Ghost developer

Despite the Capcom branding, the NES port was developed by Micronics.

A ghost developer is a software developer hired to write software anonymously for a publisher or other developer. The agreement to remain anonymous is typically made so that the publisher can take all the credit for the software and keep their brand popular. Ghost developers have been a common occurrence throughout the history of software development, especially in video game development and the porting of software to alternate platforms. Some companies like Tose exist solely to be ghost developers and prefer not to be credited in the games they develop. Other companies, like Rare and Westwood Studios, would take on ghost development projects to keep their studio busy in between larger projects. Several publishers, like LJN, used ghost developers exclusively and did not have their own in-house development studios.

The term "ghost developer" is based on the term "ghost writer," a similar process where an author writes a book, but someone else takes credit for it.

Examples

• Beam Software
• General Computer Corporation
• Hyde
• Micronics
• Rare
• Sanritsu Denki
• Sculptured Software
• Software Creations
• Tose
• Westwood Studios

Links