Editing Starship Titanic (section)

==Release==
In May 1996, [[Simon & Schuster Interactive]] announced a deal to co-publish ''Starship Titanic'' with The Digital Village.<ref name="PRN1">{{cite web
|title=Simon & Schuster Announces Multimedia Deal with Bestselling Science-Fiction Author Douglas Adams
|url=https://thefreelibrary.com/SIMON+%26+SCHUSTER+ANNOUNCES+MULTIMEDIA+DEAL+WITH+BESTSELLING+SCIENCE-+...-a018276158
|access-date=21 September 2017
|publisher=[[PR Newswire]]
|date=13 May 1996
|archive-date=1 October 2017
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171001031200/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/SIMON%20%26%20SCHUSTER%20ANNOUNCES%20MULTIMEDIA%20DEAL%20WITH%20BESTSELLING%20SCIENCE-%20...-a018276158
}}</ref> Simon & Schuster presented the game along with 11 other projects at [[E3]] 1997.<ref>{{cite web
|title=Simon & Schuster Interactive unveils 12 new products at E3
|url=https://thefreelibrary.com/Simon+%26+Schuster+Interactive+unveils+12+new+products+at+E3-a019478242
|access-date=29 September 2017
|publisher=[[Business Wire]]
|date=5 June 1997
|archive-date=1 October 2017
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171001030909/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Simon%20%26%20Schuster%20Interactive%20unveils%2012%20new%20products%20at%20E3-a019478242
}}</ref> Release was originally slated for September 1997,{{sfn
|Webb
|2005
|p=298}} but was postponed for December 1997 in time for the U.S. Christmas season.{{sfn
|Webb
|2005
|p=305
}} However, the game was delayed again, and in January 1998 Adams said the game "should be ready by March".<ref name="LADN" />

The game was eventually released on 2 April 1998 for PC,<ref>{{cite magazine
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050502210210/http://cdmag.com/articles/011/020/starship_titanic.html
|url=https://cdmag.com:80/articles/011/020/starship_titanic.html
|title=Another Titanic to arrive this week
|last1=Ocampo
|first1=Jason
|magazine=[[Computer Games Magazine|Computer Games Strategy Plus]]
|archive-date=2 May 2005
|date=30 March 1998
|access-date=17 July 2021
}}</ref>{{sfn
|Webb
|2005
|p=306}} and had an official launch at a New York City event, at [[550 Madison Avenue]], on 20 April 1998.<ref>{{cite magazine
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050406185748/http://cdmag.com/articles/011/084/starship_titanic_launch_party.html
|url=https://cdmag.com:80/articles/011/084/starship_titanic_launch_party.html
|title=Surviving the Starship Titanic Launch Party
|last1=Altman
|first1=John
|magazine=[[Computer Games Magazine|Computer Games Strategy Plus]]
|archive-date=6 April 2005
|date=21 April 1998
|access-date=17 July 2021
}}</ref><ref name="Wired98">
{{cite magazine
|last1=Kushner
|first1=David
|title=Starship Titanic Sails into Computer Gaming|magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]
|date=16 April 1998
|access-date=29 September 2017
|url=https://wired.com/1998/04/starship-titanic-sails-into-computer-gaming
}}
</ref> Simon & Schuster made an initial April distribution of 200,000 copies to be shipped to 13 countries through seven international publishers.<ref>
{{cite news
|title=Douglas Adams' Starship Titanic Lands at Retailers in the U.S.
|publisher=[[Business Wire]]
|date=3 April 1998
}}
</ref><ref>{{cite news
|title=Digital L.A.: Humorist returns to computer games without a hitch
|url=https://thefreelibrary.com/DIGITAL+L.A.+%3A+HUMORIST+RETURNS+TO+COMPUTER+GAMES+WITHOUT+A+HITCH-a083824404
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171001031116/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/DIGITAL+L.A.+%3A+HUMORIST+RETURNS+TO+COMPUTER+GAMES+WITHOUT+A+HITCH-a083824404
|url-status=dead
|archive-date=1 October 2017
|access-date=27 September 2017
|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Daily News]]
|date=4 June 1998
}}</ref> Zablac Entertainment secured the publishing rights in the United Kingdom, while NBG EDV Handels & Verlags AG acquired the rights in German, R&P Electronic Media did so in the Netherlands and Benelux territories, and HILAD in Australia and New Zealand.<ref>
{{cite news
|title=Douglas Adams' Starship Titanic to Release in the U.S. On April 2
|publisher=[[Business Wire]]
|date=30 March 1998
}}
</ref> [[Apple, Inc.]] announced on 8 July 1998 that ''Starship Titanic'', along with many other games, would be released for Macintosh computers in the future.<ref>
{{cite news
|title=Flood of Application Software Announced for Macintosh
|agency=[[PR Newswire]]
|date=8 July 1998}}
</ref> The game was released for the Mac on 15 March 1999.<ref>
{{cite news
|title=A New Titanic Sets Sails On Macs March 15
|publisher=[[Business Wire]]
|date=3 March 1999
}}
</ref><ref>{{cite magazine
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050406183155/http://cdmag.com/articles/018/146/st_mac.html
|url=https://cdmag.com:80/articles/018/146/st_mac.html
|title=Douglas Adams Starship Titanic for the Mac ships
|last1=Fudge
|first1=James
|magazine=[[Computer Games Magazine|Computer Games Strategy Plus]]
|archive-date=6 April 2005
|date=25 March 1999
|access-date=17 July 2021
}}</ref> [[Sonopress]] developed a DVD version of the game, which was released in the UK in May 1999.<ref>
{{cite news
|title=Sonopress launches DVD-5 version of the Starship Titanic
|work=One to One
|publisher=[[UBM plc]]
|date=1 June 1999
|page=9
}}
</ref><ref>
{{cite news
|title=Sonopress launch "Starship Titanic" on DVD
|publisher=M2 Presswire
|date=26 April 1999
}}
</ref>

