From HandWiki - Reading time: 5 min
| Lords of the Rising Sun | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Cinemaware |
| Publisher(s) | Cinemaware |
| Director(s) | Doug Barnett |
| Composer(s) | Bob Lindstrom |
| Platform(s) | Amiga, PC Engine CD, CD-i, X68000 |
| Release | 1989 |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Lords of the Rising Sun is a 1989 video game by Cinemaware, game design and art by Doug Barnett, released for the Amiga among other systems. Like the earlier Defender of the Crown, it was a mix of map-based strategy and arcade-style mini games as the player, playing as one of the famous Japanese generals Yoshitsune or Yoritomo, fights to pacify Japan by force. In the short documentary "The Total War Story", Mike Simpson, studio director for the company Creative Assembly said that the company's Total War series of games had been influenced by Lords of the Rising Sun.
Computer Gaming World gave the game a positive review, admiring the cinematic qualities of the game as well as the mix of action and strategy elements.[1] In 1990 and 1993 surveys of strategy and war games, however, the magazine gave the game three stars out of five, stating that it was "only marginally" about history.[2][3]
Ernesto Williams reviewed Lords of the Rising Sun for Games International magazine, and gave it 4 stars out of 5, and stated that "Lords of the Rising Sun has set a standard that others will find hard to folly. And follow they will."[4]
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 lengthy 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.

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]
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