Sierra On-Line

Sierra On-Line at a Glance

Sierra On-Line operated from 1979 until it ceased independent operations in 2007, leaving a catalog of 134 titles on PlayPile. The company launched in the United States and began releasing games in 1980 with a clear focus on text and graphic adventures. Their output grew significantly over time, with 43 games released in the 1980s and a peak of 84 titles in the 1990s. The company's activity slowed drastically in the 2000s with only seven releases listed. Sierra was founded by Ken and Roberta Williams, who pioneered the graphic adventure genre with Mystery House. They went on to create major series including King's Quest, Space Quest, Police Quest, Gabriel Knight, Leisure Suit Larry, and Quest for Glory. The company dominated several platforms, releasing 76 games for DOS and 70 for PC. They also had a strong presence on Mac with 42 titles, followed by the Amiga with 34 releases. The majority of their catalog falls into the Adventure genre with 65 entries, while Point-and-click games account for 47 releases. Puzzle games made up 29 titles, and they also explored Simulators, RPGs, Strategy, Shooters, Arcade, Sports, and Platform genres. Their average rating across 59 rated titles sits at 73.1 out of 100. This score reflects a mix of high-quality hits and standard releases. The breakdown shows 18 games rated as great, 37 as good, and four as mixed. There are no poor-rated titles in their catalog on this site. The highest-rated games come from the 1990s. Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers holds a score of 91.5, followed by PGA Championship Golf 2000 at 90. The Dagger of Amon Ra scored 89.9, while Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers reached 87.4. Quest for Glory: Shadows of Darkness is rated at 86.5. Later releases show a drop in performance. Hoyle Card Games from December 2000 holds a score of 50, which falls into the mixed category. Other recent titles include F.E.A.R.: Gold Edition, NASCAR Racing 4, and You Don't Know Jack: 5th Dementia. The company faced major changes when it was acquired by CUC International in 1996. The founders left after an accounting scandal in 1998. Sierra eventually became part of Vivendi Games and later Activision Blizzard before the division shut down in late 2008.

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