Running with Scissors, Inc.



Running With Scissors, Inc. (RWS for short) is an American computer game developer based in Arizona. Their best-known title, Postal, was publicly decried by Senator Joe Lieberman and other critics due to its extreme violence.

The company was originally founded under the name Riedel Software Productions (RSP for short) in the 1980s by Vince Desi. The company's first game was Spy vs. Spy followed by numerous games based on children's properties, including Tom & Jerry and Bobby's World for the Super Nintendo as well as numerous Sesame Street games. However, the company eventually grew tired of making licensed children's games. Changing the company name to Running With Scissors, work on Postal officially began.

In April 2003, RWS released a sequel, Postal², starring ex-child actor Gary Coleman. The game features many jokes at Senator Lieberman's expense and also features an entire class of enemy modelled upon Osama bin Laden.

Company history

 * Development of Postal begins, January 1996
 * Postal is announced, March 1997
 * Postal is previewed at the E3 Media and Business Summit in Atlanta, June 1997
 * Postal is officially released for Windows and Mac, November 1997
 * The Postal: Special Delivery add-on pack is released, August 1998
 * The Postal PLUS combo CD is released, May 2000
 * RWS announces the development of Postal², February 2002
 * RWS announces Gary Coleman as a guest star in Postal², May 2002
 * Postal² is released worldwide, April 2003
 * RWS announces Postal²: Share the Pain, a multiplayer version of Postal², September 2003
 * Postal²: Share the Pain is released in North America, Japan, and Russia, January 2004
 * Micro Mouse releases Apocalypse Weekend in Japan, July 2004
 * Akella releases Apocalypse Weekend in Russia, October 2004
 * Postal² is officially banned in New Zealand, November 2004
 * Postal²: Share the Pain is released for Mac, December 2004
 * Postal²: Apocalypse Weekend is released for Windows, May 2005
 * RWS releases Postal²: Apocalypse Weekend for Mac and Linux, September 2005
 * RWS strikes deal with German director Uwe Boll to release the Postal movies, October 2005
 * Postal 3 is officially announced, reportedly using Valve's source engine (Half-Life 2) and being co-developed by Akella in Russia, October 2006
 * The Postal 2: Fudge Pack is released, a 5 in 1 pack of Postal games: Postal; Postal²: Share the Pain; Postal²: Apocalypse Weekend; Eternal Damnation (a fan-made game); and Week in Paradise (a fan-made mod), November 2006
 * The Postal movie is released on DVD and Blu-ray on August 26 packaged with a free copy of Postal²: Share the Pain. It is available at Best Buy and Wal-Mart; this is the first time a Postal product has been on Wal-Mart shelves since Postal 1 was released and banned in 1997, August 2008.

Awards and honors

 * 2004, Interfaith Alliance top 10 most violent games list - Postal²
 * 2004, Nexus Game Magazine, Top 10 Controversial Games - Postal²
 * 2004, PC Zone (UK), Rated Future Filth - Postal²: Share the Pain
 * 2004, PC Zone (UK), 50 Most Controversial Games Ever, #5 - Postal
 * 2004, PC Zone (UK), 50 Most Controversial Games Ever, #11 - Postal²
 * 2004, Game Tiger, Top Ten Games You Can't Show Mom - Postal²
 * 2004, Computer Games Magazine, Best Performance by a politician in a Supporting Role - Gary Coleman in Postal²
 * 2003, Krawall Gaming, Best Press Releases of 2003 - RWS and Postal²
 * 2003, GameSpot, Most Embarrassing Game Nominee - Postal²
 * 2003, Game Informer, Top 10 Villains of 2003 - Gary Coleman in Postal²
 * 2003, Top 10 "Parent Alert!" Game List by MediaWise - Postal²
 * 2003, www.hry.sme.sk "We Are Games", Postal Dude rated #1 Video Game Character
 * 2003, Gamer TV (UK), Postal² rated #1 Most Outrageous Game of All time
 * 2003, STUFF magazine, Postal² rated #3 Most Controversial Games Ever
 * 2003, ICE magazine (UK), Postal² rated #1 Goriest Game of All time
 * 2003, Jolt.co.uk, Best Booth Babes at ECTS, London - Running With Scissors
 * 2003, IGN, Runner-up Best Booth - Running With Scissors
 * 2003, The ESRB rates Postal² "Intense Violence", 1st game ever
 * 2002, PC GAMER, Postal rated #2 Most Controversial Game of All Time
 * 2002, XGR, Best Off-The-Floor Showing at E3 - Postal²
 * 1998, Software Publishers Association: Excellence in Packaging - Postal
 * 1998, Academy of Interactive Sciences: Best Use of Audio Nominee - Postal
 * 1998, Academy of Interactive Sciences: Best Soundtrack Nominee - Postal
 * 1998, Capital of Nasty: Golden Testicle Award - GOPOSTAL.com website
 * 1997, E3 Best of Show: Gold Medal - Postal
 * 1997, All About Games magazine, Silver Medal, Arcade - Postal
 * 1997, Entermedia: Editor's Choice Award - Postal
 * 1997, Washington Post: Golden Fez Award - Postal
 * 1997, Game of the Month.com: Game of the Month Award - Postal
 * 1997, Game Genies: Granted Wish Award - Postal