Linux Game Publishing
A British software company that ported, published, and distributed commercial video games for Linux.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Linux Game Publishing, commonly abbreviated as LGP, was a British software company based in Nottingham that specialized in bringing commercial video games to Linux. It operated as both a technology and publishing business: it worked with developers and specialist porting teams to create Linux versions of games, negotiated publishing and distribution rights, sold boxed and downloadable releases, and maintained supporting infrastructure for Linux players. Michael Simms founded the company on 5 September 2001, shortly after Loki Software, one of the best-known early Linux game porting companies, entered bankruptcy. Simms had previously founded Tux Games, an online retailer focused on Linux games, and the collapse of Loki threatened the availability of Linux titles and related inventory. LGP attempted to obtain support rights for a number of Loki products, ultimately acquiring rights to MindRover: The Europa Project while separately securing publishing rights for Creatures: Internet Edition and the Linux port of Majesty: Gold Edition. The arrival of former Loki employee Mike Phillips helped the new company begin releasing products, with its first title appearing in December 2001. During the 2000s, LGP developed a network of relationships with independent developers, publishers, and porting specialists. Partners and collaborators included Pyrogon, Ryan C. Gordon, Hyperion Entertainment, Runesoft Entertainment, Eon Games, IGIOS, Frozenbyte, and Running with Scissors. Its catalogue included strategy, action, puzzle, simulation, and role-playing games such as Candy Cruncher, Gorky 17, Knights and Merchants: The Shattered Kingdom, Cold War, Soul Ride, X2: The Threat, X3: Reunion, Shadowgrounds, and Shadowgrounds Survivor. Some projects were delayed for years or never released, including Disciples II: Dark Prophecy and Bandits: Phoenix Rising, illustrating the technical and commercial difficulties of maintaining Linux ports with limited resources. LGP also invested in infrastructure and open-source technology. In 2006 it sponsored Grapple, a GNU LGPL-licensed networking library intended to make multiplayer functionality easier to add to games. The company contributed patches to OpenPlay and worked with technologies including SDL and OpenAL. In December 2008 it launched PenguinPlay, a matchmaking and social networking service for Linux gamers, and later experimented with digital downloads, rentals, and distribution through services such as Desura, Gameolith, and the Ubuntu Software Center. The company introduced a proprietary license and copy-protection system for some releases. Its approach used account credentials and license keys but did not require persistent Internet access, disc insertion, or a fixed activation limit. LGP also supported replacement disc images and license transfers under specified conditions. In 2009 it discontinued support for PowerPC versions of its games because demand was described as extremely low. A major server and hard-drive failure in late 2010 disrupted LGP and related online services for several months. On 31 January 2012, Michael Simms announced that he was stepping down as chief executive and that control would pass to Clive Crous. The company is recorded as having been dissolved on 3 May 2011, although its web presence, distribution arrangements, archival activity, and customer communications extended into subsequent years in the available historical record. The website was restored for archival purposes in 2020.
