Pirates! Gold

Short description: 1993 video game

Pirates! Gold

North American home computer cover art

Developer(s)| MPS Labs
Publisher(s)| MicroProse
Designer(s)| Paul Murphy
Programmer(s)| Randall Don Masteller
Artist(s)| Michael Haire
Composer(s)| Jeffery L. Briggs
Roland J. Rizzo
Platform(s)| MS-DOS, Genesis, Classic Mac OS, Windows 3.x, CD32
Release| 1993: MS-DOS, Genesis
1994: Mac, Win 3.1, CD32
Genre(s)| Action-adventure, strategy
Mode(s)| Single-player

Pirates! Gold is a 1993 remake of the 1987 Sid Meier's Pirates! video game published by MicroProse.[1]

## Contents

* 1 Development
* 2 Gameplay
* 3 Reception
* 4 Reviews
* 5 See also
* 6 References
* 7 External links
* 8 Features
* 9 History
* 10 See also
* 11 References
* 12 External links

## Development

MicroProse developed this 256-color version for MS-DOS, Macintosh, Sega Genesis, Amiga CD32 and Windows 3.x featuring a MIDI score and mouse support (in MS-DOS and Windows versions).

## Gameplay

Pirates! Gold features Super VGA graphics including hand-painted screens, and a more-detailed playing environment than the original.[2] The update also includes 3-D modeled ship and flag animations, and graphic depictions of items that were menu choices in the original game.[3]

The player can play as a pirate, privateer, or a pirate hunter.[4] It features sword fighting, ocean-faring battles, and land battles as its three main arenas of action, connected by role-playing which allows the player to court the favor of local politicos, romance women, and recruit pirates in the local pub.[2] Players have the opportunity to go on quests, but must also strategically plan raiding excursions and trading routes.[3]

The PC versions contain a copy protection scheme requiring the player to identify the flag of a pirate ship sighted on the horizon (similar to the 1987 Commodore 64 port). Sea and sea-to-land combat are played in real-time while land battles are done in turn-based strategy. Sun sighting is not present in this version, and there are no special items. The game does, however, include several new features.

## Reception

Paul C. Schuytema for Compute! was positive to the game and called it "addicting".[2]

In 1993, Computer Gaming World described Pirates! Gold as adding "three disks of graphical gold" to "a great game engine". The magazine stated that the game "has much to offer a new player and comes with the highest of recommendations", but warned those familiar with the original that it was "not a significantly revised game with fresh game play".[3]

James Trunzo reviewed Pirates! Gold in White Wolf #39 (1994), giving it a final evaluation of "Excellent" and stated that "Pirates! Gold does have built-in replay value thanks to the option of playing in one of six historical periods or historical expeditions. By combining your initial choices with the ones that come up during play, you will have enough variety to keep Pirates! Gold on your hard drive for months."[5]

In 1994, PC Gamer US named Pirates! Gold the 39th best computer game ever. The editors wrote: "We're recommending the new version of this old classic, because it looks so darn good and it'll be easier for most of you to get your hands on. But the award really goes out to the gameplay that made the original Pirates! great".[6] In 2018, Complex ranked Pirates! Gold 26th among "The 100 Best Sega Genesis Games".[4]

According to Microprose, Pirates! Gold sold in excess of 450,000 copies by September 1997.[7]

## Reviews

* Mega #15 (December 1993)
* The One #65
* Amiga Computing #71 (Mar 1994)[8]
* PC Joker (German)[9]
* Power Play (German)[10]
* Micro Mania (Spanish)[11]
* Tilt (French)[12]
* Gambler (Polish)[13]
* PC Games (German)[14]
* Megazin (Slovenian)[15]
* Pelit (Finnish)[16]
* PC Player (German)[17]
* Amiga Joker (German)[18]

## See also

* Sid Meier's Pirates! (1987)
* Sid Meier's Pirates! (2004)

## References

1. ↑ "Sid Meier's Pirates! Gold Plus (Classic)". Valve. http://store.steampowered.com/app/327380/.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Compute! Magazine Issue 159". December 19, 1993. https://archive.org/details/1993-12-compute-magazine/page/n165/mode/2up.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Lombardi, Chris (October 1993). "Scraping Off The Barnacles". Computer Gaming World: 54, 56. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=111. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 ""The 100 Best Sega Genesis Games". Complex". Complex.com. https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/the-100-best-sega-genesis-games/pirates-gold. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
5. ↑ Trunzo, James (1994). "The Silicon Dungeon". White Wolf Magazine (39): 64. https://imgur.com/a/BUMNV0z.
6. ↑ Staff (August 1994). "PC Gamer Top 40: The Best Games of All Time". PC Gamer US (3): 32–42.
7. ↑ "Microprose Ships Conquer the Skies and Conquer the World, Two Compilations of Top-Selling, Award-Winning Simulation and Strategy Games" (Press release). Alameda, California: Microprose. 16 September 1997. Archived from the original on 20 January 1998.
8. ↑ "Amiga Magazine Rack". Amr.abime.net. http://amr.abime.net/issue_509. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
9. ↑ Haagen_1 (20 August 1993). "PC Joker September 1993: Joker Verlag, Grasbrunn: Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming: Internet Archive". https://archive.org/details/pcjokeraugust1994images/page/n9/mode/2up. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
10. ↑ Jason Scott (April 1994). "Power Play Magazine (April 1994): Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming: Internet Archive". https://archive.org/details/powerplaymagazine-1994-04/page/n91/mode/2up. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
11. ↑ Jason Scott. "Micromania Segunda Epoca (Spanish) Issue 72: Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming: Internet Archive". https://archive.org/details/micromania-segunda-epoca-72/page/n27/mode/2up. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
12. ↑ Bultro (September 1993). "Tilt 117: Tilt DSNC: Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming: Internet Archive". https://archive.org/details/Tilt117/page/n113/mode/2up. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
13. ↑ Jason Scott (December 1993). "Gambler Magazine (December 1993): Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming: Internet Archive". https://archive.org/details/gambler_magazine-1993-12/page/n53/mode/2up. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
14. ↑ Durian! (24 May 2014). "PC.Games.N012.1993.09-fl0n: Computec: Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming: Internet Archive". https://archive.org/details/PC.Games.N012.1993.09-fl0n/page/n27/mode/2up. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
15. ↑ Sketch the Cow. "Megazin 1993 09: Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming: Internet Archive". https://archive.org/details/Megazin_1993_09/page/n27/mode/2up. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
16. ↑ "Pelit (1993-07)". November 19, 1993. https://archive.org/details/pelit199307/page/n43/mode/2up.
17. ↑ chris85 (August 1993). "PC Player German Magazine 1993-08: PC Player: Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming: Internet Archive". https://archive.org/details/PC-Player-German-Magazine-1993-08/page/n51/mode/2up. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
18. ↑ pedgarcia. "Amiga Joker Sonderheft 5 Strategie: Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming: Internet Archive". https://archive.org/details/AmigaJokerSonderheft5Strategie/page/n81/mode/2up. Retrieved 2021-01-20.

## External links

* 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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