Initial ventures (1993–94) Art Data Interactive was founded by CEO Randy Scott in 1993, and incorporated on 14 November 1994. Scott had acted as Vice President of Sales at ABC International, a distributor of video games, and raised capital for his own development company. According to
Rebecca Heineman, Scott raised most of his initial funding of $100,000 from friends and members of his local church. The game was advertised as featuring "eight computer opponents, several 18-hole courses and a comprehensive coach section featuring
Nick Faldo himself".
3DO port of Doom (1995) Acquisition and licensing In January 1995, Art Data Interactive acquired the licensing rights from
id Software to release conversions of
Doom and
Doom II: Hell on Earth for the 3DO console at a value of $250,000, with an agreement to release the port by Christmas 1995. Scott claimed he was able to secure the rights for
Doom by leveraging relationships with business general manager Nick Earl of
The 3DO Company and manager Jay Wilbur of id Software.
Development Production of the port of
Doom was troubled. The game was developed in ten weeks by software engineer
Rebecca Heineman of Logicware as a port from the
Atari Jaguar code. False expectations by Art Data Interactive on the ease of porting a game to the 3DO led to significant constraints on the development timeframe, with most work by Heineman being dedicated to completely rewriting the rendering engine to be compatible with the hardware of the 3DO. Due to this, few to no additional features advertised by Art Data Interactive made it into the final release. In 1995, Art Data Interactive shot full-motion video sequences intended as cutscenes for
Doom before development on the port had started. Footage was shot in Art Data Interactive offices, with production assisted by props and effects artist Chris Gilman on behalf of Global Effects. By April 1995, Scott had backed down from the inclusion of full-motion video in the 3DO release of
Doom and would be used for a separate port for
Doom II, claiming the footage was "so bloody and so gory that we couldn't use it" and that "it was a little too real, very graphic." Having committed to the project by August 1995, Heineman was told by project manager Tristan Anderson that no progress had been made on porting the game. The game was a commercial failure for Art Data Interactive. The company had ordered 50,000 copies of
Doom to be produced at a price of $150,000 in licensing and manufacturing fees from The 3DO Company. with Heineman estimating the game sold 10,000 copies.
Maximum gave the game a one-star review, dismissing it as a "disappointing translation" and a "dismal failure" of a conversion, with specific criticism for the "unacceptable" performance issues and arguing the game was "indicative of the downward trend in the quality of 3DO software. Ed Lomas for
Computer and Video Games stated "the 3DO version doesn't impress", citing the "jerky graphics and slow movement (which) ruin it totally". Comparing the game to the
PlayStation port of
Doom, Lomas observed the game lacked "different lighting effects and translucent walls" and a "very small playing window".
Chess Wars (1996) Chess Wars is a
computer chess game released for
MS-DOS by
WizardWorks and developed by Art Data Interactive and Digital Arena Software. The game was announced by Art Data Interactive in 1995, originally intended for release on the 3DO in November 1995.
Development '' Work on
Chess Wars began with filming of full-motion video sequences well before the front-end of the game had been developed. Art Data Interactive hired an extensive crew for the sequences, contracting screenwriter Paul Cooper in his first and only directorial role to write and direct scenes. Filming was supported with a cast of eighteen, plus six stuntmen, three camera units and over a hundred extras. Filming was shot at the former site of the
Corriganville Movie Ranch. Overall, the game features 60 minutes of full-motion video footage. Despite the considerable footage developed for the game, Art Data Interactive was unable to independently develop the front end of the game.
Reception Reviews for
Chess Wars were mixed. Chuck Klimushyn of
Computer Games Strategy Plus stated "as a chess program, the game is adequate, but just barely", although found the full-motion video sequences "entertaining" and "varied enough to keep me from toggling them off. David Wildgoose of
PC PowerPlay critiqued the sequences as "hideously embarrassing", recommending that players "disable the appalling FMV sequences", although praising the tutorial, graphics, and difficulty levels.
Dissolution (1999) Following the costly commercial failures of
Doom and
Chess Wars, Art Data Interactive ceased operations in late 1996. The company was suspended by the
California Franchise Tax Board on 1 September 1999. ==Unreleased projects==