Impressions Games: History and Key Facts

Impressions Games was a British video game developer founded by David Lester. He sold the company to Sierra On-Line in 1995, who was then bought out by Cendant and eventually, Vivendi Universal (now known as Vivendi SA).

Impressions specialized in historical strategy games and is best known for its City Building Series, which include Caesar, Pharaoh, Zeus: Master of Olympus, and Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom. In 1998, Impressions Games was the most profitable division of Havas Interactive, with $20 million in net profit. This surpassed Blizzard Entertainment for the period, according to CNET Gamecenter.

Mike Ryder, former president of Sierra Entertainment, forced a change in management in October 2001, during development of Lords of the Realm III. Rod Nakamoto was installed as the new director. Lords III became Impressions's final game, and was released to mediocre reviews in March 2004.

The studio was shut down in April 2004 when Vivendi Universal closed most of its game development studios. Many members of the studio moved on to form Tilted Mill Entertainment.

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