The Story of Ocean Software: "The Biggest Games Company in the World" - Kim Justice

[@Kim_Justice]

If you liked this then think about having a gander through my social media, and get yourself on my Patreon: www.patreon.com/KimbleJustice

[@JohnZingTTV]

So i found another publisher video 2nd one I've watched and yes this was great too! Looking forward to more.

[@jmp01a24]

8 years go so fast... I still come back to this video now and then. To get my fill of 80s UK game development.

[@mutezone]

RIP David Ward. Thank you for Ocean & bringing us great games to our home computers in the 80s & 90s.

[@disarmsox]

Who needs terrestrial TV, Netflix, Sky, etc when you have KZbin and fantastic documentaries like this? Subscribed.

[@reggaetonjones1988]

I am from the United States and I agree that the history of games is lopsided, not properly covering other territories and the unsung geniuses of gaming from them. I was guilty of this ignorance when I was in my teens (young and dumb, I suppose). The thing that changed that for me was the UK based magazine Retro Gamer. The first issue I bought was the issue that explored the history of Durell the software publisher. The CD that came with it had a ZX Spectrum emulator and some games. I had never heard t\of the platform before and was intrigued as a result. Because of that gem of a Magazine I had the pleasure of playing Seboteur!, Saboteur 2: Avenging Angel, Manic Miner, Sigma 7, Critical Mass and Jet Set Willy. I had a good friend over and we played those games to death and back. We were so pissed that we never had the Speccy, that scrappy home computer that was so loved by those in the UK. The likes of Mathew Smith (Manic Miner, Jet Set Willy) and Clive Townsend (Seboteur!, Saboteur 2: Avenging Angel) are game developer legends, as far as I'm concerned. The Saboteur series is my favorite out of the bunch. Great job on the video and God bless Sir Clive Sinclair!

[@SD78]

I watched the Crash Course history of gaming series and it looked something like this: MURICA! MURICA! MURICA! MURICA! MURICA! MURICA! MURICA! MURICA! MURICA! MURICA! MURICA! MURICA! MURICA! MURICA! MURICA! MURICA! MURICA! MURICA! MURICA! MURICA!

[@leonleon3267]

100%, preach it brother, it's great to hear an american who loved those games

[@BobsBand]

I was an Acorn man back in the 80s-90s, also loved C64, and was exposed to the ZX but it was a bit cheap and shit. Still love the memories!

[@reggaetonjones1988]

@@BobsBand that's awesome! Acorn computers has such a fascinating history behind it.

[@stewsretroreviews]

Loved the Spectrum back in the day and its shame the US never really got it. So many classics!

[@Roysterini]

Great video that. Was watching while coding on C64. Great to see some familiar faces. I was at Ocean/Infogrames from 1992 to 2000.

[@immortalsofar5314]

The greatest contribution Ocean made to me was the thought "I could do better than that!" Not quite true but it certainly provided a low enough bar to be achievable.

[@ClamBuster4]

absolutely fantastic sir... well done. being a 36 year old englishman this is exactly how my earlier gaming years were spent. from the zx to the c64 to the 500+, ocean games were in abundance in my household and now i finally know their tale. respect

[@SomeOrangeCat]

This one was a real eye opener. Being an American, I was only ever exposed to Ocean's crappier stuff back in the day. It wasn't until a year or so back, that I was exposed to the excellence that are their Spectrum titles. So yeah, us Yanks really missed out on something good.

[@leonleon3267]

I'm always surprised when people bashed ocean to the degrees they did, being from the uk i only ever had fond memories

[@AllGamingStarred]

@@leonleon3267 you never played Jurassic park or the nes port of Robocop

[@Loscha]

Kim, this is a masterwork of video game history. Thank you so much for the dozens of hours you must have spent on this.

[@16bitbrit]

Wow! Brilliant work, Kim. These documentaries have really evolved into a product that brilliantly represents a classic era of gaming that many of us experienced. Really, really great work. Whenever I think Ocean, I think Robocop - this video has shed some light as to why that is, ha ha.

[@daddyfiverrankz9097]

Wow short circuit! I had completely forgotten about that game! Thanks great video

[@dluxx7283]

This is bloody awesome! Good work.

[@akwalek]

cheers kim, another entertaining & informative vid.. you're being very productive of late! always look forward to your posts.

