US Gold
America's games, Britain's shelves
US Gold brought American software to European markets, publishing arcade conversions and licensed games throughout the 8-bit and 16-bit eras.
Overview
US Gold filled a market gap. American games were often unavailable in Europe; European gamers wanted them. Geoff Brown’s company licensed US titles—and later arcade games—for European release. Quality varied wildly, but the company’s reach was immense. If you played an American game in 1980s Britain, US Gold probably published it.
Fast facts
- Founded: 1984 by Geoff Brown in Birmingham.
- Business model: license American and arcade games for European markets.
- Major licences: Sega arcade conversions, American publishers’ catalogues.
- Conversions: often outsourced to developers of varying ability.
- Acquisition: bought Ultimate Play the Game (1988).
- Merged: with CentreGold, eventually absorbed into Eidos.
The catalogue
US Gold published prolifically:
Arcade conversions:
- Out Run, After Burner, Space Harrier
- Gauntlet, Roadblasters
- Quality depended on developer assignment
Licensed games:
- Movie tie-ins, sports titles
- Variable quality, reliable sales
American imports:
- Beach-Head, Raid Over Moscow
- Epyx titles: Summer Games, Winter Games
The quality problem
US Gold’s reputation suffered from inconsistency:
- Great conversions: some developers delivered excellent work.
- Terrible ports: others produced barely functional versions.
- No quality control: if it ran, it shipped.
- Brand damage: buyers learned to wait for reviews.
The company relied on brand recognition over quality assurance.
The Tiertex factor
Many US Gold conversions came from Tiertex:
- In-house development studio
- Notorious for rushed, poor-quality ports
- Strider C64 became infamous
- Not all Tiertex work was bad, but enough was
Legacy
US Gold served a market need—European access to American and arcade games. Their best conversions were excellent; their worst were disasters. The company’s volume approach meant taking chances on every purchase. They proved the market existed; others later served it better.