Infocom
Masters of interactive fiction
Infocom perfected the text adventure, creating Zork, Hitchhiker's Guide, and dozens of games that proved words could be as immersive as graphics.
Founded by MIT researchers, Infocom created the gold standard for interactive fiction. Their Z-machine virtual machine ran on virtually every home computer, their parser understood natural language, and their games—from Zork to A Mind Forever Voyaging—explored genres and themes no one else attempted.
Fast facts
- Founded: 1979 by MIT staff and students.
- Based: Cambridge, Massachusetts.
- Speciality: text adventures with sophisticated parser.
- Acquisition: Activision bought Infocom in 1986.
Key games
| Game | Year | Author | Genre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zork I-III | 1980-82 | Multiple | Fantasy adventure |
| Deadline | 1982 | Marc Blank | Mystery |
| Planetfall | 1983 | Steve Meretzky | Sci-fi comedy |
| Enchanter trilogy | 1983-85 | Multiple | Fantasy magic |
| Hitchhiker’s Guide | 1984 | Douglas Adams | Sci-fi comedy |
| A Mind Forever Voyaging | 1985 | Steve Meretzky | Political sci-fi |
| Trinity | 1986 | Brian Moriarty | Historical fantasy |
The Z-Machine
Infocom’s technical foundation:
| Feature | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Virtual machine | Same game runs on any platform |
| Bytecode interpreter | Efficient memory use |
| Version evolution | V1-V6 added capabilities over time |
| Modern interpreters | Games still playable today |
Parser technology
Their parser set the standard:
- Full sentence understanding
- Pronoun resolution
- Disambiguation (“Which book do you mean?”)
- Extensive vocabulary per game
The feelies
Infocom packages included physical items:
- Props related to gameplay
- Maps and documents
- Scratch-and-sniff cards
- Copy protection through included materials
Quality writing
Infocom hired talented writers:
- Steve Meretzky (Planetfall, Leather Goddesses)
- Brian Moriarty (Trinity, Beyond Zork)
- Douglas Adams (Hitchhiker’s Guide)
- Dave Lebling (Zork, Spellbreaker)
Decline and fall
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1985 | Cornerstone ships at $495 and fails |
| 1986 | Activision acquisition |
| 1988 | Layoffs begin |
| 1989–90 | Final games released; studio closed ⚠ (see below) |
Cornerstone shipped in early 1985, a full year before Activision bought the company — so the database drained an independent Infocom, not a subsidiary. 80 Micro was reviewing it that February and March:
The latest product from Infocom isn’t a game — it’s a data base manager for computer novices… Infocom, maker of popular adventure games such as Zork and Deadline, is entering the business software market with Cornerstone ($495), a relational data base system for non-programmers.
Cornerstone was Infocom’s first business package and it shipped a full year before Activision bought the company. The database did not drain a subsidiary’s resources after the takeover; it drained an independent company’s, and helped put it in a position where being bought was the available option.
80 Micro also captures why the industry wanted it to work, in a passage that is the best short account of Infocom’s standing in 1985:
It’s no coincidence that the most successful software manufacturers generally show a touch of class. Take Infocom. By their own admission, few announcements could be more boring than that of a new data base manager. Yet Cornerstone, their first business package, received much favorable attention. The primary reason was not so much the product itself, but because people feel good about Infocom. This is an outfit run by a helpful, intelligent, knowledgeable, genuinely likable staff.
Goodwill sold the first copies. It could not sell the second ones, and at $495 against a games catalogue priced in tens of dollars, the miss was expensive.
Activision was the British distributor first
Before it was the owner, Activision was how Infocom reached Britain. 8000 Plus, November 1986:
Infocom are the top publisher of adventure games, or “interactive fiction” as the company prefer to classify its titles. 22 adventures are available from Infocom now, through its UK distributors Activision — including such classics as Zork I, II and III, Suspended and Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
The arrangement persisted after the takeover and is visible in the small print of the British press: Hollywood Hijinx “is being distributed by Activision” in April 1987, and by August 1987 “the current Infocom main distributors over here are Activision”, who would also “supply clue books for all their games at £6.99”.
That is the same Activision UK operation this Vault records handling System 3, Sierra On-Line and Lucasfilm — a British distribution arm carrying most of the American catalogue that mattered, including, eventually, one it owned.
The deathwatch, in print
ACE covered the last years as they happened, and the tone is of a magazine watching a patient. May 1989:
Infocom spotting is a worthwhile pastime because it gives us some idea of the state of the fantasy market in the US. Right now, the signs are not encouraging. The company released several new games (Nord ‘n’ Bert, Plundered Hearts etc.) in 1987 and have published almost nothing since. Now owned by Mediagenic, they are not having an easy time — while companies like Origin (Ultima) and EA (Bard’s Tale) continue to reap large rewards.
The magazine pinned the company’s survival on two releases: “As the release of Infocom’s Shogun draws nearer, we’re all holding our breath”, and “if Journey makes the grade, then Infocom can heave a sigh of relief. If it doesn’t…”
⚠ The closing date needs care. 1989 is widely given. ACE, reporting on Activision’s own collapse in October 1990, says Mediagenic “spent millions of dollars buying prestigious adventure developer Infocom, only to close it down earlier this year” — which places the shutdown in 1990. Both dates circulate, and they may be measuring different things: the end of Cambridge operations and the end of the label. This library supports 1990 for the closure being reported.
The context is worth holding onto. Infocom was not shut by a hostile conglomerate in good health. Activision had renamed itself Mediagenic, lost nearly $20 million in a year, and was facing a $6 million judgment. The company that closed Infocom was months from being sold itself.
Legacy
Infocom’s influence persists:
- Z-machine specification published, still used
- Games remain playable via interpreters
- Established interactive fiction as literature
- Inform language continues the Z-machine tradition