| Space Rogue | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Origin Systems |
| Publisher(s) | Origin Systems Wave Brain (PC-98, X68000) Night Dive Studios (digital) |
| Producer(s) | Dallas Snell |
| Designer(s) | Paul Neurath |
| Programmer(s) |
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| Artist(s) |
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| Platform(s) | Amiga, Apple II, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, FM Towns, Macintosh, PC-9801, X68000 |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Space combat simulator, role-playing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Space Rogue is a space flight simulation video game developed by Origin Systems and published by Origin Systems, Wave Brain, and Night Dive Studios. The game was released in 1989 for Apple II and Commodore 64; the series was later ported to DOS, Macintosh, Amiga, and Atari ST. The game was also released in the Japanese language for PC-9801, X68000, and FM Towns. The FM Towns version had its intro remade with slight animations and new illustrations, along with scrolling Japanese text, and exclusive CD quality background music. Taking place within the Far Arm of the Milky Way galaxy, Space Rogue's main story revolves around the player character's efforts to pursue a career and undertake long-range goals beyond his immediate mission.
The game features elements of a role-playing game, like the much later X Rebirth and Elite Dangerous. It is notable for being the first game designed for Origin by Paul Neurath, who went on to found Blue Sky Productions (later renamed Looking Glass Studios).
Space Rogue can be considered as the spiritual predecessor to Origin's Wing Commander series. The press release for Space Rogue stated that it is "the first of its kind in science-fiction/3D space flight simulation. An ORIGIN Cinematic Experience", implying that Space Rogue was originally meant to be a series of its own ('Ultima in Space'), before later on Origin turned to the Wing Commander series instead. In 2016, Night Dive Studios reacquired the rights and re-released it.