October 19th marks the anniversary of Epyx filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy (19 October 1989).
Founded in 1978 as Automated Simulations, Epyx became one of the defining publishers of the Commodore 64 era. They built a reputation on high-quality sports and action games: the Summer Games / Winter Games series, California Games (with its iconic surfing and half-pipe events), World Games, Impossible Mission, Pitstop II, and Jumpman. For a stretch in the mid-to-late ’80s they were a major force on the C64, turning Olympic-style multi-event competition and polished SID music into multiplayer favourites.
The decline came fast. The C64 market softened, the company overextended into hardware (the “Handy” colour handheld that became the Atari Lynx), and a fraught deal with Atari left them cash-strapped. By late 1989 staff had collapsed from a peak of around 145–200 people to fewer than 20. They filed for Chapter 11 protection, sold off or lost rights to the handheld, and continued in a reduced form mainly making Lynx games. Remaining assets were sold off in 1993.
Thirty-seven years on, the name is still synonymous with some of the best multiplayer sports titles the C64 ever had.
What’s your favourite Epyx game — California Games, Summer Games, Impossible Mission, or something else?