How Flash Games Changed Video Game History
During the ’90s, the internet slowly grew into a massive web of information that eventually reshaped entire industries. But access to that information was slow – it took nearly 10 minutes to download a single song – and web designers were in a constant battle to build splashy websites that didn’t cripple dial-up modems. To solve this problem, a group of engineers at FutureWave Software took a program, originally designed for drawing on tablet computers, and transformed it into a vector graphics animation tool that allowed animated images to swim through phone lines. FutureSplash Animator was eventually shortened to Flash, and it came to dominate the internet.
By the end of the decade, 99 percent of online computers ran Flash. In the early part of the new millennium, Flash became the backbone for nearly every major video player and website, including YouTube, Hulu, and BBC Online. Then something strange happened. Amateur programmers across the world took this software – initially built for graphic designers and started making games. Flash games became a billion-dollar business as sites like Newgrounds, Armor Games, and Kongregate attracted millions of users. Aspiring game developers created early versions of indie hits like Super Meat Boy, Bejeweled, VVVVVV, and Kingdom Rush. While no one was watching, Flash became one of the most important programing languages in the video game industry and sparked the indie game revolution.
And then it all came crashing down.
[Editor's note: This feature originally appeared in issue 308 of Game Informer Magazine.]
When he was only 13-years-old, Tom Fulp started a fanzine for the ill-fated Neo Geo console. Fulp called his little magazine New Ground, which was a literal translation of the console’s Latin name. As Fulp explored programming as a hobbyist, he moved his fanzine online and eventually created a series of websites. However, when Fulp went to register the domain NewGround.com, he discovered that the name had already been taken, so he simply added an “S” and hit submit. Fulp had no idea at the time, but his simple collection of message boards would eventually grow into one of the largest wells of free online games.
Through Newgrounds.com, Fulp met like-minded gamers who weren’t content merely absorbing the latest gaming blockbusters – they were eager to make their own games. Using HTML and Javascript, Fulp did just that. The young programmer achieved a small amount of internet notoriety with two early hits: Club A Seal, which let players click on pictures of seals to club them, and Assassin, which allowed users to assassinate popular celebrities. Then one day, a friend told Fulp about Flash.
“Flash was the first software that did what I'd always been dreaming of growing up,” Fulp says. “Originally, I would do animation on an Amiga with Deluxe Paint and then move it over to a PC to program with Pascal, but I always thought, ‘Why can’t I connect my animations to my code?’ There was never an easy way to do that. You’d have to get into all this crazy graphics programming stuff. When Flash came along, I was able to animate a character walking and it was immediately in the game. There was really nothing like it. It just made everything so easy.”
Through the Newgrounds community, Fulp met another artist named Dan Paladin. The duo created a Flash game called Alien Hominid, a side-scrolling shooter starring a cutesy alien who blasted through wave after wave of secret government agents. Alien Hominid was such a hit that Fulp and Paladin teamed up with a few other friends to found their own company, The Behemoth, which went on to release successful indie titles like Castle Crashers, BattleBlock Theater, and Pit People. However, The Behemoth’s early successes, Alien Hominid and Castle Crashers, would not have been possible without Flash.
Flash was the first software that did what I'd always been dreaming of growing up
The Behemoth wasn’t the only team of indie game makers who cut their teeth on Flash. Back in 1998, when Newgrounds was a simple collection of chat rooms and message boards, Fulp introduced a feature to the site called the Portal. This Portal was intended to allow experimental game makers to share their work with others.
“There wasn’t really a dedicated Flash game site,” Fulp says. “The Portal was originally something I was manually updating because there were people who made Flash games but had nowhere to showcase them, so they would email me their files and I would stick them in. It wasn’t even an important part of the site, it was just a place for unfinished projects – but then more and more people were emailing me and it was becoming a real chore to constantly update.”
