Broderbund

Broderbund at a Glance

Broderbund is a United States company founded in 1980 that became a notable force in the educational and adventure gaming markets before its activity ceased around 1998. The studio spent eleven active years from 1987 to 1998, releasing nine titles on PlayPile with eight games published and four developed under their banner. Their catalog shows a clear shift toward the 1990s where they produced eight games compared to just one in the 1980s. This output was heavily focused on personal computers, appearing primarily on Microsoft Windows across seven titles and Mac systems in six entries. They also maintained support for older hardware with releases on DOS and the Commodore C64/128/MAX platforms. The publisher concentrated heavily on point-and-click and adventure genres, each accounting for four of their nine listed games. Their portfolio also included two puzzle titles along with single entries in strategy, real-time strategy, and racing. Several of these games carried educational themes, such as Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? released in November 1996 and Carmen Sandiego Math Detective from December 1998. Other notable releases during this later period included Koala Lumpur: Journey to the Edge, The Treehouse, and Gregory & the Hot Air Balloon. Historical records indicate that early titles like Galactic Empires, Prince of Persia, and Lode Runner made an immediate impact on the industry shortly after the company began operations in Eugene, Oregon. The studio achieved significant commercial success over the years, with Myst ranking as the highest grossing home computer game at one point. While their catalog size is small by modern standards, their influence during the late 1980s and 1990s remains evident in the specific genres they championed. Their work from the 1990s demonstrates a steady stream of releases centered on PC and Mac platforms, though the total number of available games on this database reflects only a fraction of their full history.

Release Timeline