Strategy First Inc. is a developer and publisher of video games, founded in 1990 in Montréal, Canada. Its founders were Don McFatridge, Steve Wall and Dave Hill, shortly thereafter joined by Richard Therrien. The company's long-standing logo contains four people as a reference to its founding members.
The company is most noted for publishing franchises such as the Disciples series, select Jagged Alliance titles, the original Europa Universalis, Gun Metal, the Space Empires series, Galactic Civilizations (2003), O.R.B.: Off-World Resource Base and others.
On 18 August 2004, the company filed for bankruptcy due to its debt rising to US$ 5 million by May of that year. Hence, they were unable to pay royalties to Paradox Interactive, i-Deal Games Studios, Techland and Stardock Entertainment.
On 22 April 2005, Strategy First was acquired by Silverstar Holdings, an American publicly trading company, which helped resolve debt. As Silverstar Holdings had also acquired Empire Interactive in December 2006, Strategy First would inherit at least part of their intellectual properties like FlatOut and Enemy Engaged following Empire Interactive's closure in 2009.
On 5 April 2006, the company acquired and absorbed Malfador Machinations. Also in 2006, Strategy First became the publisher of games by Sonalysts, slightly edited to remove their previous association with the Jane's Combat Simulations license during their contract with Electronic Arts.
In 2008, the company signed a deal with the struggling ASCARON Entertainment for publishing a selection of their titles on digital stores like Steam, GameTap and the newly opened GOG.com (Darkstar One, Patrician III, Pirate Hunter: Seize & Destroy, Port Royale 2, Sacred: Gold), which were kept despite the subsequent IP ownership changes, with the exception of Sacred: Gold being transferred to THQ Nordic in February 2022.
Their post-acquisition intellectual properties would additionally include Shadow Vault, Cuban Missile Crisis, Ankh, Bad Rats, Ironclads, Clad in Iron and Tank Warfare, among others.
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