Digital Eclipse Software
From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum
Background
Digital Eclipse (also known as Backbone Emeryville from 2003-2012) is a video game company formed in 1992 founded by Andrew Ayre. The studio was known mostly for porting classic arcade games from Williams Entertainment and other producers. In 2003, it merged with ImaginEngine into Backbone Entertainment and ceased to exist as an independent unit, although its name was still used as a cap brand of Foundation 9 Entertainment. In 2012, Backbone closed the studio, but in 2015, the company was revived under Other Ocean Interactive, made up of former Backbone employees. It now exists to fulfill video game preservation and strives to be "the video game equivalent of The Criterion Collection." After the successful release of Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration in November 2022, its distributor Atari SA acquired Digital Eclipse for $20 million in October 2023.
1st Logo (Still variants) (1994-June 10, 2009)
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Visuals: On a black background, a stylized solar eclipse is seen, made of a fuzzy white ring around a black circle, with "DIGITAL ECLIPSE" stacked below it.
Variants:
- Sometimes, "SOFTWARE INC" can be seen below.
- Sometimes, the ring may be gold/orange, as seen on the GBC port of Army Men 2 and Rayman Advance.
- A version of it on a white background, contained in a black box, appears on Interstellar Wrestling League for the HyperScan.
- A sepia-tone version exists on 1942 and Ghosts 'n Goblins for Game Boy Color.
- On NFL Blitz for the Game Boy Color, four steel pieces containing the NFL logo transition from the Midway logo to the Digital Eclipse logo, and then wipe away.
- On NFL Blitz 2000 for Game Boy Color, pieces of the NFL logo slide from the copyright screen to the logo, and then pieces of the NFLPA logo move over and transition to the Midway logo.
Technique: A still digital graphic.
Audio: None, but a slam sound for the NFL Blitz variants.
Availability: Seen on most of their games, such as Ms. Pac-Man for the SNES, Williams Arcade Classics for the DOS, as well as the SNES and the Genesis, and many Game Boy Color and Advance games.
2nd Logo (April 10, 1996-March 1, 2002)
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Visuals: On a black starfield, a glowing gold sphere, representing the Sun, zooms in while a dark green sphere covers it as well. As it gets fully covered, a lens flare occurs and "DIGITAL ECLIPSE" in a wide Copperplate Gothic Bold font emerges from it, rotating around the screen as a fuzzy ring of gold particles form around the black sun. The sun zooms out, and several seconds later, the particles freeze and fade to white.
Technique: CGI.
Audio: A dramatic choir fanfare with synth drones.
Availability: Seen on most of their arcade compilations for PS1 and Dreamcast.
3rd Logo (April 1999-February 1, 2002)
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Visuals: On a black background, there is a static image of an eclipse from the last two logos with a waving effect. The company name then wipes in, and then the circle on the eclipse disappears and splits into two pieces, and the text wipes away.
Technique: 2D sprite animation.
Audio: None.
Availability: Seen on a few Game Boy Color games, like Klax, Disney's Tarzan, Disney's Pooh and Tigger's Hunny Safari, Alice in Wonderland and Little Nicky.
4th Logo (September 14, 2002-March 17, 2006)
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Visuals: On an extremely detailed space nebula background, a "techno" version of the Earth with orange techlines goes through with swoops in an arc. A star then drops down from above, where they overlap each other, and it fades to the print logo.
Variants:
- A simplified version with a radiating corona on the sun (which fades to white) appears on some GBA games as well, like Namco Museum 50th Anniversary.
- In later years, the bottom text is omitted.
Technique: CGI.
Audio: A continuous synth drone. None or the opening theme of the game for the simplified version.
Availability: Seen on most of their PS2, Gamecube, GBA, and PC titles. First seen on Disney's Tarzan: Return of the Jungle for Game Boy Advance.
5th Logo (September 24, 2002-November 12, 2004)
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Visuals: On a black background, there is a glowing blue eclipse that shines, then the company name draws in with gradient wipes, before it fades to the print logo.
Technique: 2D sprite animation.
Audio: None, or the opening theme of the game.
Availability: Seen on some GBA games, like Spyro 2: Season of Flame, Spyro: Attack of the Rhynocs, Tron 2.0 and Rayman: Hoodlum's Revenge.
6th Logo (Capcom Classics Collection custom variant) (September 27, 2005-July 21, 2006)
Visuals: There is a sketchbook on a table. A hand then opens the book and draws the Digital Eclipse logo from the previous logos. When it's finished, the hand turns the page of the book, and the game's opening continues.
Variant: On Capcom Classics Collection Remixed, the logo is in matted widescreen.
Technique: Live-action.
Audio: A sound of the book opening and some sketching and drawing sounds.
Availability: Only seen on Capcom Classics Collection Volume 1 for the PS2 and Xbox, and Capcom Classics Collection Remixed for the PSP.
7th Logo (November 7, 2006-April 11, 2007)
Visuals: On a black background, the logo flashes in from a white screen, causing a load of particles to spread out from it. The company name and the Foundation 9 byline fade in below, with particles still dancing around. The logo then flashes again.
Variant: On Sega Genesis/Mega Drive Collection for PS2 and PSP, the background is blue after the first flash occurs.
Technique: CGI.
Audio: A sparkling sound, ending in a synth drone and then a chime.
Availability: Only seen on Capcom Classics Collection Volume 2 and Sega Genesis/Mega Drive Collection.
8th Logo (August 24, 2015-)
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Visuals: Over a white or black background, the logo starts with "DIGITAL ECLIPSE" in the same font as before, except the fuzzy ring is replaced by a crescent. The entire logo is still.
Variant: An animated variant was introduced in Space Jam: A New Legacy: The Game. A closeup of an eclipse forms, creating the crescent. The text fades in, and then static appears on the logo, before the logo ends with a turn off effect.
Technique: Just the logo fading in, and out.
Audio: None. The animated variant has whooshes and static noises.
Availability: This can be seen on Mega Man Legacy Collection, The Disney Afternoon Collection, Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection and SNK 40th Anniversary Collection, among others.
