Appaloosa Interactive

Background
Novotrade International was established in 1993 by Andras Csaszar and Stephen J. Friedman as a spin-off to state-owned software corporation Novotrade Rt. In November 1996, they changed their name to Appaloosa Interactive, and moved headquarters to their Palo Alto, California studio, while the two development studios in Hungary remained as sub-studios. In 2006, the studio was closed down and many employees (along with the staff from Mithis) went to Eidos Studios Hungary.

(May 19, 1995-December 13, 1996)
Logo: On a black background, a man holding a rod is seen on top of a  floor lit by a spotlight. He drops the rod onto the floor to light it up and spreads his arms out, while the camera zooms out to reveal the floor as "NOVOTRADE" in a graffiti-like font. The spotlight then exposes the rest of the word and the man rises up, with the specter changing the background to white and adding "INTERNATIONAL" below.

Variants:
 * There is a still version on a black background, with "INTERNATIONAL" in.
 * On Kolibri for the Sega 32X, the background is a gradient, "NOVOTRADE" has an gradient, and "INTERNATIONAL" is white.

Technique: The man rising and the light revealing the text.

Music/Sounds: A harmonious orchestral synth tune.

Availability: Rare. The animated version appears on Ecco the Dolphin for PC. The still logo appears on Kolibri and Exo Squad for Sega Genesis. Several other games have it in the corner only.

1st Logo (September 27, 1996-May 30, 1997)
Logo: On an olive green background, we see an banner with a projected top, surrounded with white Indian feathers. The horse is seen on the top, standing on the "l" letter of the black word "appaloosa". The text "INTERACTIVE CORPORATION" appears underneath in the banner.

Technique: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Seen on the Sega Saturn version of Three Dirty Dwarves.

2nd Logo (November 29, 1996-October 26, 2006)
Logo: We see an outline of a running horse zooming out and shining with green light. The words "Developed by" unveil above and "Appaloosa Interactive" in two lines below. The screen flashes and turns white, with an circle in the center and the words in black now. The horse drawing takes place in the circle.

Variants:
 * On Jaws Unleashed, the words "Designed and Developed by" are seen above the horse.
 * Sometimes, the logo appears completed without the byline above, but the horse is running in the circle.
 * On Ecco the Dolphin for Dreamcast, the background is black.

Technique: The light beaming from the horse, or the horse running. Simple effects.

Music/Sounds: A windy synth tune.

Availability: Uncommon. The animated version is seen on Tiny Tank and South Park for PS1, among others. The version with the running horse is seen on Lost World: Jurassic Park, Contra: The Legacy of War, and the PC version of Three Dirty Dwarves. The still logo appears on C: The Contra Adventure, Jaws Unleashed and Ecco the Dolphin for Dreamcast.