You think this is all balderdash? No, this is Boulder Dash, and it’s soon to be celebrating its 40th Anniversary. Originally released in the ’80s, this franchise has developed an incredibly passionate fan base. BBG Entertainment is hoping to keep them just as enthralled with a new entry. I had a chance to chat with Stephan Berendsen, CEO of BBG Entertainment, about the changes coming to the latest iteration of Boulder Dash, and what fans both old and new can expect from this entry.
While the world of video games continues to evolve forward, we can’t help but sometimes look to the past for inspiration once again. ‘Boulder Dash’, a title originally released on Atari consoles back in the ’80s, is coming back. How did this come to be?
There are few games that retain their appeal for decades, thanks to their fascinating
gameplay, and continue to appear on all new consoles. One such game is Boulder Dash,
which now has dozens of official sequels and hundreds of unofficial versions. Boulder Dash
has always been one of the most important video games for me. I played it as a kid for hours
and days on my old home computer. And when I was asked in 2017 by the rights holder,
who wanted to retire, if I would like to take over this brand and develop it further, I jumped at
the chance.
Videos by VICE
Can fans of the original game look forward to being able to hop right back in? Or are there new features that they may need to learn?
This is a very good point. Die-hard Boulder Dash fans are extremely picky when it comes to
remakes of the old originals. Not only does everything have to look exactly the same, but
everything also has to play exactly the same — the speed, the scrolling, the physics. So, we
would never dare to change any of these elements. It was clear to us that we are committed
to upholding the key values and pillars of the game. And because the focus is on
playability and functionality. This must not be disturbed by unnecessary graphic effects and
gimmicks, and risky changes of the concept. So yes, they can hop right back in.
Is this a completely new entry in the ‘Boulder Dash’ franchise, or is this more a reimagining of the original game? If so, what have you done to keep the charm and joy of the original game alive in this version?
We pursued two goals. Firstly, we wanted to bring the first three parts of Boulder Dash I, II, and
III to life as faithfully as possible on current machines. Secondly, we wanted to spice up the
classic gameplay with contemporary visuals and suitable new ideas such as growing walls,
slime, an enemy generator, eggs, and other things. All in all, Boulder Dash 40th Anniversary
is certainly the most comprehensive game in the series of all time; The first three games in
the original Commodore and Atari look, hundreds of brand new levels in a new look, and all
tested and approved by the best Boulder Dash players worldwide, and with music by Chris
Huelsbeck.
Some folks may not have realized, but ‘Boulder Dash’ has been getting new games as recently as 2021. What can players, both old and new, expect in this revamped version of the classic game?
We implemented plenty of new ideas into the new levels. Growing walls, enemy generator, and slime are the new elements that I like most. And of course, our new level editor, which
allows users to create, play, and share their own levels. We decided against a lot more new
features than we would have included at all. All of these new ideas would have significantly
changed the character of the game — because they were too focused on violence instead of
brains.
Can fans expect to see more varied takes on the ‘Boulder Dash’ franchise in the future? Seeing as it’s a 2D collector game, do you think you could ever translate the fast-paced puzzle gameplay to a fully 3D space, for example?
Boulder Dash 40th Anniversary marks a new beginning for the franchise and its characters.
We have plenty of new products in our pipeline that are well-known. One game is even
featuring Rockford, our beloved Boulder-Dash-Hero. We are also working on several ports
of popular hits from the ’80s. Stay tuned!
Looking at previous ‘Boulder Dash’ games on Steam, I was genuinely surprised to see the amount of hours players happily put into these titles. What do you think gives them the long-lasting appeal that they have?
In my opinion, it is the unusual combination of platform game and puzzle game that still
makes Boulder Dash so appealing today. You have to skillfully steer Rockford through the
levels and at the same time use your brain to solve the puzzles. Boulder Dash never gets
boring, the game concept is timeless.
The team behind the 40th Anniversary of ‘Boulder Dash’ is surprisingly stacked. Peter Liepa created the original idea and game and is still working on this version, which is incredible to see. How did the original concept of ‘Boulder Dash’ come to be?
The story of Boulder Dash began with Chris Gray, a young Canadian who, at the age of 14,
started to work on a game called ‘PIT-FALL’, inspired by the 1982 arcade game ‘The Pit’,
which incidentally had great similarities to the classic ‘Dig Dug’ that was released at the
same time. Chris wrote ‘PIT-FALL’ in BASIC, so it was quite slow. He showed the game to the owner of the Toronto area ‘Electronic Playworld’ shops. Which also sold Atari games at
the time.
They saw potential in the game, but knew that it would have to be technically improved if they wanted to publish it under their own label, In-Home Software. Meanwhile, Peter Liepa, an experienced developer, approached them to discuss creating a game. They asked him if he could translate ‘PIT-FALL’ into machine language. He began the conversation but soon abandoned it to restart from scratch. Peter Liepa took over the complete development from this point on. They agreed that Chris Gray would be mentioned in the title screen and receive a share of the sales.
It’s hard to keep a 40-year-old franchise feeling fresh and innovative. What has the team done to ensure this is fun and exciting for players of all types?
We always want to take Boulder Dash further and create a game for both the old Boulder Dash
fans and the new young generation. But you have to be very careful, because true
Boulder Dash fans are very particular. Therefore, we involved the best Boulder Dash players
worldwide in the development process. And also took feedback from all age groups into account. For example, we showed an early version at gamescom 2024 in Cologne. Where not only parents but also their children spent a lot of time at our computers.
Where can eager fans jump into the fun with the 40th Anniversary Edition of ‘Boulder Dash’? Are there any special plans to celebrate a series running as long as this one has?
We have indeed prepared a lot for the release of Boulder Dash 40th Anniversary, which is
already getting a lot of attention from all over the world. One highlight will be the first Boulder Dash World Championship, which we will hold on August 23, 2025, at gamescom. There will be
various qualifying tournaments beforehand, such as the Master Challenge Warsaw at the Pixel Heaven Festival in June. We also want to enable users to easily share their own levels, bring Rockford back in another game, and much more…
Are there any fun or memorable stories, either from the creation of the original or this new iteration, that you’d like to share with our readers? 40 years of memories have to lead to something exciting!
The history of Boulder Dash is full of exciting anecdotes. I have already recounted how Peter
Liepa came to be involved with the game, which was originally started by Chris Gray. How
Boulder Dash III came about is also quite remarkable. A Boulder Dash clone was created by
“American Action”, a Swedish outfit, which they called Boulder Dash III. In an ill-advised deal, First Star Software, Inc. granted American Action an official license after being paid advance royalties.
Things turned sour when the “space-themed” visuals American Action planned for led to a host of bugs. Making some levels impossible to complete; short-term commercial objectives seem to have rushed the developers. The game is not very popular with fans. Rightly so, in my opinion. We also think it’s particularly cool that Peter Liepa himself is supporting the promotion of Boulder Dash 40th Anniversary with a few videos. More than 40 years after working on the first game of the series.
I would like to thank Stephan Berendsen, CEO of BBG Entertainment, for taking time out of his busy schedule to chat with me about Boulder Dash 40th Anniversary.