To solve this headache, in 2000, Fulp automated the entire process. Now, when users submitted their Flash creations to Newgrounds, they would instantly upload to the site. This simple feature came to define Newgrounds and helped transform Fulp’s fansite into one of the most visited gaming destinations on the internet. And as Newgrounds’ collection of free games ballooned, many realized they could make money on Flash games. A lot of money.
By the mid-2000s, Flash games were booming. Flash’s ease of use attracted gamers who wanted to experiment with making games but weren’t sure where to start. Flash was easy to use, and users could prototype projects at breakneck speed. For example, the original Meat Boy only took three weeks to make, and other creators we talked with said they heard of people turning games around in one or two days.
“It was so accessible,” says Emily Greer, co-founder and CEO of the Flash games site Kongregate. “You started with art rather than with code, so a lot of people who wouldn’t have sat down and written object-oriented code could sort of baby step their way into very serious programming through Flash. It was a rapid-fire learning tool.”
“The thing that made it most appealing was the fact that you could make something in a very short amount of time and you could make something pretty impressive visually,” says Edmund McMillen, co-creator of indie hits Super Meat Boy and The Binding of Isaac. “So you could instantly make something that was very accessible and exciting and then instantly upload it and have hundreds of thousands of people playing your game.”
For many online gamers, this glut of Flash games was an incredible boon. Of course, these quirky browser-based games lacked the graphical fidelity of big-budget console releases like Gears of War and BioShock, and Flash games could be janky. But that jank didn’t matter, because Flash games were free and they didn’t involve a long install process. Users didn’t have to worry about system configurations or their PC’s specs. Flash games just worked. And there were millions of them.
“The way that Flash ran in a browser was probably the biggest piece to its popularity,” says Raigan Burns, co-creator of the Flash-based series N+. “Even if you were already making free games, getting people to just download your game was hard, because they’d have to click and save it and then open the zip file and then who knows what else. Flash was super easy to use from both a user and creator standpoint. I know there were other game making-tools, like Klik & Play, that made making games easy, but they weren’t as integrated with the tools you used to make the graphics and animation.”
While most Flash games were free for the user, people found ways to squeeze cash out of Flash’s online ecosystem. In 2005 and 2006, other popular websites like Kongregate and Armor Games joined Newgrounds and began sponsoring creators for exclusive rights to host their games. Some sites offered achievement-like challenges and other social systems to help retain their userbase. In turn, hosting sites made money by running ads before, and sometimes during, gameplay. A few companies tried collecting thousands of Flash games onto discs with the aim of releasing them at retail. Meanwhile, Target even tested bundling popular Flash games, like Triachnid, with printed tees that featured characters from the game.
“I got contacted by a s---load of seed investors and these crazy money people who were like, ‘Hey, we’re hearing about you, and we think that indie games are going to be the next big thing.’” McMillen says. “And they were right, because two years later, indie was huge. In the boom of the sponsorships you could make up to 12 or even 20 grand a game depending on your reputation and that was just for sponsorship, so you didn’t have to sell the IP.”
However, by the end of the decade, the gold rush was over and the sponsorships dried up. Flash’s online relevance dwindled as the mobile and free-to-play markets cut into its popularity. Its days were numbered.
In January of 2007, Steve Jobs took the stage at the Macworld convention in San Francisco to introduce the world to the iPhone. This seemingly magical device was poised to completely transform social networking, mobile gaming, and a host of other daily activities. It put the internet in our pockets and gave us access to a growing list of revolutionary applications. The one thing it didn’t do, however, was support Flash.
Apple shunned Flash because of its proprietary nature, its negative effect on battery life, and the fact that it was easy to hack. This was the first nail in Flash’s coffin. Over the years, other companies followed Apple’s lead. Today, most web browsers don’t natively support Flash. Adobe has even announced it plans to stop supporting the software by 2020.
But the impact of Flash on the video game market – particularly the indie scene – is undeniable. When Flash games hit their stride in the mid-2000s, indie games weren’t even on the industry’s radar. Braid and World of Goo are often considered “early” indie hits, but those titles didn’t release until 2008. Minecraft’s first public release was in May of 2009. Journey and Fez released in 2012. Flash games predate them all.
