| Microshaft Winblows 98 | |
|---|---|
 Cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Parroty Interactive |
| Publisher(s) | Palladium Interactive[2] |
| Director(s) | Steven Horowitz |
| Producer(s) | Dale Geist |
| Programmer(s) | WayForward[3] |
| Writer(s) |
|
| Composer(s) | Chronic Music[3] |
| Platform(s) | Windows, Macintosh |
| Release | January 5, 1998[1] |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Microshaft Winblows 98 is a 1998 interactive comedy video game for Windows and Classic Mac OS. It parodies the then-upcoming Windows 98 operating system, as well as Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.[5][6] Released by Palladium Interactive during the United States v. Microsoft Corp. case and at a time when Microsoft, Windows, and Gates were easy targets for jokes, the game offers a satirical take on this ripe subject matter.
Developed by Parroty Interactive, the self-professed National Lampoon of the interactive media industry, Microshaft Winblows 98 became the company's fourth interactive comedy video game, after Pyst which is a clone of adventure video game Myst, Star Warped which is a satire of science-fiction film series Star Wars, and The X-Fools, a spoof of supernatural TV series The X Files, respectively.[7] Initially released on January 5, 1998 before gaining further exposure through being present at Macworld Expo, Microshaft Winblows 98 was praised by magazines and newspapers, mostly for its clever and blunt humor.
- ^ "Now Shipping". PC Gamer. Imagine Publishing. January 5, 1998. Archived from the original on February 18, 1998. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
Now Shipping: "Winblows 98, the Microsoft, Windows and Bill Gates parody from Parroty Interactive." - ^ "Parroty Interactive Humor". Palladium Interactive. Archived from the original on March 3, 2000. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
- ^ a b "Microshaft Winblows 98 (1998) Windows credits - MobyGames". MobyGames. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
3dlinkswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Breaking Windows (Microshaft's Winblows '98 is a game that satirizes Microsoft Corp.) (Brief Article)". Newsweek. January 26, 1998. Archived from the original on February 22, 2016 – via HighBeam.
- ^ Rothstein, Edward (January 12, 1998). "Technology: Connections; A time for sympathy, yes, sympathy for Microsoft in its lonely stand". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 31, 2018. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
- ^ Wasserman, Elizabeth (January 5, 1998). "Company's Spoof of Microsoft: Microshaft Winblows". San Jose Mercury News. Archived from the original on October 8, 2016 – via HighBeam.