DreamSoft Interactive, Ltd. is a Canadian video game company founded in 1980 originally based out of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
Update (16/02/1998): Their last released game was Needle-Nose for the Nintendo 64 console.
It's unknown if the company is still working on any games as they recently moved from their office in Saskatoon in late 1997.
A representative of the company told a user from the forum on the phone that they still have a few releases planned.
DreamSoft's building at 276 3rd Avenue North, Saskatoon.
Originally named Northern Electronic Amusements, Ltd., the company was founded by Tom Williams in early 1980.
They got their start selling video in November of 1980 with their first release, "Space Bunker."
It was little more than a black and white Space Invaders clone with different sprites. Notably it had coloured gels over the CRT screen which made it "tricolour."
They sold around a thousand cabinets (exact numbers are nearly impossible to find) and it was a relative success for the company.
DreamSoft's founder Tom Williams, date unknown.
In 1984-1985 they released a series of handheld LCD racing games, most prominently "Space Racer!" from 1985.
It technically wasn't their only handheld game, although it's currently believed that their earlier LCD games were just reskinned into Space Racer!
Very few photos of any of these have yet surfaced, but they were all released under the NEA brand.
It wasn't until 1987 that they changed their name to DreamSoft Interactive and re-entered the arcade business. Some ~5,000 units were sold.
It was their most successful product, even if it remains obscure today, and it allowed them to release at least two other games afterwards.
Along with their latest release, Needle-Nose 64, company records indicate that they were working on a PC game in 1993,
though little is known about it currently. It's unknown if it was ever finished or released.
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Northern Electronic Amusements, Ltd. logo circa 1981. |
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DreamSoft Interactive Logo circa 1986. |
Page last updated: 5:34 PM, 17/02/1998
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