Distinctive Software logo
Distinctive Software, Inc. (DSI) was a Canadian software house established in Burnaby, British Columbia, by Don Mattrick and Jeff Sember. It is the predecessor to EA Canada.
Distinctive Software was best known in the late 1980s for their ports, racing and sports games, distributed in most part by Accolade, with whom they worked closely.
DSI became known for various titles. It is synonymous with racing games in the late '80s and early '90s, including the Test Drive series and Stunts. The base coding for 1987's Test Drive was replicated for not only Test Drive II: The Duel, but 1989's The Cycles: International Grand Prix Racing and 1988's Grand Prix Circuit.
DSI also made sports games like 4D Boxing, and the second title in the Hardball series.
In 1991, DSI was acquired by Electronic Arts, and became EA Canada (and a major component on the future EA Sports studios), in a deal worth US$11 M. This also meant a significant blow on Accolade, which lost credibility and market share in the following years.
Trade-named as Unlimited Software, Inc., and lawsuit[ | ]
In 1989, programmers Pete Gardner and the "Old Kid" (Amory Wong) of DSI, under the pseudonym USI (Unlimited Software, Inc.), converted Sega's arcade game Out Run into a PC-DOS version.
Consequently, Accolade charged that DSI violated a working agreement, and sued.
Notable games[ | ]
| Game | Published | Publisher | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4D Sports Boxing | 1991-06-15 | Mindscape/Electronic Arts | PC-DOS, Amiga, Atari ST |
| 4D Sports Tennis | 1990 | Mindscape | PC-DOS |
| Accolade Comics | 1987 | Accolade | Commodore 64 |
| Ace of Aces | 1987 | Accolade | Atari XL/XE |
| After Burner | 1988 | Sega | PC-DOS |
| Altered Beast | 1990 | Sega | PC-DOS |
| Bill Elliott's NASCAR Challenge | 1990 | Konami | MS-DOS, Amiga, Apple Macintosh, NES, handheld |
| Castlevania | 1990 | Ultra Games | PC-DOS |
| Grand Prix Circuit | 1988 | Accolade | PC-DOS, Commodore 64, Amiga |
| Hardball! | 1985 | Accolade | Commodore 64 |
| Metal Gear | 1990 | Ultra Games | PC-DOS |
| Mission: Impossible | 1991 | Konami | PC-DOS |
| Out Run | 1989 | Sega | PC-DOS |
| Stunts/4D Sports Driving | 1990 | Brøderbund/Mindscape | PC-DOS, Amiga |
| Super C | 1990 | Konami | Amiga, PC-DOS |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | 1990 | Ultra Games | PC-DOS, Commodore 64 |
| Test Drive | 1987 | Accolade | PC-DOS, Commodore 64, Amiga |
| The Cycles: International Grand Prix Racing | 1989 | Accolade | PC-DOS, Commodore 64 |
| The Duel: Test Drive II | 1989 | Accolade | PC-DOS, Commodore 64, Amiga |
| Wings of Fury | 1990 | Broderbund | Amiga, PC-DOS |
| The Need for Speed | 1995 | Electronic Arts | PC-DOS |
External links[ | ]
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