History
Linux Game Publishing was founded in Nottingham on 5 September 2001 by Michael Simms, who had already established the Linux-focused retailer Tux Games. Its creation followed Loki Software's bankruptcy, which left a gap in Linux game porting and distribution. LGP initially tried to secure support rights for Loki's catalogue and obtained rights to MindRover: The Europa Project. It also acquired publishing rights for Creatures: Internet Edition and the Linux edition of Majesty: Gold Edition. Former Loki employee Mike Phillips joined the company, and LGP released its first title on 21 December 2001. The company built its catalogue through a mixture of internal coordination, external porting contracts, and publishing agreements. Pyrogon became an early partner after LGP showed interest in distributing physical Linux editions of its games. Ryan C. Gordon worked on Linux ports including Candy Cruncher and later contributed to the Linux version of Postal 2. LGP also worked with Hyperion Entertainment, Eon Games, Epic Interactive, and the latter's successor Runesoft Entertainment. These relationships brought games such as Gorky 17, NingPo MahJong, Hyperspace Delivery Boy!, Knights and Merchants: The Shattered Kingdom, Software Tycoon, and Cold War into the Linux commercial market. LGP's catalogue grew, but development was often constrained by the small size of the Linux market and the technical complexity of maintaining ports across distributions, processor architectures, graphics systems, and middleware. Disciples II: Dark Prophecy became an especially prolonged project and was described internally as a title that repeatedly resisted completion. Bandits: Phoenix Rising was also delayed, while a proposed Northland publishing arrangement was canceled in 2005 because of unresolved technical problems with the port. Other planned or incomplete projects included a Linux client for World of Warcraft, versions of Ballistics and Soul Ride for additional processor architectures, and a port of Tzar that the company rejected after internal and community concerns. The company also pursued technology projects. In 2006, Michael Simms created Grapple, a free-software networking library released under the GNU LGPL. It supported TCP/IP and UDP/IP connections, message queues, server management, relaying, and game-lobby functionality, with the goal of simplifying the addition of multiplayer features. LGP contributed patches to OpenPlay and worked with open-source technologies such as SDL and OpenAL. PenguinPlay, launched in December 2008, used related concepts to provide matchmaking and social networking for Linux players. In December 2008 LGP released X3: Reunion and a Special Edition. These were among the first LGP products to use the company's copy-protection system and a GTK2-based installer with XDG menu support. The protection system combined a license key with an LGP account but did not require a permanent Internet connection or a disc in the drive. In 2009 LGP expanded into downloadable games and rentals, while also abandoning PowerPC support because sales demand was extremely limited. Shadowgrounds and Shadowgrounds Survivor were released in September 2009 after a long porting process involving IGIOS and Frozenbyte; Survivor was notable as a commercial Linux game using Nvidia PhysX middleware. The business suffered a major infrastructure failure in late September 2010 when a hard-drive problem took down its servers and related websites, including Tux Games and The Linux Game Tome. Recovery proceeded slowly, with partial service returning on 23 November and full recovery on 8 December. On 31 January 2012, Simms announced that he was stepping down as chief executive after more than ten years and that Clive Crous would take control. LGP later distributed games through Desura, Gameolith, and the Ubuntu Software Center, but shut down PenguinPlay in 2012 and progressively reduced reseller and support infrastructure. Its recorded corporate dissolution date is 3 May 2011, although related commercial, web, and archival activity appears in records from later years. The website was restored for archival purposes in 2020.
- 2020
Website restored for archival purposes
[1]The LGP website was brought back as an archive.
- 2012
Leadership transition
[1]Michael Simms announced that he was stepping down as chief executive and that Clive Crous would take control.
- 2011
Company dissolved
[1]Linux Game Publishing is recorded as having been dissolved on 3 May.
- 2010
Online infrastructure restored after hardware failure
[1]A major server failure disrupted company services for months before restoration was completed in December.
- 2009
PowerPC support ends
[1]The company dropped support for PowerPC game versions because of very low demand.
- 2008
PenguinPlay launches
[1]LGP launched a matchmaking and social-networking website for Linux gamers.
- 2008
New installer and copy protection
[1]X3: Reunion releases introduced LGP's newer GTK2 installer and license-based copy-protection technology.
- 2006
Grapple is created
[1]LGP sponsored and developed Grapple, a free-software multiplayer networking library.
- 2002
Pyrogon publishing partnership
[1]LGP and Pyrogon announced a partnership to publish Pyrogon's Linux titles on physical CDs.
- 2001
Company founded
[1]Michael Simms founded Linux Game Publishing in Nottingham on 5 September, following Loki Software's bankruptcy.
Products and positioning
A specialist Linux game publisher and porting partner serving a technically focused niche that was underserved by mainstream game distribution.
Video games · 2001
Linux game ports and published releases
LGP's principal offering was a catalogue of commercial games adapted for Linux and distributed through boxed retail products, downloads, and later third-party digital storefronts. The catalogue covered multiple genres, including strategy, action, simulation, puzzle, and role-playing games. Representative titles included MindRover: The Europa Project, Majesty: Gold Edition, Candy Cruncher, Gorky 17, Knights and Merchants: The Shattered Kingdom, Cold War, Soul Ride, X2: The Threat, X3: Reunion, Shadowgrounds, and Shadowgrounds Survivor.
