[comp.sys.amiga] RJ Mical now -- Epyx not Atari made Lynx

jcb@frisbee.Sun.COM (Jim Becker) (01/20/90)

hgm@ccvr1.ncsu.edu (Hal G. Meeks) writes:

   ifarqhar@mqccsunc.mq.oz (Ian Farquhar) writes:

   >I am very impressed with the way Atari is handling the Lynx. 
   >

   >So Atari is back at what it does best: games, and I am not saying this in
   >any derogatory manner.  Atari are the best in the world at this.  
   >
   Make a distinction here: There are _two_ Atari companies. 

			     [ clipped ]

   --hal

I  believe  that  most  all of the work for the Lynx was done by Epyx,
including both hardware and software. Atari got involved when Epyx ran
low/out of money to get the product out the door.

So the success of Atari with the Lynx is really success of Epyx to do
the work creating it and Atari to carry the ball through to completion
of production.

RJ, Dave Needle and the rest of Epyx are the ones that should get the
bulk of praise for the Lynx. RJ and Dave had the vision to create the
Lynx, hopefully they will also get some of the profit!


-Jim Becker
--    
	 Jim Becker / jcb%frisbee@sun.com  / Sun Microsystems
	   `DRAM -- the ball bearings of the Commerce War'

riley@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu (Daniel S. Riley) (01/20/90)

In article <130500@sun.Eng.Sun.COM> jcb@frisbee.Sun.COM (Jim Becker) writes:
>I  believe  that  most  all of the work for the Lynx was done by Epyx,
>including both hardware and software. Atari got involved when Epyx ran
>low/out of money to get the product out the door.

Yep.

Sort of like Amiga and Commodore.

Wonder if it's something about =RJ=?

-Dan Riley (riley@tcgould.tn.cornell.edu, cornell!batcomputer!riley)
-Wilson Lab, Cornell University

farren@well.UUCP (Mike Farren) (01/23/90)

jcb@frisbee.Sun.COM (Jim Becker) writes:

>I  believe  that  most  all of the work for the Lynx was done by Epyx,
>including both hardware and software. Atari got involved when Epyx ran
>low/out of money to get the product out the door.

As an ex-Epyx employee (I was doing ports for Epyx when they were still
Automated Simulations, three people working out of a garage), I tend to
believe the statement of a friend who worked for Epyx up till the time
they shut the doors (in effect - I think they're still hanging in there).
Atari got involved long before Epyx ran out of money.  What my friend
said was that one of the big reasons Epyx closed was because of Atari's
failure to make the payments on the Lynx, causing Epyx's cash flow to
go negative.  I tend to believe this one, simply because as of a year
ago or so, before the Lynx business, Epyx was a going concern, to all
appearances.  Certainly nothing was mentioned to me (and I'm an Epyx
stockholder) to indicate any severe financial difficulties as of the last
stockholder's notice.

Note - I'm not saying that this is, in fact, the case - this is only
my opinion, based on what I know, and my general opinion of Atari in
it's Tramielized state.
-- 
Mike Farren 				     farren@well.sf.ca.usa