Exxos

Exxos was formed in 1988. It was a label owned by ERE Informatique, formed with the intention of creating original science-fiction games.

Three titles were released: Captain Blood (1988), Purple Saturn Day (1989) and Kult (1989, later released in the U.S. as Chamber of the Sci-Mutant Priestess).

Captain Blood became ERE's biggest hit to date and one of the year's best-sellers. While it was admired for its style and originality, it also confused many due to its sheer weirdness. The two games that followed did nothing to change that.

All three Exxos games were developed by the same small group of people, headed by Philippe Ulrich. Ulrich and his cohorts had an eccentric sense of humor which carried itself through the games and documentation, as well as in public. Ulrich declared that Exxos was more than a mere publishing label; Exxos was a god, and 'He' was the true author of these electronic works. Elaborate 'rituals' were organized, to the amusement of the press, where various objects (including an Amstrad CPC computer and a large papier-mache alien) were 'sacrificed' to the deity.

Exxos fans knew that their god should be honored by the enthusiastic chanting of "ATA ATA hoglo hulu!" And as Exxos literature kept reminding them, "EXXOS is good for you!"

The developers went on to form Cryo Interactive, where they created some other memorably weird sci-fi works, including a sequel to Captain Blood.

The name 'Exxos' was used as the artist moniker on the soundtrack of Cryo's first game, Dune. In more recent years, Philippe Ulrich brought it back again, this time as the title of his own music label.

See also: ERE Informatique, Cryo Interactive.