[@Moonfreeze]

I agree 100% to what you said in the intro. Retro computer games and the european market is basically dismissed in the mainstream perception of what the history of gaming is. In my youth the NES was secondary to the C64 and Amiga (in the number of systems owned by friends etc). Thank you for going against the grain :)

[@RobertSturt]

Hi Kim, this is great work, really enjoyed this. Thanks for making.

[@evilutionltd]

I'd love to see on of these about Psygnosis and Team 17.

[@Scuba72Chris]

+Evil from evilution Totally agree, I worked for Psygnosis throughout the early 90s and it was a blast. It was great seeing some old faces that I recognised in this video!

[@Juganawt]

Another top notch video here! My only (extremely minor) gripe is that most of the footage was from Speccy versions of the games. Would've been nice to see more c64/Amstrad/Amiga/Atari St in the mix, as well as later licenses such as Pushover and the official Comic Relief video game "Sleepwalker" (also released as Eek! The Cat on SNES). Aside from that? 10/10 yet again!

[@arthouseanime4150]

+Juganawt Major crossover here. XD

[@skywalkerranch]

Hearing any Ocean loader is like entering a time machine back to the 80s awesome stuff yet again from Kim Justice.

[@android584]

As an Australian kid with an Amiga reading UK computer magazines, Ocean certainly were one of the most visible names. I had wondered how big games companies disappeared, being bought by a bigger company seems to be the usual story. Seems like Ocean built their empire on a particular niche which disappeared. I still find it weird though that a dozen guys cannot make a computer or console game anymore due to the number of man hours required for a 3D game with 4K resolution and CD quality sound.

[@renbymon]

This is probably one of the documentaries about the video game industry that I have ever seen! Absolutely fantastic work! :D

[@PeasGraveny]

I find these documentaries of Kim's rivetting.Excellent work, sir!

[@AnimalFacts]

I absolutely love your channel. Great content.

[@Roughpaws_Studio]

Daley Thompson's Decathlon and Match Day were two of the best games ever released on the Speccy. I was a HUGE fan of Ocean back in the day! Great memories!

[@sixzerothreeonesevensixnine]

These videos are very very well made i have to say

[@wrena79]

Hats off Kim. You're extremely talented and should be commended for producing a video of such incredible quality. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.

[@MrSEA-ok2ll]

The controls could get finnicky, but Batman on Amiga was visually astounding...especially the driving scenes...wonderful memories.

[@purplezebrahoover]

Amazing work, brought back some amazing memories. Cheers Kim, keep up the superb work.

[@TheTurksMusic]

just found you by accident on KZbin recommended videos, excellent work

[@Imgema]

Another excellent documentary styled video. These are your best videos so far. I also absolutely LOVE how your channel is more European/UK centered. There are many good channels that make quality content like this but almost everything is from the American point of view, you know, "video game crash" and "Genesis" all that stuff. So your content feels so fresh to me. Everytime i hear you say "Mewga Drive", it makes me smile :P Keep it up :)

[@Tzunamii777]

I played so many of these games as I was growing up. Thanks for making these, some of the better documentaries on the innards of the gaming industry I've seen, and I've seen a plenty.

[@TheInfiniteMiseryJumper]

Another informative, well researched, thought provoking and professional production. Thanks Kim, for all your hard work!

[@gothakane]

Thank you Kim, all of those went on when I was a child and I had idea about any of it. Really it's a treat to get a behind the scenes look at a company which played a big part in my childhood.

[@cpnnpr]

Just coming back to watch this again after playing Robocop 3 on Genesis, and just want to mention how much I love your show. Thanks.

[@redpillcounselling227]

Tremendous video. After reading the excellent 'Ocean:The History' book, this is the perfect accompaniment.

[@davidtoth8975]

So glad I found this hidden gem of a channel. You know so much about this stuff, and present it in such a way that makes it really entertaining to watch. Subbed.

[@RetroMarkyRM]

Great stuff. Growing up in this era, I am a big fan of your work. You make the videos I always thought of making but never had the chance too! BTW I´m a collector of C64 Ocean cartridges (some are quite rare now) so really appreciate your hard work in bringing back these stories of bits, drugs and rock n roll!!) :)

[@MattHayesVinyl]

Another superb video. Loved Ocean games back in the late 80s. Rainbow Islands was always a favorite of mine.

