Hi Tech Expressions

United States Founded 1986

Hi Tech Expressions (later Hi Tech Entertainment) was an American video game publisher headquartered in Lower Manhattan, New York City. The company was established in 1986. During the course of its existence, the company published primarily juvenile-oriented games. While it published a few adolescent-oriented games including The Hunt for Red October and War in Middle Earth (derived from the classic book The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien), it could not shake its reputation for publishing games marketed towards children. It was closed down in 1995.

Hi Tech Expressions at a Glance

Hi Tech Expressions operated as an American publisher from 1986 until its closure in 1995. The company was based in Lower Manhattan, New York City, and focused heavily on juvenile-oriented titles throughout its lifespan. While they did release a few games for older audiences like The Hunt for Red October and War in Middle Earth, their reputation remained tied to children's content. Their catalog on PlayPile contains 11 entries, with ten published as a publisher and only one developed by them. The studio was most active between 1989 and 1994. They released just one game during the 1980s but produced eight titles in the 1990s. Their platform strategy leaned heavily on the Nintendo Entertainment System with five games, followed by four for DOS and three for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Other platforms like Game Boy and Sega Mega Drive/Genesis saw two releases each. Genres were dominated by Platform games with six entries, while Adventure titles made up two, and Simulator, Puzzle, and Sport rounds out the list with one game each. Quality metrics suggest a mixed to poor reception across their library. The average IGDB rating sits at 45.2 out of 100 based on six rated titles. There are no games rated above 80. Only one title reached the good range between 60 and 79. Three games fell into the mixed category, and two received poor ratings below 40. The highest-rated game was Tom & Jerry: The Ultimate Game of Cat and Mouse! from 1991 with a score of 61.1. Other notable releases include Tom & Jerry (1992) at 57.9 and Barbie (1991) at 52.5. The final years of the company show a noticeable drop in scores. Mickey's Adventure in Numberland, released in December 1994, holds a rating of just 13.2 out of 100. This stands in stark contrast to their earlier work with Tom & Jerry and Barbie licenses which generally stayed above 39. Despite some attempts at variety, the data shows a publisher that relied on licensed characters and failed to achieve critical acclaim across its run.

Total Games

45.2

Avg Rating

1989

First Release

1994

Latest Release