Open-source networking software · 2006
Grapple
Grapple was a free-software library created by Michael Simms and sponsored by LGP for adding multiplayer functionality to games and applications. Released under the GNU LGPL, it supported TCP/IP and UDP/IP networking, server connections, message queues, client-to-client relaying, and lobby features. Its design aimed to reduce the amount of code needed to add network play to a game.
Game matchmaking service · 2008
PenguinPlay
PenguinPlay was an online service launched by LGP for Linux gamers. It combined multiplayer matchmaking with social-networking features and provided lobby support for selected LGP games, including Ballistics, Candy Cruncher, Jets'n'Guns, Knights and Merchants: The Shattered Kingdom, Majesty: Gold Edition, and Sacred: Gold Edition.
Digital rights management · 2008
LGP copy-protection and licensing system
For a subset of its games, LGP used an account-and-license-key system that asked customers to enter an LGP username, password, and product key on first launch. The system was designed to work without a continuous Internet connection, did not require the original disc to remain in the drive, and allowed installations on multiple systems without a stated activation cap. It also supported license recovery, replacement disc images, and transfers under the company's terms.
Brand decisions
2012
Chief executive transitionOtherBackground
Michael Simms said that maintaining a high-energy pace for more than a decade had become unsustainable.
Action taken
On 31 January, Simms announced that he was stepping down and handed control to Clive Crous.
Aftermath
LGP continued to appear in digital distribution and reseller channels in the following period, but its infrastructure and commercial footprint later contracted.
2012
Egosoft license agreement expiresOtherBackground
LGP's license agreement covering X2 and X3, including the Special Edition, expired.
Action taken
The company stopped offering the affected titles to new customers.
Aftermath
Existing licensing and distribution availability became subject to the expired agreement's limitations.
2009
PowerPC versions discontinuedStrategyBackground
LGP reported that demand for PowerPC versions of its games was almost nonexistent.
Action taken
The company ended support for PowerPC releases, including versions of Candy Cruncher, Gorky 17, Majesty Gold, NingPo MahJong, and Soul Ride.
Aftermath
LGP concentrated its limited porting and support resources on more commercially viable architectures.
2005
Northland publishing contract canceledOtherBackground
LGP had planned to publish the Linux port of Northland, while Runesoft was responsible for porting work. Technical problems prevented LGP from accepting the project to its satisfaction.
Action taken
LGP canceled its publishing contract on 30 August 2005.
Aftermath
Runesoft later released Northland for Linux, although multiplayer support remained unavailable.
Recent events
- 2012
Michael Simms steps down as chief executive[1]
Leadership change
After more than a decade with the company, Simms announced his departure from the chief executive role and transferred control to Clive Crous.
- 2012
LGP games become available through additional digital stores[1]
Other
The company began selling titles through Desura, Gameolith, and the Ubuntu Software Center.
- 2012
X2 and X3 licenses expire[1]
Other
LGP told customers that its license agreement with Egosoft had expired and that the affected titles could no longer be sold to new customers.
- 2010
Server failure disrupts LGP online infrastructure[1]
Other
A major hard-drive failure took down LGP's online infrastructure and associated services; partial restoration began in November and full recovery followed in December.
- 2009
LGP adds downloadable games and rentals[1]
Other
LGP expanded beyond boxed products by offering game downloads and rentals.
- 2009
PowerPC game support is discontinued[1]
Other
LGP ended support for PowerPC versions because demand for that platform was considered negligible.
- 2008
Frozenbyte partners with IGIOS for Shadowgrounds ports[1]
M&A · Product launch
Frozenbyte announced a partnership to port Shadowgrounds and Shadowgrounds Survivor to Linux; LGP later published both releases.
- 2008
LGP releases X3: Reunion and launches PenguinPlay[1]
Product launch
The company released X3: Reunion editions using its newer installer and copy-protection system, and introduced PenguinPlay for matchmaking and social features.
- 2005
Linux version of Postal 2 ships[1]
Product launch
LGP initially handled publishing for the Linux port of Running with Scissors' Postal 2.
- 2005
LGP opens beta testing for X2: The Threat[1]
Product launch
The company announced beta testing for its Linux version of the space simulation game X2: The Threat.
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