[@Predator251]

Bravo sir! Loved your video! Ocean games on the C64 were my childhood!

[@TheLazEffect]

Wow this is a great channel, being Scottish and born in the 80s theres so much great nostalgia here. Definitely subscribing and watching some of your other documentaries.

[@goranfrilund1854]

A couple of seconds in and the Ocean Loader is playing, you just know this is going to be one great video!

[@YNGBLD80]

Fantastic Documentary, Growing up with the Amiga in Australia and revisiting all these tiles through your videos are amazing, the detail and flow of your vids are amazing keep up the great work

[@Gambit771]

An excellent video of the history of Ocean on the Speccy.

[@mintydog06]

Great video, thanks :) Lots and lots of information. Renegade and Target Renegade were both great fun and my favourite Ocean games.

[@jdgonzo1982]

the side-scrolling Short Circuit game was "rock" hard...veterans of the game will get the pun! I spent days trying to complete that game...! Another great video...thank you for sharing :)

[@MaxQ10001]

Kim, these documentaries of yours, they are marvelous! I just love them! Please keep them coming :-)

[@stevengailey2884]

fantastic! watching those clips & the ocean loader music has left me with a nice soft & warm feeling of nostalgia 😊

[@SweetStevieAaron]

Great video as always. These are great for research and I remember living through it.

[@waltherstolzing9719]

Cheers from a C64 fan. I wish I had found out about your channel earlier -- now I'll have to binge-watch all the back catalogue.

[@jimmyjarrett939]

I only found this channel last week and I have absolutely rinsed through it, every single video is fantastic. C64 forever

[@MattFurniss]

Great documentary! Thanks for making these.

[@casanovafrankenstein33andz78]

Great documentary - you have really brought back my childhood memories concerning computer gaming! I am looking forward to watching your other videos also - you are a wealth of knowledge.

[@DJTwenty2020]

Excellent documentary here! Congrats on the great work!! I have so many great childhood memories of Robocop on the spectrum

[@C64Television]

Great video! Thanks for posting this.

[@an80smontage]

I doff my hat to you sir. Another well polished watch. Keep 'em coming kido!

[@genfranco72]

These videos are a real nostalgia trip for me

[@pecker2-9]

Really enjoying your content, you have clearly put a lot of effort in. Watching your videos is like a time capsule into my early childhood, the games & spectrum magazines,I remember only 4 channels to choose from & the BBC closed at midnight, TV & radio stations. Definitely simpler times, for choice & colour.

[@leonleon3267]

man that first minute was really telling stuff, i'm glad you're out there putting out our *us uk and euro gamers* point of view, sterling work

[@sinbysin666]

Kim, you need to play Lethal Weapon on Amiga (developed by Ocean, of course). A tight side-scroller, with freaking amazing music. Seriously. One of the best soundtracks on the platform.

[@adammanning461]

Another great video. So good to learn more about a wonderful period from earlier years. Ocean, imagine - companies that gave us so much fun.

[@joshmay2944]

This video is amazingly well done, and the soundtrack is top notch! Pretty sure I heard Eddy Current Suppression Ring in there?

[@lennysglue]

Thanks for the effort you put into this. I had / still have so many of those spectrum releases. Some I had forgotten all about until now. Good times.

[@jackofall3834]

Very well presented and documentation of the 80's game scene, made me run some emulators.

[@jimmyjarrett939]

Yet another fantastic video mate, I had most of these games on my c64. I'd totally forgot about midnight resistance.

[@Sagerscellar]

Excellent video Kim. Ocean games take me right back!!

[@MikeHunt45]

Epic, nicely done

[@mik310s]

Very good documentary and well researched, really enjoyed this and some other you have produced

[@THENAMEISQUICKMAN]

put your feet up and grab a pizza, 45-minute kim episode is about!

[@BrooksterMax]

Fabulous documentary on one of the most iconic software houses. You production levels are exceptional, I am sure your subscriber base will continue to rise with output like this. I liked the use of the World at War documentary music during the Imagine Software section :)

[@iSuRRendeReDuK]

Thoroughly enjoyed this documentary and very well put together, you got another subscriber 10/10

[@RobsonRoverRepair]

Great video. At 34 I had so many of these hit squad games on my. 128k collection and this is nice to know more of the origins of them. Not to mention so many speccy games I missed, I lived on budget games and compilations (4 in 1 code masters etc) so it was sweet to see some really high quality speccy games. So much I just bought a 128k off ebay. Thank you Kimble Justice. You have motivated me to restart my collection from 25 plus years ago.

