BeachHead 2000 & the BeachHead Brand

Back in the future of 2000, Beach Head 2000 changed the paradigm of (PC) gaming by introducing a fast-paced, adrenaline-pumping arcade-style game that was easy to play and addictive to the core. Back them top heavy RPG’s reigned supreme and a mindless arcade-like game under 10MB with no manual or thinking required was considered a SIN in the established gaming world. To me, the real pressing question was “where (the hell) is the PLAY button?”.

Despite all the nay-sayers in the PC press Beach Head™ took off like wildfire and became an overnight success. BH2000 went on to set new records and start new trends across a wide range of venues and platforms and exceeded all expectations across the globe. Arcade gaming was no longer a sin, the “play now button” became the norm and everyone was now able to enjoy the game and the rest is history of course.

BEACH HEAD AND VIRTUAL REALITY

We are not new to the notion of VR gaming. In fact, the BEACH HEAD VORTEK Hood in the original arcade version was the first of its kind in the Virtual Reality gaming world. The Oculus Rift team themselves could testify to having played the BEACH HEAD arcade games at some point or another.  Virtual Reality gaming was very new/non-existent at this time, and foreseeing that notion in the original PC game along with the easy to play Arcade-factor was a big deal in the context of the success that BEACH HEAD has had throughout the world. Not surprisingly, Beach Head also took the arcade market by storm becoming the number one top-earner (in the USA and many other countries) for more than three years in a row.

BEACHHEAD 2000 ONCE KEPT AC/DC FROM GOING ON STAGE!?

BEACH HEAD 2000 was a true people’s game. The game was easy to play and truly addictive and had legions of loyal fans. BEACHHEAD was a beloved game with a unique affection factor and we got hundreds of emails and letters from people of all ages telling us how much they enjoyed the game. Mothers and their daughters, an 80-year old in a retirement community, soldiers from bases all around the world, and even a retired General. We also received emails from wives joking about possibly divorcing their husbands if they did not stop playing the game. The BEACH HEAD 2002 arcade was also named as one of the arcade machines that was in Micheal Jackson's personal arcade collection. And most memorable of all, Pepe himself once got a call around 9 pm one night from Phil Rudd, the drummer for AC/DC; they were stuck on level 52 during a concert intermission and needed to know how to pass the level before they went back on stage.

“I did not hear from them again so I would assume that my tip worked and that they went back to their lives and making great music, but to this day I can’t imagine why it was so important or why they were so obsessed with the game. Needless to say, that as random as this was, it only helps to illustrate how popular and widespread the BEACH HEAD games had become.”

THE BEACHHEAD BRAND

BEACHHEAD 2000 was one of the most addictive PC and Arcade game titles ever, spawning several sequels and many copy-cats and millions of devoted fans all over the world. There’s no doubt that BEACH HEAD benefits from worldwide name recognition and a unique sense of affection from the millions of fans that were entertained by it.

The free to play (try it before you buy it DRM) downloadable version of the games were even more successful with millions of downloads from all over the world. Because the original game was only 10MB and could run on virtually any PC and the fact that it was so easy to play (no translation required) was an ideal combination for emerging international markets with limited bandwidth and with it effectively extending the life and reach of the game well into the present day.

There was no better example of this unexpected phenomena than in the enormous success the game achieved in China where the BEACH HEAD Brand has become even more popular and where it still enjoys the adulation of millions of fans today.

Young and old, gamer or not, everyone played BeachHead. Kids played it with their dads and dads played it with their kids. Those kids are now grown up and from time to time we get a request for a new game and so that they can share their childhood fun memories with their own kids.