Sales for the game were financially disappointing.
{{sfn
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|2005
|p=306
}} Simon & Schuster marketing VP Walter Walker estimated that the game had sold over 60,000 copies by the end of April, far below the expected number of 200,000.<ref>
{{cite news
|title=Starship Titanic Hit by Price Point Iceberg, But Not Sunk Yet
|publisher=Multimedia Wire
|volume=5
|issue=170
|date=2 September 1998
}}
</ref> In the United States, it sold 41,524 copies and earned $1,841,429 by July;<ref name=pcdata1998>
{{cite magazine
|author=Staff
|title=Letters; Mys-Adventures
|date=November 1998
|issue=172
|magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]]
|page=34
}}
</ref> sales in that country rose to 150,000 copies by August 1999.<ref>
{{cite news
|title=Simon & Schuster Interactive Looks to Mob Gamers
|work=Multimedia Wire
|date=25 August 1999
}}
</ref> According to the company's creative director Jeff Siegel, a DVD version of the game "did not really sell" despite being an alternative to the three-CD original release.<ref>
{{cite news
|title=Now Showing on DVD-ROM: Not Much
|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]
|last1=Pegoraro
|first1=Rob
|date=11 August 2001
|page=E1
}}
</ref> According to Douglas Adams biographer Nick Webb, The Digital Village CEO Robbie Stamp sold the rights of ''Starship Titanic'' and all associated intellectual property to [[Thomas Hoegh]]'s Arts Alliance in September 1998.{{sfn
|Webb
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|p=307
}}

The game's Windows version was re-released for modern PCs on [[digital distribution in video games|digital download]] by [[GOG.com]] on 17 September 2015.<ref name="Verge">
{{cite web
|last1=Webster
|first1=Andrew
|title=You can finally play Douglas Adams' Starship Titanic on a modern PC
|url=https://theverge.com/2015/9/17/9345237/starship-titanic-douglas-adams-gog-release
|website=[[The Verge]]
|access-date=21 September 2017
|date=17 September 2015
}}
</ref><ref name="Escapist">{{cite magazine
|last1=Lemon
|first1=Marshall
|title=Douglas Adams' Starship Titanic Crashes into GOG
|url=https://escapistmagazine.com/news/view/142463-Douglas-Adams-Adventure-Game-Starship-Titanic-Is-On-GOG
|access-date=21 September 2017
|magazine=[[The Escapist (magazine)|The Escapist]]
|date=17 September 2015
|archive-date=1 October 2017
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171001030846/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/142463-Douglas-Adams-Adventure-Game-Starship-Titanic-Is-On-GOG
}}</ref>