[@Demonmixer]

This is a brilliant documentary mate. Very well done.

[@donboy65]

The Ocean Software games I remember playing, and still own to this day to a degree, are Jurassic Park Part 2 The Chaos Continues for the SNES, Addams Family Values for SNES, Mission Impossible for N64, and Wetrix for N64. The Ocean logo intros for the first two games I mentioned can be a little scary for me, especially if one were to listen to the audio portions of them in a dark room.

[@Leibgeber]

aaand "Where Were You?" by The Mekons ;) - what a nice pick btw! Excellent video as always!

[@RUOK2000]

09:00 that world at war music... Kim your choice of overtures always gets me XD

[@sizzxrk]

Quality, you deserve more subs mate.

[@tobalnell1983]

Amazing. Fantastic work Kim!

[@chrisr.3320]

Thanks for charing dude, good work!

[@SabcatPrinting]

Great documentary, brought back some memories! very informative. One touch of (constructive criticism) - i found the text parts not 'up there' long enough to read them.

[@robertlatham4541]

A truly classy video brilliant work Kim.

[@whatamalike]

Basically what killed Ocean was the speculative nature of their business; they relied pretty much entirely on getting film, tv and early on arcade licenses in the cheap and as a result almost totally abandoned any notion of being a self sustaining company once the production companies upped their prices significantly. It's a shame, because they were a defining publisher of the 8 and to a lesser extent 16 bit era. Of course they were for the most part still successful and the publishing of the early worms games was a good shout; but man cannot live on worms alone (unless you're Team 17).

[@StuartVallantine]

Brilliant video as always Kim, and one that I have watched a few times before. There is one more piece you could add to your musical credits: 'Where Were You?' by The Mekons (1979).

[@bizzarrogeorge]

that was great! I have so many memories of ocean games on the c64. you did a great job with this!

[@scottguesty]

Brilliant video, I love these videos that tell the history of various game companies and the like.

[@Zoulz666]

Thank you for making these "story of" documentaries! :)

[@stuemac]

Excellent and really informative. Brought back so many childhood memories of playing the Spectrum. great job!!! 👍👏

[@WickerMan73]

aah my local n favourite old software giant, jeez the 8 bit n 16 bit UK computer scene was brilliant back in the day, thx for this well researched video.

[@andrerussell28]

I've spent a very happy evening watching your documentaries, loved this !

[@DafeAllen]

Excellent work! An interesting retrospective on one of the Great Old Ones.

[@metaparcel]

Very well narrated.

[@JestersDeadUK]

Great video, absolutely awesome, cheers man!

[@OliverJonCross]

so much work has gone into this. Fantastic

[@ShanePleasance]

Gosh, I’d forgotten I visited these with my brother guys in about 1990. Great weekend.

[@ukaszp.3667]

Awesome in-depth documentary!

[@mulletrule9555]

Brilliant - loved every nostalgic minute of it :)

[@drakon32]

Great documentary. Excellent high quality work. Love it.

[@jimmyjarrett939]

When your talking about Daily Thompson and Match Day is that the Midnight Resistance music in the background?

[@theaultones5790]

Brilliant documentary, Thank you!

[@stewsretroreviews]

Another class video, Ocean made so much with the Speccy and the other micros back in the day. Loved Robocop on the spectrum, the music was great, and the Short Circuit music.

[@40KTheories]

Do a documentary on US Gold :)

[@speedbird737]

yes please!

[@MuscarV2]

@@speedbird737 it was made 4 years ago... How are you this dumb? You obviously just read stuff and take that as fact and don't do anything to see if it's true. How can you not see the very clear error and problem with that? Astounding idiocy is always a sure thing in the KZbin comments, and it's both sad and scary. The level of unbelievably deep lack of even the most basic comprehension and obvious things really makes no sense.

[@speedbird737]

@@MuscarV2 its CALLED A J O K E

[@BobsBand]

@@speedbird737 There must be a deleted message here, what was Marcus spazzing off about?

[@speedbird737]

@@BobsBand no deleted message

[@Gollumfili]

Love your videos man. Proper take me back to the glory days

[@cosmicslop1272]

Cool. Great documentary video. As are many of your other videos