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Legend Entertainment: The Literary Adventure and the Heirs to Infocom

Eric the Unready and Death Gate, Spellcasting and Mission Critical. A cross-media guide to Legend Entertainment, the studio that carried the wit and craft of the text adventure into the graphical age.

Legend Entertainment was where the spirit of the text adventure went to grow up. Founded in 1989 by Bob Bates and Mike Verdu, with the involvement of Infocom legend Steve Meretzky, it made sophisticated, funny, beautifully written adventure games that paired real prose with graphics, keeping the literary craft of the interactive fiction era alive as the industry went visual. From the comic fantasy of Spellcasting and Eric the Unready to the clever science-fiction of Mission Critical, Legend's games were written first and foremost, and it showed.

This is the studio's run: the witty graphic adventures, the literary craft, and the later move into 3D. Here is the map.

The essential Legend

Start here

Eric the UnreadyEric the UnreadyDeath GateDeath GateCompanions of XanthCompanions of XanthMission CriticalMission CriticalSpellcasting 101: Sorcerers get all the GirlsSpellcasting 101: Sorcerers get all the Girls

The witty graphic adventures

Where the writing came first

Spellcasting 101: Sorcerers get all the GirlsSpellcasting 101: Sorcerers get all the GirlsEric the UnreadyEric the UnreadyCompanions of XanthCompanions of XanthDeath GateDeath GateSuperhero League of HobokenSuperhero League of HobokenCallahan's Crosstime SaloonCallahan's Crosstime Saloon

The later years

Science fiction, Star Control and 3D

Mission CriticalMission CriticalStar Control 3Star Control 3Unreal II: The AwakeningUnreal II: The Awakening

A short history of Legend Entertainment

  • 1989Bob Bates and Mike Verdu found Legend Entertainment.
  • 1990Spellcasting 101 brings Steve Meretzky's comic writing to the graphic adventure.
  • 1993Eric the Unready and Companions of Xanth show off Legend's literary wit.
  • 1995Mission Critical delivers a sharp science-fiction adventure.
  • 2003Unreal II marks Legend's move into fully 3D games.

The people who built Legend

The founders and the writer who carried Infocom's torch. Follow any of them to their full catalogue.

Bob BatesCreatorMike VerduCreatorSteve MeretzkyWriter

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Every studio in the series. More on the way.

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Explore the full Golden Age of Game Studios hub →
It carried the wit and craft of the text adventure into the graphical age. That was Legend Entertainment.

Frequently asked

What is Legend Entertainment best known for?

Witty, literary graphic adventures like Eric the Unready, the Spellcasting series, Death Gate and Mission Critical. Legend carried the craft of the Infocom text-adventure era into the graphical age, and later made Unreal II.

Was Legend connected to Infocom?

Yes. Legend Entertainment was founded by Bob Bates and Mike Verdu, and worked closely with Infocom legend Steve Meretzky. It is often seen as a spiritual successor to Infocom's interactive-fiction tradition.

Did Legend make Unreal II?

Yes. In its later years Legend Entertainment moved into 3D development and made Unreal II: The Awakening (2003) using Epic's Unreal Engine, a striking shift from its text-and-graphic adventure roots.