Michael Knox (software businessman)
Michael Anthony Knox (February 1, 1961 – September 15, 2009) was an American software businessman and expert. Knox was a co-founder of Park Place Productions with Troy Lyndon in 1989, which produced such classic video games as John Madden Football and Muhammad Ali Heavyweight Boxing.[1]
Knox first became interested in the software gaming industry while he was living in Tracy, California, with his family. A woman, who lived in the area, introduced Knox to the fledgling video game industry.[1] Knox and his older brother, Richard Knox Jr., later enlisted in the United States Navy, where he worked as an engineer and computer programmer.[1] He later worked for Gamestar and Pacific Dataworks International as he met Troy Lyndon.[2]
In 1989, Knox founded Park Place Productions with Troy Lyndon. At the time, Park Place Productions was one of the largest independent software development companies in North America.[1] With Knox as a producer, the company developed approximately 70 video game titles, including John Madden Football, which has been called "the most successful sports game of all time." [1] Other notable productions included Batman Returns, Monday Night Football and Muhammad Ali Heavyweight Boxing.[1] At Park Place, the company launched its own label, Spirit of Discovery for edutainment and PC titles.[3] The company eventually went into trouble, and shuttered soon.[4]
Knox and Lyndon received the Inc. Magazine's "Entrepreneur of the Year" award by Ernst & Young and Merrill Lynch for the software industry category for the Greater San Diego Country region in 1993.[1] In 1994, Spirit of Discovery became its own independent entity.[3] In the 2000s, he was on the board of directors for Left Behind Games.[5]
Michael Knox died on September 15, 2009, of colon cancer in Kaneohe, Hawaii, at the age of 48.[1] He is survived by his parents, Vickie Lenore Knox and Richard James Knox Sr., son Aaron Michael Knox, daughter Tyra Renee Knox, sisters Kanani L.Y. Fung and Kahle Miller, and two grandchildren.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Bernardo, Rosemarie (September 26, 2009). "Software expert produced 'Madden' football video game". Honolulu Star Bulletin. Retrieved October 15, 2009.
- ↑ "Blog:8 - GDRI :: Game Developer Research Institute". gdri.smspower.org. Retrieved June 18, 2026.
- 1 2 "Spirit of Discovery". 2002. Archived from the original on February 2, 2002. Retrieved June 18, 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ↑ "Park Place Isn't Bankrupt, but Payroll's Empty". The San Diego Union-Tribune. January 4, 1994.
- ↑ Jenkins, David (April 30, 2007). "Left Behind Games Begins Executive Purge". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved June 18, 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)