Rocket Jockey

Rocket Jockey
Developer(s)	Rocket Science Games
Publisher(s)	SegaSoft
Producer(s)	J. Edward Patton
Designer(s)	Sean Callahan
Programmer(s)	Denis L. Fung
Artist(s)	Elliot Fan
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows
Release	November 15, 1996[1]
Genre(s)	Action, Sports
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer

Rocket Jockey is a Windows video game created by Rocket Science Games and published by SegaSoft in 1996. The game's concept was developed by designer/lead programmer Sean Callahan, paired with an alternate reality 1930s America setting, conceived by VP of development/creative director Bill Davis. The player jets at high speed inside a grassy, enclosed sports arena on a rocket sled that is always in motion and chiefly steered with two grappling-hook guns mounted on its flanks. The rocket can change speeds but always flies about three feet off the ground unless it is engaged in one of the games' frequent and often-comic collisions.

The soundtrack features legendary surf rock guitar player Dick Dale. Three different Rollerball-style game modes are available for competition.

Although it was well-reviewed by critics, the game was burdened by a general lack of pre-release press coverage, steep hardware requirements, and extensive delays of a patch which added LAN play, which together led to poor sales. As time passed it has suffered a classic example of software rot and compatibility issues have appeared, making it very difficult to install the game on modern systems. Some diehards have created workarounds for this, most notably a custom modified registry key.