- Spaceship Warlock
Infobox VG
title = Spaceship Warlock
caption =
developer = Mike Saenz, Joe Sparks
publisher =
designer =
release = 1991 (Mac), 1994 (Windows)
genre =Adventure game
modes =Single player
platforms =Macintosh , Windows
input = Keyboard, MouseSpaceship Warlock was an adventure game created by
Mike Saenz andJoe Sparks . The game featured arcade action and interactive dialogue, which enabled the player to type whatever he chose. The game was released in 1991 for the Macintosh and in 1994 for Windows. It was graphically ahead of its time and acquired a cult following. The game was a first person adventure set in a sci-fi future, in which the protagonist is captured by space pirates lead by Captain Hammer, whom he ultimately joins. The protagonist, namely, the player of the game, then goes on to battle and ultimately overthrow the evil Krull empire and restore freedom to the galaxy.Spaceship Warlock was one of the earliest & best-known multimedia CD-ROM games to combine all original animation, story, music, & game play. Spaceship Warlock is widely considered a pioneering work, and it received many awards and honors, including the "Game of the Year" award from
Macworld magazine.Captain Hammer, an eyepatch-wearing space pirate and revolutionary leader, is aesthetically a blatant nod to
Nick Fury . Some of the game's outer space scenes are reminiscent of the art ofChesley Bonestell .Lawsuit
The game's creators were involved in a legal dispute over the copyright:
"Two leading multimedia developers, Michael Saenz and Joe Sparks, have been in court since the fall of 1993 in a dispute about the ownership of the copyright in their successful game, Spaceship Warlock. The dispute focuses on whether Joe was an employee or independent contractor of Reactor, Inc. (Mike Saenz's company) when they developed the game. If Joe is right in claiming that he was an independent contractor, he is co-owner of the copyright and has a right to half of the profits from the game. These profits could be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars."—IP Law Primer (1994)
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