Rebellion, the fine European purveyors of x-ray headshots and evil geniuses, have acquired another distinctly European part of gaming history. First hitting the scene in 1988, The Bitmap Brothers found great success in the Amiga days. They developed such landmark titles as Speedball, The Chaos Engine, and Z: Steel Soldiers. After failing to strike it big in the same way on the PC, they mostly became a licensing company, although they still trickled out releases all the way into the early 2010s.
Rebellion has now acquired the Bitmap Brothers brand and its past portfolio, and they vow to release new titles following up on those Amiga classics. They also promise to rerelease the entire catalog on modern systems, which is great news for any game preservationist. To celebrate the news, Rebellion’s founders have teamed with Bitmap Brother co-founder Mike Montgomery to recreate a “rockstar” photo as seen in the tweet embedded below. These styles of photographs were a calling card of the Brothers in their early years, predating auteur developers like Cliffy B and Hideo Kojima by many years.
We’re proud to reveal that we've acquired The Bitmap Brothers brand and portfolio!
The Bitmap Brothers were behind 80s/90s titles such as Xenon, Z: Steel Soldiers, Speedball, and Chaos Engine
An exciting future lies ahead as custodians of this great name https://t.co/t0Bl7QiGGy pic.twitter.com/xTQ2MTdqq1
— Rebellion (@Rebellion) November 25, 2019
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Rebellion CEO Jason Kingsley was “delighted” to add this historic name to the company’s stable.
The Bitmap Brothers are renowned for making great games and for bringing gaming into the mainstream with inimitable style. We’ve known Mike Montgomery for many years and we’re honoured by the faith and trust that he has shown in us by passing on the torch. We’ll strive to be vigilant custodians of one of gaming’s great names.
Rebellion announced this news alongside the opening of a collection in the United Kingdom’s National Videogame Museum focused on their work. Spanning more than a quarter-century of history, this exhibit will transition into a more permanent place in the “Great British Studios” section of the museum at a later date.
