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{{Infobox Company | company_name = Acheron Design | company_type = [[Video game developer]] | foundation = [[2004]] | location = [[Melbourne]], [[Australia]]| key_people = Athol Birtley, Lewis Strudwick, Michael de Graaf| num_employees = 26 | industry = [[Computer and video game industry|Video games]] | revenue = | homepage = http://www.acheron-design.net/ | products = [[Brian Lara Pressure Play]], [[WW2 DVD Trivia Challenge]], [[AFL DVD Trivia Challenge]], [[Cricket DVD Trivia Challenge]], [[Striker Pro]], [[Laboratory Mission X]] | }} '''Acheron Design''' is an independent [[Australia]]n game development studio, which has historically thrived on subcontracting and outsource work. Acheron Design was founded in 2004 by Lewis Strudwick and Athol Birtley. In 2006, the studio became a [[Private limited company by shares|company]], and Michael de Graaf joined the executive team. It is a member of the [[International Game Developers Association]],<ref>[http://www.igda.org/studios/ IGDA studio listing]</ref> and the [[Game Developers Association of Australia]]. == Notable releases == Acheron Design's notable releases have largely been sports games. The company developed [[Brian Lara Pressure Play]] for the [[PlayStation Portable|PSP]], in conjunction with [[IR Gurus]]. The game was published by [[United Kingdom|British]] publisher [[Codemasters]] in 2007, and has been a #1 seller in the UK,<ref>[http://www.chart-track.co.uk/index.jsp?c=p%2Fsoftware%2Fuk%2Farchive%2Findex_test.jsp&ct=110026&arch=t&lyr=2007&year=2007&week=35 Brian Lara Pressure Play on top of the UK charts]</ref> and in Australia.<ref>[http://au.gamespot.com/news/6182031.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=newstop&tag=newstop;title;4 Ricky Ponting Pressure Play (the Australian SKU) on top of the Australian charts]</ref> Acheron Design also worked on the arcade soccer simulator [[Striker Pro]] for the [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]] company [[Innovative Concepts in Entertainment]] (ICE). In addition, Acheron Design has worked on numerous [[DVD games|DVD trivia board games]]. These have often been licensed products, from organisations such as the [[Australian Football League]] and [[Cricket Australia]]. == Awards == In 2007, Acheron Design won a special commendation in the 'Best New Startup' category at the annual Game Developers Association of Australia awards.<ref>[http://www.gdaa.com.au/docs/GDAA%20AwardWinners.pdf GDAA 2007 Award Winners]</ref> Brian Lara Pressure Play was also a finalist in the 'Best Handheld Game' category.<ref>[http://sumea.com.au/snews.asp?news=3649 GDAA 2007 Award Nominations]</ref> == History == In 2004, Lewis Strudwick and Athol Birtley developed and released Laboratory Mission X while studying at [[Melbourne University]].<ref name="tsumea.com">[http://www.tsumea.com/australasia/australia/news/041007/sumea-interviews-lewis-strudwick-from-acheron-design Sumea interview with Lewis Strudwick]</ref> The game is a freeware title for the PC that explores unconventional control mechanisms and gameplay ideas. The studio grew and began performing outsourcing work for companies such as [[IR Gurus]].<ref>[http://palgn.com.au/article.php?id=5551 Mike Fegan interview at PALGN]</ref> It is now combining contract work with development of original intellectual property.<ref name="tsumea.com"/> == The name and logo == <!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Acheron Design Logo.png|thumb|300x|right|The Acheron Design logo]] --> The name 'Acheron' comes from [[Greek mythology|classical Greek mythology]], where [[Acheron]] is one of the rivers in [[Hades]]. It is the Acheron across which [[Charon]] was said to ferry the newly dead to the underworld. These classical allusions are clearly reflected in the company's logo, which shows a ferryman and a lake or river of some sort. Managing director Lewis Strudwick has suggested that the name 'Acheron' was as mispronounced as 'id Software',<ref name="ibid">[http://www.sumea.com.au/sarticle.asp?art_ID=3580 ibid]</ref> with the preferred pronunciation being 'ak-uh-ron',<ref name="ibid"/> or 'ack-uh-ron'. == Acheron Design in the community == Acheron Design has built and maintains a [[game engine]] for simple, rapid development of 2D games. It is called the [[MASI]] engine, and provides high- and low-level functionality for game development. It is freely available using [[Subversion (software)|subversion]], and has been used internally by Acheron Design in several projects. An [http://acheron-design.net/dev/MCXSE/overview.htm overview of the engine] can be found on the company's developer website. == Released games == * [[Pony Friends 2]] (2009) * [[Brian Lara Pressure Play]] (2007) * [[WW2 DVD Trivia Challenge]] (2006) * [[Cricket DVD Trivia Challenge]] (2006) * [[AFL DVD Trivia Challenge]] (2006) * [[Striker Pro]] (2006) * [[Laboratory Mission X]] (2004) == In development == In September 2007, [[Film Victoria]] announced investment in the Acheron Design project [[The Nightspot]].<ref>[http://film.vic.gov.au/www/html/599-digital-media-prototyping.asp Film Victoria Digital Media Prototyping (September 2007)]</ref> According to the Film Victoria website, The Nightspot is 'a multi-platform game that gives users the freedom to create and manage their own bar however they see fit'.<ref>[http://film.vic.gov.au/www/html/16-news.asp?n=1247 Film Victoria's latest Digital Media Prototyping Decisions (10 October 2007)]</ref> Further, in an interview with Australian game industry website [[tsumea]], managing director Lewis Strudwick hinted that a 'sci-fi psychological thriller' was also in the works.<ref>[http://www.tsumea.com/australasia/australia/news/041007/sumea-interviews-lewis-strudwick-from-acheron-design] Sumea interview with Lewis Strudwick (5 October 2007)</ref> At a [[Dissecta]] talk dealing with DVD Trivia Games, it was also confirmed that the company is working on trivia games for the downloadable PC market.<ref>[http://www.australiangamer.com/game_event/289/dissecta_-_anatomy_of_a_dvd_game.html Australian Gamer report from Dissecta event]</ref> == External links == * [http://www.acheron-design.net/ Acheron Design Home Page] * [http://www.codemasters.com/games/?gameid=2448 Brian Lara Pressure Play at codemasters.com] * [http://www.mobygames.com/company/acheron-design Acheron Design] at [[MobyGames]] * [http://www.icegame.com/GameDetail.aspx?ProductID=145 Striker Pro official website] * [http://lmx.acheron-design.net/ Laboratory Mission X game page] ==References and notes == {{reflist}} [[Category:Australian video game companies]] [[Category:Video game developers]]
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