Record-Setting Illinois Arcade Game Developer Talks History and Latest Project

If you’ve ever smashed buildings as George, Lizzie, or Ralph, then you’ve already played a piece of Illinois arcade history. I recently had the chance to spend a day with Brian Colin, the game creator for Rampage, at Galloping Ghost Arcade in Brookfield, IL, and let me tell you, the experience was anything but “game over.”

Galloping Ghost is already a gamer’s paradise. It’s the largest arcade in the world, with close to 1,000 machines packed wall-to-wall. But one section stands out: an entire wall dedicated to Colin’s creations: Zwackery, Rampage, Spy Hunter, Pigskin 621 A.D, and many more. Walking that row with him felt like having a "cheat code" for arcade history, plus I got to game with him!

Brian isn’t just the mind behind Rampage. His career started at Bally/Midway in the early ’80s, when he worked on Discs of Tron. Soon after, he created Rampage, a game that almost didn’t get made until a lucky management shake-up gave him the green light. It went on to set arcade earnings records and spawn countless ports (I've played on both NES and SNES), and yes, even a Hollywood movie starring The Rock (with a Brian Colin cameo tucked inside).

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What struck me most, though, wasn’t the monster-sized legacy of his games. It was Colin himself. He’s approachable, funny, and still lights up when talking about his creative process. He laughed as he described one “flop” called P'tooie Louie (never released). It's apparently a wild ride featuring a bikini-clad heroine on a giant red pterodactyl, that eats watermelon and spits the seeds as a weapon.... “Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should,” he chuckled.

Right now, Colin and his studio, Game Refuge, are working on General Chaos II: Major Snafu, a sequel to his 1993 Sega Genesis cult classic. Like any good arcade sequel, it’s taken a few detours (including his recovery from cancer and, of course, COVID delays), but he’s back at it and determined to deliver more chaos to those longtime fans.

As we wrapped up, Colin summed up why he’s stayed in the business for over four decades: “Childhood never ended: (this work) it’s never felt like a real job.” Watching him grin beside those famous arcade machines at Galloping Ghost while sharing stories has made it clear: he means it.

Check Out the Interview with Brian Colin Below:

Illinois may be known for its deep-dish pizza and Cubs baseball, but it’s also home to one of gaming’s true legends. After spending the day with Brian Colin of Game Refuge, I can say this with certainty: he’s still leveling up.