Rainbow Arts

Rainbow Arts was founded in 1984 in Gütersloh, Germany, by Marc Ullrich and Thomas Meiertoberens. In a European market still dominated by microcomputers, the company began with software for the C64 and Amstrad CPC before moving more clearly into games. In 1986 it became part of the Rushware group and, through links with Softgold, gained access to a wider distribution structure than many small German studios of the time. This helped it become one of the most recognizable names in German video games between the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Rainbow Arts’ catalogue was strongly tied to the Commodore 64, Amiga and Atari ST, with some presence on Amstrad CPC, PC and consoles. The company worked both as developer and publisher, often bringing independent talent and small external teams together under one label. That hybrid nature was one of its strengths. Rainbow Arts did not have a single fixed style, but a constellation of creators and collaborators who brought technical, visual and musical energy to very different productions. Important names connected to its history include Manfred Trenz, Chris Hülsbeck, Armin Gessert, Thomas Hertzler, Andreas Escher, Boris Schneider-Johne, Martin Gaksch, Teut Weidemann and Celâl Kandemiroğlu.

Its international visibility also came through controversial games. The Great Giana Sisters, released in 1987, became famous for its very close similarity to Super Mario Bros. and was withdrawn from the market after pressure from Nintendo. Katakis, developed by Manfred Trenz, entered player memory as a European answer to R-Type, visually impressive but also problematic in its references. These episodes describe the period well: a less regulated market, a highly ambitious European scene and small teams willing to confront Japanese models, sometimes very directly.

The creative peak was Turrican. Born from Manfred Trenz’s work and later developed also with Factor 5, Turrican turned European action design into something larger: exploration, spectacular weapons, wide levels, powerful control and a Chris Hülsbeck soundtrack that became part of the series’ identity. Turrican, Turrican II and Mega Turrican remain the core of Rainbow Arts’ memory, especially for Commodore 64 and Amiga players. Around that series, the catalogue included X-Out, Z-Out, Mad TV, Rock’n Roll, M.U.D.S., Logical, Spherical, Bad Cat and Grand Monster Slam, often uneven games but marked by strong technical and audiovisual character.

The decline began in the early 1990s. Development and distribution costs were rising, the market was moving toward PC, consoles and larger productions, and many German talents connected to Rainbow Arts began taking independent paths. Armin Gessert would found Spellbound, Thomas Hertzler would become central to Blue Byte, while Julian Eggebrecht and other collaborators would become part of Factor 5’s history. In 1999, after corporate passages through Rushware, Softgold and Funsoft, the brand was absorbed into THQ Deutschland and gradually disappeared from public view.

Rainbow Arts’ legacy is that of a deeply European company: less orderly than the major Japanese or American publishers, but full of energy, technique and personality. It was one of the places where Germany built its own video game identity, through the C64, Amiga, demoscene culture, fantasy art and memorable soundtracks. For Retro-Gamers, its name mainly means Turrican, but also a whole period in which German game development tried to speak to the world through microcomputers.