Armin Gessert

Co-founder — Lead Programmer

Co-founded Rainbow Arts in 1984 alongside Thomas Hertzler. As lead programmer on The Great Giana Sisters (1987), Gessert established Rainbow Arts’s reputation for technically accomplished, visually polished software. His work on Giana Sisters demonstrated a level of C64 programming finesse that made the game an instant reference point — even as Nintendo’s legal pressure forced its withdrawal from sale.

Source: MobyGames →

Thomas Hertzler

Co-founder — Producer

Co-founded Rainbow Arts in 1984 alongside Armin Gessert. Hertzler oversaw the business and production side of the studio through its peak years, managing relationships with distributors, coordinating releases, and ensuring the studio’s output reached European markets effectively. He gave a retrospective interview to Arcade Attack covering the studio’s founding and trajectory.

Source: Arcade Attack interview →

Manfred Trenz

Lead Programmer — Katakis, Turrican I & II

The single most important programmer in Rainbow Arts’s history. Trenz joined the studio and immediately announced himself with Katakis (1988) — a horizontal shoot-’em-up of extraordinary technical accomplishment on the C64. He followed this with Turrican (1990) and Turrican II: The Final Fight (1991), creating what remain two of the most celebrated action games ever produced for the C64 and Amiga platforms.

Trenz departed Rainbow Arts after Turrican II’s completion, later developing Rendering Ranger R² independently for the SNES. His work at Rainbow Arts represents a peak of 8-bit and 16-bit game programming that has never been surpassed.

Source: mt-fanpage.de →

Marc Ullrich

Programmer

Contributed programming to multiple Rainbow Arts titles during the studio’s peak years. Credited across the C64 and Amiga catalogue in roles supporting the core development team.

Source: MobyGames →

Teut Weidemann

Designer — Programmer

Designer and programmer at Rainbow Arts during the studio’s active years. Later transitioned to broader roles within the German games industry, becoming a recognised figure in game design discourse and education.

Source: MobyGames →

Chris Hülsbeck

Primary Composer — Giana Sisters, Katakis, Turrican I & II

Widely regarded as one of the most important SID and Amiga OCS composers of the era, Chris Hülsbeck’s work for Rainbow Arts defines the studio’s musical legacy. His compositions for The Great Giana Sisters (1987), Katakis (1988), Turrican (1990), and Turrican II (1991) are reference works in the game music canon, celebrated for their melodic invention, technical sophistication on the SID chip, and emotional range on the Amiga’s OCS audio hardware.

Hülsbeck departed Rainbow Arts in the early 1990s to pursue freelance and commercial composition, including full orchestral productions. The Symphonic Shades concert (2008) performed his Rainbow Arts compositions with a full orchestra.

HVSC subtree: C64Music/GAMES/L-R/Rainbow_Arts/
Source: huelsbeck.com →

Matt Furniss

Composer — X-Out, Z-Out

UK-based composer responsible for several Rainbow Arts titles published outside Germany. Furniss composed the memorable scores for X-Out (1990) and Z-Out (1991), both vertical shoot-’em-ups with distinct aquatic and sci-fi aesthetics. Known for his work on the Amiga and DOS platforms across multiple publishers.

Source: MobyGames →