Slash Corporation

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Slash Corporation

Slash Corporation

Established:	1990
Headquarters:	Edina, Minnesota
Founder(s):	Charles F.Bond
Status:	Acquired (1995)
Parent:	GT Interactive Software
Website:

Company Info

MobyGames wrote:

Slash Corporation was an independent software distributor and publisher specializing in second-run republications at budget prices. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, it was founded in 1990 and its President was Charles F. Bond.

Slash was purchased by GT Interactive as part of their Value Products Division in June 1995, and Charles "Chuck" Bond became that division's President.

Slash Corporation specialized in budget re-releases of several Sierra On-Line games. After the company was bought by GT Interactive Software Corporation it become GT's budget division. The company was merged, a year later, with another GT Interactive Software division, Wizardworks Software, also based in Minneapolis.

Collecting Sierra Games and Slash

Slash has been a bane for Sierra Collectors, with their cheaper releases sold as original Sierra releases. There are a number of things to look for to determine if a release is a Sierra release or a cheaper Slash release. These include how the shrink wrap was sealed, a printed vs. pasted systems requirement label or a "Value Priced Merchandise" sticker on the front of the package. Differences in contents can also give a clue, like registration cards not from Sierra or a flyer stating there is no support for value priced merchandise. Cheap black and white photocopied manuals on cheap pulp paper can be included instead of the normal high quality color manual or a digital copy on CD releases. Diskette labels may be simple black and white labels without any backgrounds. Contents of slash releases were usually placed in a large white envelope.

Note that not all Slash releases the cheaper contents. Sometimes Slash would get leftover stock from Sierra that could include documentation and/or media.

Slash Releases Demystified

An article on the old vintage-sierra.net had an article on the differences.

vintage-sierra.net wrote:

What is a Slash Release you ask? A Slash Release is a "discount" packaged version of a game that was released by a company in Minneapolis called Slash. Somehow Slash got the rights to distribute many of the old Sierra, LucasArts, Infocom, etc games in the late 1990s. The releases are not original, everything was made from second-rate materials (sometimes even photocopies) packaged up and sold at dollar stores, Walmarts, and various grocery stores.

These games have been a plague of new and old collectors everywhere! The main problem with these releases is they are often sold on eBay and various on-line stores "shrink wrapped." This of course causes their prices to go well beyond what they are worth. Through this article I hope to point out tell-tale signs of Slash releases so that while you are out there hunting you don't fall into this trap.

First, lets talk about shrink wrap. Keep in mind this discussion pertains to all AGI, SCI0 and SCI1 games by Sierra. Games produced prior to 1985 aren't likely to have Slash releases.

True Factory-sealed Sierra games looks like these:

Notice how the wrap is placed kind of like how a present is wrapped. Not what you get with a normal everyday shrink-wrapper.

Since you may not be dealing with new items all the time I would like to discuss how to spot a Slash by looking at the box. The best way to do this is too look at the label in the lower left hand corner. Below is a picture of some AUTHENTIC Sierra release labels:

 

And now for a Slash release:

So lets talk about these. First the Sierra labels are always stickers, while the Slash labels are just printed on the cardboard. Slash labels are almost always black lettering on a white background, while Sierra labels usually are blue or gray or both! Occasionally, with the SCI1 releases (thicker box), the Slash releases won't even have a specifications label so you will want to look carefully when purchasing these games. Note that, sometimes with this style of box Sierra put the labels on the side of the slip case, so if you don't see a sticker on the front be sure to check the side before labeling it a Slash.

One other thing to look for is a "Value Priced" sticker:

These are also Slash releases (notice the Minneapolis area code for support) but they are a little better quality.

By the time you get to the inner box you probably will have figured out whether or not you have a Slash release, but I figured I would talk a little about them anyway. The inner box of a Slash release is usually just one piece and all white. Here is an example:

In contrast we have an original Sierra release two-piece box with a mountain logo:

The thicker original Sierra release two-piece box (all white) usually for SCI1 games:

Once again not a whole lot to discuss here. The differences are fairly obvious, note that some of the original Sierra SCI0 releases have plain white (thin) two-piece boxes. So if you don't see a Mountain Logo don't fret :)

Finally, we have the contents...The contents of Slash releases are usually enclosed in a white envelope.

Inside the envelope you will find a photocopied manual (sometimes you just get the copy protection pages), photocopied reference cards and cheap disks with cheap labels:

 

The paper used for the photocopies is the cheapest you can find and usually doesn't hold up well at all. The disks with these releases are notorious for "bad sector" errors and are usually only good for one or two installs.

I hope this article has helped you get a better picture of what exactly a Slash game is and how to spot them. When I started collecting via eBay I remember one of my first purchases was a shrink wrapped King's Quest II. The bidding was fierce and it came down to the final seconds, I paid the seller immediately because I couldn't wait to get this treasure! Three or four days later the box came and I unpacked the game, I felt privileged to have a 10 year old game perfectly preserved! As I examined it I noticed it wasn't quite like the other games I had...the inner box was a different color and I immediately noticed the difference in the specification label. At the time I really didn't know what to think because I had never heard of a Slash release. So after an hour or so of debate, I decided to open it! You can imagine my disappointment when I went through the contents of the box. I couldn't believe it...I had paid $100 for some photocopies and a junk disk! I immediately checked with one of my friends to try and make some sense out what had just happened and then I was told about the evil that is Slash.

So remember that while you are out there hunting and before you shell out mega-bucks for a minty fresh shrink wrapped game...make absolutely sure it is original! Otherwise nothing but disappointment and feelings of betrayal will be in your future. End of line...

Engines Used

• N/A

Games

Releases developed or published by Slash Corporation

Title	Released	Genre	Platform
TitleName	YEAR	GENRE	PLATFORM

References

See also:

• Slash Corporation Published Releases
• Search for Slash Corporation On Wikipedia
• Slash Corporation on MobyGames
• Slash Corporation on IMDb