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Legend Entertainment Company was an American developer and publisher of computer games, best known for creating adventure titles throughout the 1990s. The company was founded by Bob Bates (pictured) and Mike Verdu. Legend also negotiated licenses to popular book series and earned a reputation for comedic adventures. Industry changes led to increased competition by the mid-1990s and expenses for graphics rose without a similar increase in sales. As a result Legend outsourced marketing and distribution and focused on development. While the studio's adventure titles suffered, working with game publishers allowed it to experiment with more action-oriented titles. Legend fully pivoted to first-person shooters thanks to a relationship with Unreal developer Tim Sweeney and an acquisition by publisher GT Interactive. Sales continued to dwindle, followed by the commercial failure of Unreal II: The Awakening in 2003. The studio was shut down in January 2004, with staff moving to other game companies. (Full article...)