“Flash is the original indie scene,” Greer says. “The rapid prototyping. The wild creativity. The direct distribution to players. All those come from the Flash scene. It was the first time that amateurs were jumping in to make games and have them be played not just by millions but billions of people.”
Flash’s influence on the modern video game landscape is hard to quantify. Flash creators practically invented the tower defense genre, and many draw a line from those early Flash strategy game to the explosive success of Supercell’s Clash of Clans. Another mobile juggernaut, Angry Birds, was unashamedly inspired by a Flash game called Crush the Castle. Game developers who grew up using Flash have gone on to create indie gems like Ridiculous Fishing, Frog Fractions, Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy, and Celeste. In 2012, a group of Flash animators met on Newgrounds and formed Studio Yotta, a successful freelance animation studio that has worked on games like Skullgirls as well as the Cartoon Network show OK K.O.
If Flash didn’t exist, I definitely wouldn’t be making video games.
Even after Adobe puts Flash to bed, the program could remain an important tool for indie developers. A number of designers we spoke with admitted they still use Flash for rapid prototyping and laying the framework for new games. In spite of the wealth of cheap, modern game development tools like Unreal Engine, Unity, and GameMaker Studio, some developers prefer Flash for its ease of use.
“I’d like to say that Flash is pretty f---ing important, but I’m probably saying that because it's so important to me,” McMillen says. “It’s probably one of the most important things in my career. If Flash didn’t exist, I definitely wouldn’t be making video games. Growing up, I thought that if you wanted to make video games, you had to work with 50 other people. I figured no one would listen to my weird ideas. ‘Yes! The crying child who cries on s---. That’s the idea we should bank on!’ But Flash made it so that you only needed one or two people to make a game. Your voice could be heard.”
For decades, the video game industry was filled with big publishers and other gatekeepers who dictated the release calendar. But today, it is easier than ever to create a game and see it published. Flash was one of the first tools that opened the market and allowed gamers to hear from a new host of creative voices. Flash formed the foundation for the modern indie scene, and we’re better off for it.
Bethesda announced via Twitter today plans to provide Fallout Classic on PC for anyone who logged into Fallout 76 during 2018. Notably, the entitlement will apply to any player, including those who played on Xbox One and PS4. For those who wish to take advantage of the offer, Fallout Classic entitlement will begin in early January.
#HappyHolidays!
ANYONE who logged into the full release of #Fallout76 in 2018 will receive an entitlement for Fallout Classic Collection on PC. This applies to Xbox One and PS4 players, too.
The entitlement is expected to go live in early January. pic.twitter.com/U8pJwrk0PV
Fallout Classic is a collection of the early Fallout games that were made prior to Bethesda’s purchase of the franchise, including Fallout, Fallout 2, and Fallout Tactics. All three are widely considered to be classics, though the gameplay may feel antiquated for many players who are used to the faster pace and first-person perspective of the newer releases.
This entitlement program was originally in place for PC players who had pre-ordered Fallout 76. The expanded program that was tweeted about today means a larger audience will be able to take advantage of the offer. And for Bethesda, it may offer a small boost to sales of Fallout 76, which has struggled in its early weeks after release due to fan and critical backlash.
To learn more, check out our review of Fallout 76.
It will likely be too late to arrive for most Christmas stocking stuffers, but some online and brick-and-mortar stores in North America have begun to sell the newest iteration of the Transformers brand. While some other series continue to appeal to the more dedicated retro collector’s market (check out the Siege figures that are also now beginning to go up for sale), the BotBots line is a decidedly kid-friendly option focused on very small Transformers disguised as household items.
The roughly 1-inch figures take the form of a variety of everyday items that turn into cute robots, and they’re grouped into different tribes themed around things you might buy at the store, like the electronic gadget disguises of the Techie Team, the school supplies of the Backpack Bunch, and even (unfortunately) the bathroom-themed Toilet Troop, among several other groups.
