Recreation developer Archer Maclean just lately handed away on the age of 60. Maclean was a longtime programmer and designer finest identified for Dropzone on the Atari 8-bit and Commodore 64.
Maclean’s passing was confirmed by several members of the retro game group, who wrote that he “produced a few of the [Commodore 64’s] best video games…my coronary heart goes out to his household.”
Born January 28, 1962, Maclean’s first recreation was the aforementioned Dropzone. Following the success of that title, he would go on to do design and graphics for 1986’s Worldwide Karate (and its 1987 sequel, Worldwide Karate+), and a number of other snooker simulation video games, together with Archer Maclean Presents Pool Paradise.
A number of of those titles have been developed at Superior Studios, a subsidiary of the now defunct Ignition Leisure. Maclean co-founded Superior in 2002, and later left the developer in 2005. He went on to discovered Superior Play, creators of the 2009 Nintendo Wii title Speedzone (or Wheelspin in Europe).
Although Speedzone marked the top of his time as a recreation developer, Maclean additionally wrote columns for Retro Gamer Magazine.
Shocked and saddened to listen to that legendary C64 programmer Archer Maclean handed away yesterday. He produced a few of the machine’s best video games, together with Worldwide Karate and my all-time favourite shooter on the system, Dropzone. My coronary heart goes out to his household. pic.twitter.com/CasOEt2mDL
— Jaz Rignall (@JazRignall) December 25, 2022
