Origins: The Palace Group (1983)
Palace Software emerged from the Palace Group, an entertainment business founded in 1983 by Pete Stone and Richard Leinfellner. The Palace Group was originally involved in music and wider entertainment before identifying home computers as an opportunity to publish games. Both founders brought complementary skills: Stone as director and project manager; Leinfellner as lead programmer and technical director.
The company was headquartered in London throughout its independent existence. From the outset, Palace positioned itself as a studio with attitude - brash, visually bold, and uninterested in playing it safe.
Debut: The Evil Dead (1984)
Palace Software's debut title was The Evil Dead (1984) - a licensed text adventure tie-in with Sam Raimi's cult 1981 horror film. The game shipped on Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum, and demonstrated Palace's willingness to court provocative subject matter from day one.
Though not a technical landmark, The Evil Dead established the studio's identity: controversial licences, in-house development, and a London sensibility that would distinguish Palace from its contemporaries.
Breakout: Cauldron (1985)
Cauldron (1985) was Palace's first major commercial success. A platform shoot-'em-up starring a witch on a broomstick, the game was developed primarily by programmer Steve Brown for the Commodore 64, Spectrum, and Amstrad CPC. Composer Richard Joseph provided the C64 music - the beginning of a collaboration that would define Palace's sonic identity.
Cauldron demonstrated Palace's ability to produce fast, visually crisp games that stood out on the crowded software shelves of the mid-1980s. Its sequel, Cauldron II: The Pumpkin Strikes Back, followed in 1986.
Sacred Armour of Antiriad (1986)
Sacred Armour of Antiriad (1986) was a post-apocalyptic action-adventure for ZX Spectrum, C64, and CPC. While not matching the commercial peak of Barbarian, it built a loyal cult following - particularly on the Spectrum - and remains one of Palace's most admired non-Barbarian titles.
The Peak: Barbarian (1987)
Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior (1987) was the title that made Palace Software famous and infamous simultaneously. A one-on-one sword-fighting game programmed by Steven Brown with graphics by Michael Barlow, Barbarian shipped on C64, Spectrum, CPC, Amiga, and Atari ST. Richard Joseph composed the C64 and Amiga soundtracks.
The cover art - featuring Dutch bodybuilder Michael Van Wijk and model Maria Whittaker in warrior costume - attracted complaints from Mary Whitehouse's National Viewers' and Listeners' Association. A German court later ruled on the game's violent content; the blood was changed from red to green for the German market. Neither the campaign nor the court ruling prevented Barbarian from becoming one of Palace's best-selling titles and one of the most commercially successful British games of 1987.
After Barbarian: Expansion (1988–1990)
The success of Barbarian enabled Palace to expand its output. Barbarian II: The Dungeon of Drax (1988) continued the series, shifting from one-on-one fighting to side-scrolling action as the protagonist Hegor pursued the sorcerer Drax. Advanced Pinball Simulator (1988) won Zzap!64's Gold Medal and demonstrated Palace's technical versatility.
Valkyrie 17 (1989) and Torvak the Warrior (1990) - the latter exclusive to Amiga - represented Palace's later-period output, with Torvak serving as the studio's final major Amiga release before the Titus acquisition.
The Titus Acquisition (1991)
In 1991, Titus Software acquired Palace Software. Following the acquisition, the Palace Software brand was effectively discontinued. Pete Stone and Richard Leinfellner both departed. The studio's back catalogue passed into the broader rights landscape of the early 1990s games industry.
Richard Leinfellner later discussed the acquisition candidly in his "Blimey It's Only…" YouTube interview series - a primary source for Palace's history and creative culture. Read interview excerpts →
Legacy
Palace Software's output spanned approximately 1983–1991. In that window, they produced eleven original titles, employed some of the UK's finest games programmers, and commissioned some of the most memorable C64 and Amiga music of the era from Richard Joseph.
Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior is regularly cited as one of the landmark C64 and Amiga titles of the 8-bit/16-bit era. The controversy surrounding its cover art continues to be cited in retrospectives on UK games marketing of the 1980s. Richard Joseph, Palace's primary composer, went on to score numerous other major titles before his death in 2007.
For Richard Joseph's full biography, visit the Richard Joseph dedicated site →