While the line is pretty squarely targeted at a younger audience, the simple transformations and inexpensive price point may end up drawing in some more dedicated collectors, especially because there are simply so many figures to snag. The new toy line has an interesting packaging strategy, as there are both five-figure and eight-figure packs that you can pick to get particular characters ($9.99 and $14.99, respectively), as well as blind single packs for $2.99, which is where you have a shot at some of the rarer figures in the initial 61-figure series.
Check out the gallery below for a look at the full line.
Spoiler warning: Major spoilers for Hitman 2 assassinations.
The latest release of Hitman really shows off IO Interactive's ability to make a creative murder playground, with Agent 57 pulling no punches in finding peculiar but effective ways to take down his targets.
Even using an unassuming item like a suitcase (that thanks to a bug acts like a homing missile) can pacify those in your way, and a toilet is the perfect deathtrap after making someone sick with poison. With tools like these, you can be an expert executioner without anyone knowing.
Paired with entertaining levels that take place at a high-octane race track, a suburban neighborhood filled with secrets, and more, Hitman 2 offers several extravagant ways to bring death to those around you. Here are some of the peculiar ones we loved.
Cemented To Death
One of the best ways to kill the cut-throat Andrea Martinez involves dressing as a shaman, who she is waiting to meet with so he can perform a ritual at the construction site. It's bizarre, but apparently, she believes in the shaman's abilities. Unfortunately for her, she doesn't realize she'll end her day in a pit with other human remains after the cement mixer is "accidentally" turned on.
An Invention Gone Awry
Sure, a lot of action is taking place at the race track in Hitman 2's early Miami mission, but one of the best ways to take care of one of your targets is in the nearby Kronstadt Center. Dressing up in a military disguise, you are granted access to a secret meeting with Robert Knox where he shows off his latest invention. Fortunately for you (and unfortunately for him), his killer robots can be tricked to turn against their creator.
An Unfortunate Surprise
Associate editor Javy Gwaltney shared a hilarious way he killed the target's boyfriend in the first mission. He placed a suitcase containing a remote bomb inside the shower. Then he waited for the right moment, and set off the explosion that left the shower a bloody mess.
Hit By A Train Or Submarine
Getting smooshed by a giant vehicle is a pretty harsh way to go, and Hitman 2 gives you two particularly gruesome methods. You can kill a whole bunch of people along with your target by messing with the train tracks in Mumbai, or let a Submarine break out of its hold to brutally whack someone from behind and make them crash into the water. It's great.
Death By Hippo
This one is one of my favorites, because you interrupt a peaceful moment in a hilarious way. When you see your target feeding watermelon (why not?) to a hippo in a secluded spot, you can shove him in to give the animal an even better treat.
Body Art Gone Wrong
You can dress up as a famous tattoo artist to take over an appointment with your target, the head of a cartel. This gains you access to his heavily guarded mansion, and a fun way to kill him without raising too much suspicion. When it's just the two of you, you'll be able to give him some new body work that he didn't exactly ask for.
Pretty Much Any Murder While Wearing The Flamingo Suit
One of my favorite get-ups in Hitman 2 is the ridiculous Flamingo Suit that can be found in Miami. One mission specifically requires the suit to meet up with a target, but you can technically run around killing whoever in this gloriously dumb costume.
Master Manipulator
In Mumbai, you can overhear a conversation mentioning a tenant with bizarre behavior in an apartment complex. Upon investigation, you'll find out he's got a sniper rifle on a balcony with his sights set on your target. Play your cards right, and he can take care of both targets for you so you're only indirectly involved.
Blown Away
During a film set atop a ten story building, you can disguise yourself as one of the workers in charge of a fan that's strong enough to simulate hurricanes. During a cheesy romantic scene, you can disrupt the vibe and, well, everyone around you, by making the actors blow right off the building.
Stuck In A Torture Device
Arguably almost every kill you do in Hitman 2's final level is strange just because of the bizarre setting, but this one takes the cake. You can shove your target into an Iron Maiden when they least expect it.
