Dragon's Lair

This article is about the video game series. For the first game in the series, see Dragon's Lair (1983 video game). For other uses, see Dragon's Lair (disambiguation).
Dragon's Lair
Genre(s)Fantasy, animation
Developer(s)RDI Video Systems
Software Projects
Motivetime
Elite Systems
Sullivan Bluth Studios
Don Bluth Interactive
Dragonstone Software
Publisher(s)Cinematronics
CSG Imagesoft
Leland Corporation
Data East
Ubisoft
Digital Leisure
Creator(s)Rick Dyer
Artist(s)Don Bluth
Writer(s)Rick Dyer
Platform(s)
First releaseDragon's Lair
Latest releaseDragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair

Dragon's Lair is a video game franchise created by Rick Dyer. The series is notable for its Western animation-style graphics and complex decades-long history of being ported to many platforms. It has been adapted into television and comic book series.

The first game in the series is titled Dragon's Lair, originally released for arcades in 1983[1] by Cinematronics. It uses laserdisc technology, offering greatly superior graphics compared to other video games at the time.[2] The game was ported to several other platforms, but as no home system technology of that era could accommodate the graphical quality of LaserDisc, several abridged versions of the original game were released under different names.[3] The first true sequel, Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp, had started development as early as 1984, but would only appear in arcades in 1991. While its graphics were once again praised, its by-then outdated and limited interactivity compared to the newer generation of arcade games kept it from reaching the popularity of the original.[4]

The two main games in the series are considered gaming classics[5] and are frequently re-released for each new generation of consoles.[6] In 2010, they were bundled alongside the unrelated 1984 Bluth Group game Space Ace in the Dragon's Lair Trilogy which was made available across numerous platforms.[6]

Forays into other media include a short lived animated series that aired on ABC in 1984 and a comic-book miniseries released in 2003. Plans for a feature-length film have existed since the 1980s and resurfaced in 2015, when Bluth launched two crowd-funding campaigns.[7] The Kickstarter campaign was unsuccessful[8] but the Indiegogo campaign reached its target in early 2016.[9]

  1. ^ "Review: 'Dragon's Lair' returns on Blu-ray Disc". CNN.com. May 18, 2007. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
  2. ^ "Enter The Dragon's Lair" (PDF). Games Magazine. February 2008. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  3. ^ "Conversion Capers" (PDF). Retro Gamer. May 2007. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  4. ^ "Review Crew: Dragon's Lair II". Electronic Gaming Monthly. December 1994.
  5. ^ Service, Marc Saltzman Gannett News. "CNN.com - New 'Dragon's Lair' disappoints - Feb 13, 2003". edition.cnn.com. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  6. ^ a b Harris, Craig (October 27, 2010). "Dragon's Lair Trilogy Review". IGN. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  7. ^ "Dragon's Lair creators turn to Kickstarter to raise money for Dragon's Lair: The Movie". Polygon. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference DL Kickstarter was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference indiegogo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).