# Distinctive Software

Distinctive Software, Inc. was a Canadian video game developer established in Burnaby, British Columbia, by Don Mattrick and Jeff Sember after their success with the game Evolution. Mattrick (age 17) and Jeff Sember approached Sydney Development Corporation, who agreed to publish Evolution in 1982. Distinctive Software was known in the late 1980s and early 1990s for their racing and sports video games, including the Test Drive series, Stunts, 4D Boxing, and Hardball II. In 1991, Distinctive was acquired by Electronic Arts in a deal worth US$10 million and became EA Canada, which is where the most EA Sports branded games are developed.

## Unlimited Software and lawsuit

In 1989, programmers Pete Gardner and Amory Wong of Distinctive, under the pseudonym USI (Unlimited Software, Inc.), converted Sega's arcade game Out Run for MS-DOS. They used several software libraries they had developed for Test Drive II. Consequently, Accolade charged that Distinctive violated a working agreement, and sued. Accolade sought a preliminary injunction against the distribution and sale of Out Run. Distinctive Software argued that it had only used source code that did routine functions, such as clearing the video screen and that Accolade did not own a copyright on those functions. Accolade argued that their contract for Test Drive II gave them the ownership and copyright of the final product—the game—and the source code used to create it. Distinctive Software won; the court ruled that "the licensing agreement transfers to Accolade the copyright to the concept and design of the video game but not the underlying source code." The court also found that Accolade had failed to demonstrate that the balance of hardships was in its favor.

## Games

| Game | Published | Publisher | Platform |
| 4D Sports Boxing | 1991 | Mindscape/Electronic Arts | Amiga, Atari ST, MS-DOS, Mac |
| 4D Sports Tennis | 1990 | Mindscape | MS-DOS |
| Accolade Comics | 1987 | Accolade | Apple II, C64 |
| Ace of Aces | 1987 | Accolade | Atari 8-bit, C64, MS-DOS |
| After Burner | 1988 | Sega | Amiga, C64, MS-DOS |
| Altered Beast | 1990 | Sega | Amiga, C64, MS-DOS |
| Bill Elliott's NASCAR Challenge | 1990 | Konami | Amiga, handheld, Mac, NES, MS-DOS |
| Castlevania | 1990 | Konami | C64, MS-DOS |
| Champions Forever Boxing | 1992 | NEC | TG-16 |
| Dick Tracy: The Crime-Solving Adventure | 1991 | Walt Disney Computer Software | Amiga, MS-DOS |
| Grand Prix Circuit | 1988 | Accolade | Amiga, Apple IIGS, C64, MS-DOS |
| Fight Night | 1985 | Accolade | Apple II, Atari 8-bit, C64 |
| Hardball! | 1985 | Accolade | Apple IIGS, C64 |
| Mario Andretti's Racing Challenge | 1991 | Electronic Arts | MS-DOS |
| Metal Gear | 1990 | Ultra Games | C64 |
| Mission: Impossible | 1991 | Konami | MS-DOS |
| Out Run | 1989 | Sega | C64, MS-DOS |
| Pipe Dream | 1990 | Bullet-Proof Software | Amiga, C64, MS-DOS, NES |
| Stunts (4D Sports Driving) | 1990 | Broderbund/Mindscape | Amiga, MS-DOS |
| Super C | 1990 | Konami | Amiga, MS-DOS |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | 1990 | Ultra Games/Konami | Amiga, C64, MS-DOS |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Manhattan Missions | 1991 | Konami | MS-DOS |
| Test Drive | 1987 | Accolade | Amiga, C64, MS-DOS |
| The Cycles: International Grand Prix Racing | 1989 | Accolade | C64, MS-DOS |
| The Duel: Test Drive II | 1989 | Accolade | Amiga, Apple IIGS, C64, MS-DOS |
| The Simpsons: Bart's House of Weirdness | 1992 | Konami | MS-DOS |
| Top Gun: Guts and Glory | 1993 | Konami | Game Boy |
| Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego? | 1991 | Konami | NES |