House Tour
Taking on the appearance of a real estate agent, Agent 47 gives a hilariously stilted delivery when showing the target around the house. In his monotone voice, he'll bring up how easy it is to wipe blood off the floor or that the kitchen is the most dangerous part of the home. Upon convincing the target to buy the place, you can turn on some explosive security measures while he inspects a mysterious vault in the basement.
For more, be sure to check out our review of Hitman 2 by heading here.
Bandai Namco has unveiled the opening cinematic for One Piece World Seeker, showcasing some of Luffy's powers, members of his Straw Hat crew, and some of the bad guys he'll face on Jail Island, World Seeker's main locale.
One Piece World Seeker launches for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on March 15.
2018 was a fantastic year for games and I don't think it's a controversial statement to say that that's entirely thanks to the people who make video games. Games don't suddenly appear from thin air, after all. To commemorate the video game year of 2018, we decided to reach out to those folks, the ones who make video games, and find out what sort of games they liked in 2018, specifically their five favorites, but the rules are fast and loose. A few snuck in bonus sixth entries and others wrote exactly why they picked the games they did, which we were happy to accept and share.
Check out the lists below to learn what the makers of games like God of War, Darksiders, Destiny, Resident Evil, Monster Hunter, and plenty more were into this year.
David Adams is game director for Darksiders III at Gunfire Games.
God of War Monster Hunter: World Ashen Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Into the Breach
Cory Barlog is the director of God of War at SIE Santa Monica Studio.
Spider-Man Celeste Yakuza 6: The Song of Life Red Dead Redemption II Detroit: Become HumanSteve Cotton is the game director for Destiny 2: Forsaken at Bungie.
Destiny 2: Forsaken - I know I’m a little biased here, but the fact is that I completely love playing Forsaken at home and I am still finding things that surprise me about the game. No matter what other games I’m playing, I’m always drawn back into the game to make my character stronger, play Gambit, or go after a new exotic. Tetris Effect - There’s something very Zen about Tetris to me and the latest version is such a complete experience with much more depth than I was expecting. Not to mention it’s one of the few games that I’m still better at than my kids, so it provides a nice confidence boost. I’ve spent way too many hours fitting blocks together in my life. Fortnite – Confession: I’m terrible at Fortnite. I don’t play it a ton because it’s pretty overwhelming for me. But I am totally blown away by so many of the things that the game of Battle Royale does so well, and how perfectly Fortnite takes that game and adds building mechanics and a compelling progression model. Red Dead Redemption II – This game is so well polished and the shear breadth of the playable space is truly awe inspiring. To me, it wins on shear production value and I find myself going back in only to remember the perfectly captured feel of being an outlaw. Also, the bar scene alone with Lenny was one of the most enjoyable and creative experiences I’ve had in a video game in a long time. God of War - This was the only game this year that made me want to replay entire sections of the game just to show it to someone else. This happened several times for me. I was uncontrollably grinning the entire time I played the massive fight scene between Kratos and Baldur. And the swing of the axe just felt so good.Honorable Mention
Meteorfall – I’m always looking for good casual games that I can play on the road. I love roguelikes. I also love card games. I was huge fan of Dream Quest and when Meteorfall came out earlier this year it managed to capture a similarly deep roguelike experience with the simplest of mechanics. Swipe left or swipe right. It’s brilliantly designed and captured my attention for awhile.
Rod Fergusson is the studio head of The Coalition which is currently working on Gears of War 5.
God of War Monster Hunter: World Forza Horizon 4 Red Dead Redemption II Beat SaberRalph Fulton is the creative director at Playground Games, which released Forza Horizon 4 this year.
God of War Dead Cells Spider-man Clash Royale Sea of Thieves
Mike Gamble is producer on Anthem for BioWare.
God of War Forza Horizon 4 Dead Cells Valkyria Chronicles 4 Beat SaberKoji Igarashi is known for his work on the Castlevania series and is currently directing Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.
