Epyx, Inc. was an American video game developer and publisher founded in 1978 as Automated Simulations by Jim Connelley and Jon Freeman. The company originally used “Epyx” as a brand name for action-oriented games before renaming the entire company to Epyx in 1983.[1] The Epyx logo remains a registered trademark of the Bridgestone Multimedia Group, which acquired the company’s assets after its bankruptcy.[2]
Design and History
The Epyx wordmark was introduced as part of a broader corporate rebranding effort in 1983. That year, Michael Katz, who had been hired as president to revive the struggling company, made several key decisions: he renamed the company from Automated Simulations to Epyx, acquired Starpath to bring in new programmers, and hired the advertising agency Chiat/Day, known for its work on Apple’s image, to create a new identity for the company.[3] The new identity was built around packaging that reproduced the look of neon signs.[3]
The company’s games from the mid-1980s are widely recognized for this signature neon-style box art, which has been described by fans as an iconic part of the Epyx brand.[4] The Epyx logo itself was a simple wordmark, with the company name set in bold lettering. A later animated version of the logo, seen in October 1989 on Atari Lynx titles such as Blue Lightning, showed a blue “EPYX” zooming in over a black background, with “RESENTS” appearing in a smaller similar font beside the “P”.[1]
The EPYX trademark was filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on January 27, 1982, by Automated Simulations, Inc., and was registered on July 2, 1985.[2] The trademark remains registered and renewed under Bridgestone Multimedia Group, LLC.[2]
Meaning and Symbolism
The Epyx name was originally used as a brand for the company’s action-oriented games, distinguishing them from the strategy titles published under the Automated Simulations name.[1] The company’s slogan was “Strategy Games for the Action-Game Player.”[3] The neon-inspired packaging created by Chiat/Day gave the brand a distinctive visual identity that set it apart on retail shelves during the 1980s.[3]
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