic during the 16th and 17th centuries. It combines business–economic simulation with real-time battles and towns that can be visited for trade and other purposes. A sequel, Port Royale 2, was released in 2004.[3] A third installment, Software:Port Royale 3: Pirates & Merchants, was released in 2012, and a fourth installment, Port Royale 4, was released in 2020. [4]

Gameplay

It is an open-ended game and the players can choose any type of career that they wish, including trading and interactions with pirates (including privateering).

There are also many other activities in the game besides trading or hunting down pirates. Players can visit governors in towns and accept missions from them as long as their reputation with the country is good enough. Missions include armed transport and tracking down lost relatives that have been kidnapped by an NPC called Axesmith (whom the player can choose, eventually, to defeat outright in battle). Treasure maps, purchased in pieces from around the game board, can also lead to newfound wealth and even the creation of a private port.

An important part of the game are the colonial nations in the Caribbean (Spain, France, England and The Netherlands) and their relationships.

There are a total of 12 different ship types available to players, of increasing cost, efficacy in battle and room for cargo. They range from the small pinnace, to a large ship of the line.

Development and release

The game was created by Ascaron Entertainment in 2002. The sequel Port Royale 2 was released over a year after in September 2004.

On August 2, 2011 the publisher Kalypso Media who purchased many of the licenses and assets from Ascaron Entertainment during its insolvency, announced that they had acquired the licences of the Port Royale installment. They announced also that they were already working on the third title, named "Port Royale 3". This released on May 4, 2012. A fourth title, Port Royale 4, was released in 2020. [5]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic79/100[6]
Review scores
PublicationScore
CGWStarStarStarHalf star[7]
GameSpot8.5/10[8]
GameSpyStarStarStar[9]
GameZone8.5/10[10]
IGN8.4/10[11]
Jeuxvideo.com12/20[12]
PC Gamer (US)71%[13]
PC Zone75%[14]

The game received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[6]

The editors of GameSpot named Port Royale the best computer game of June 2003,[15] and later nominated the game for their 2003 "Best Game No One Played" award, which ultimately went to Amplitude.[16]

See also

  • Video gaming in Germany

References

  1. ↑ Calvert, Justin (5 June 2003). "Port Royale ships". Fandom. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/port-royale-ships/1100-6029533/. 
  2. ↑ Naser, Bodo (19 March 2002). "Port Royale: genauer Releasetermin" (in German). https://www.4players.de/4players.php/spielinfonews/Allgemein/2347/13733/Port_Royale-.html. 
  3. ↑ "Port Royale 2 Reviews - Metacritic" (in en). https://www.metacritic.com/game/port-royale-2/. 
  4. ↑ "Review: Port Royale 4 - Dull Strategy Game Fails to Float Our Boat". 25 September 2020. https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps4/port_royale_4. 
  5. ↑ "Review: Port Royale 4 - Dull Strategy Game Fails to Float Our Boat". 25 September 2020. https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps4/port_royale_4. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Port Royale for PC Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/port-royale/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. Retrieved February 21, 2020. 
  7. ↑ Dulin, Ron (August 2003). "Port Royale". Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (229): 79. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_229.pdf. Retrieved February 20, 2020. 
  8. ↑ Parker, Sam (June 20, 2003). "Port Royale Review [date mislabeled as "May 17, 2006""]. CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/port-royale-review/1900-6030326/. Retrieved February 21, 2020. 
  9. ↑ Rausch, Allen (June 29, 2003). "GameSpy: Port Royale". IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on March 22, 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060322042842/http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/port-royale/5955p1.html. Retrieved February 22, 2020. 
  10. ↑ Lafferty, Michael (June 26, 2003). "Port Royale – PC – Review". Archived from the original on January 30, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090130053256/http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r21396.htm. Retrieved February 22, 2020. 
  11. ↑ Adams, Dan (June 13, 2003). "Port Royale Review". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/06/13/port-royale-review. Retrieved February 21, 2020. 
  12. ↑ Dinowan (October 23, 2002). "Test: Port Royale" (in French). Webedia. http://www.jeuxvideo.com/articles/0000/00002544_test.htm. Retrieved February 22, 2020. 
  13. ↑ McNamara, Tom (September 2003). "Port Royale". PC Gamer (Imagine Media) 10 (9): 77. Archived from the original on October 18, 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20061018003302/http://www.pcgamer.com/archives/2005/07/port_royale.html. 
  14. ↑ Wright, Andrew (April 5, 2003). "PC Review: Port Royale". Future plc. Archived from the original on September 22, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20070922233334/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=90095. 
  15. ↑ ((The Editors of GameSpot)) (July 2, 2003). "GameSpot's Month in Review: June 2003". GameSpot. Archived from the original on February 6, 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20040206065536/http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/gotm/070203/index.html. 
  16. ↑ GameSpot staff. "Best and Worst of 2003: Best Game No One Played". CNET. Archived from the original on July 18, 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20040718033722/http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/bestof2003/day3_15.html. 
  • Official Website
  • 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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