Argonaut Software

Overview

Founded by a sixteen-year-old, Argonaut Software spent two decades at 3D gaming’s frontier. Jez San’s company progressed from Commodore 64 vector graphics through Amiga filled polygons to console hardware co-design. The Super FX chip—developed with Nintendo—enabled Star Fox and proved British programmers could innovate at silicon level. Argonaut’s closure in 2004 ended an era, but alumni spread across studios that would define modern gaming.

Fast facts

Founded: 1982 by Jez San (aged 16).
Location: London, later Edgware.
Key achievement: Super FX chip development.
Closed: 2004.

Technical evolution

Era	Achievement
1982-85	Vector graphics on C64
1986-89	Filled polygons on 16-bit
1990-93	Super FX chip development
1994-04	3D engine development

Key games

Title	Year	Platform	Significance
Skyline Attack	1985	C64	Early 3D attempt
Starglider	1986	ST, Amiga	Breakthrough 3D
Starglider 2	1988	ST, Amiga	Advanced engine
Star Fox	1993	SNES	Super FX showcase
Croc	1997	PS1, Saturn	3D platformer
Harry Potter	2001-03	Multi	Commercial peak

Nintendo partnership

San’s demonstration of Game Boy 3D led to unprecedented collaboration. Argonaut engineers worked with Nintendo’s hardware division to create the Super FX chip—a RISC processor embedded in cartridges. The relationship soured after Nintendo worked with other developers on Super FX titles, but the chip’s impact was lasting.

Alumni legacy

Argonaut staff founded or joined:

Criterion Games (Burnout, later NFS)
Rocksteady (Batman Arkham series)
Various Guildford-area studios

Closure

Harry Potter games provided late commercial success, but development contracts became unsustainable. Argonaut entered administration in 2004, ending 22 years of 3D innovation.

3D before its time