CryMor Gaming on Nicalis and The 90’s Arcade Racer…
It’s always sad when a game genre dies. Sometimes it’s because its mechanics haven’t aged well, other times it’s because of pure oversaturation in the market.
But still, there are other times wherein it’s a company that has deliberately ruined any goodwill that could be gained from making something associated with said genre. Enter Nicalis. You may recall them as the developers behind The Binding of Isaac and Cave Story, two admittedly good games that helped them gain a foothold in the indie market.
Unfortunately, the company became plagued with problems, most of them associated with founder and CEO Tyrone Rodriguez. To go into his unethical history would be an article in and of itself, but it was his decision to try and exploit a nostalgia market that makes him the subject of this particular story.
90s racers were a big thing that lived off the hype generated from cabinet racers from arcades back in the day. What exactly did Rodriguez and Nicalis do this genre that resulted in it dying out? Well, our friends over at CryMor Gaming have that answer for you. Check out the video below, as well as their channel, for more informative gaming content…
Red Stewart
Originally published August 13, 2020. Updated March 8, 2021.