Yo-kai Watch World God of War Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner M∀RS Detroit: Become Human Identity V
Kazunori Kadoi is the director of the Resident Evil 2 remake for Capcom.
Detroit: Become Human Astro Bot Rescue Mission Spider-Man God of War Red Dead Redemption IIKris Piotrowski is creative director for Below and creative director for Capybara Games.
Museum of Symmetry Gnog Simmiland The Haunted Island The StaticShelley Preston is a senior designer at Rare.
Dark Souls: Remastered Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 God of War Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey Shadow of the Tomb Raider
StudioMDHR, the developer behind 2017's Cuphead, offered up its top 5 as collective list from the studio as a whole.
Return of the Obra Dinn Into the Breach Celeste Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon MinitJoseph Staten is the senior creative director for Microsoft Studios.
Return of the Obra Dinn Forza Horizon 4 Red Dead Redemption II Frostpunk Moss
Yuya Tokuda is the director for Monster Hunter: World for Capcom.
Red Dead Redemption II Fortnite Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age Dead by Daylight HearthstoneHonorable mention
God of WarYosuke Tomizawa is producer for the Tales series and is also the general producer of the God Eater series for Bandai Namco.
Mega Man 11 Spider-Man Detroit: Become Human Crystar Dragon Ball FighterZ
Ryozo Tsujimoto is the producer of Monster Hunter: World for Capcom.
Spider-Man God of War Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age Dragon Ball FighterZ Detroit: Become HumanNathan Vella is the co-founder and president of Capybara Games, which released Below this year.
Donut County Into The Breach Celeste Ashen MidairJonathan Warner is game director on Anthem for BioWare.
God of War Spider-Man Dead Cells Monster Hunter: World Diablo III: Eternal Collection
Need a fireplace to brighten your holiday gathering, but you just don’t have a hearth on hand? Sony has you covered, with a gorgeous fire to pull up to warm your family’s hearts. Nothing quite sets the tone for opening presents and celebrating togetherness like the burning husk of a derelict car, radiating warmth in the cold rain of a post-apocalyptic future.
We suspect there’s a lot of ways someone might take advantage of this holiday present from PlayStation. Maybe you set up a giant monitor next to the dinner table to accompany that meal your Dad spent all day making? Or turn the volume way, way up during the New Year’s party so you can hear the occasional shrieking terror that echoes in the baleful night?
Or perhaps you’re a real hardcore fan, and you’re ready to watch the whole thing from beginning to end to pick up that clever secret about the game that we’re sure is in there? We haven’t found it yet, but I suspect it’s just a matter of putting the 2-hour video on repeat a few times before someone earns internet fame for figuring out the remarkable easter egg. Don’t give up!
Happy holidays, everybody. May this be the only flaming wreck that is a part of your holiday festivities!
Update: As part of the annual Jump Fest event, Bandai Namco has shown off a new trailer featuring Deku and Black Clover's Asta in action. You can find the original story below.
Bandai Namco released a story trailer today for Jump Force, their new crossover fighting game featuring heroes and villains from Japanese comic magazine Shonen Jump. After that trailer, they announced that Deku, the young protagonist from My Hero Academia, would be joining the fight for our quirk-less Earth as part of the base roster.
Guess who’s Detroit SMASHING!!! into #JUMPFORCE.
Pre-order your copy today and Unite to Fight: https://t.co/2aJpkIOzL5 pic.twitter.com/V36d0Cw9xf
Deku is the main character in a mostly ensemble cast in both the manga and anime of My Hero Academia. Born without a superpower, or quirk, in a world where everyone has them in some type or another, Deku inherited a quirk from his Superman-like hero, All Might. Under All Might's guidance, he started on a path to become a symbol of peace and justice for the world.
In Jump Force, Deku uses the same realistic artstyle that every character in the game has, but maintains the same character design from his series. That means his giant eyes are accompanied by realistically textured clothes and gloves, which is certainly a look. The game will also have character customization for your avatars, so if you want to dress your original character up in Deku's clothes and use some of his moves, you're covered.
Jump Force releases on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on February 15.
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