- About the Portal
- Early Years and Development
- Hybris: The Courages One
- Battle Squadron
- Game Awards
- Creators
- Additional games
- Event/Shows/Videos
- Interview/Books
- Youtube videos
About the Portal
Torben Bakager
Multimedia Designer & Developer
I am a multimedia designer and developer specializing in interactive digital media and games. While I am the co-creator of the games featured on this site, I am also fully responsible for the design, graphics, and development of this website and all its content.
Core Competencies:
– Vector graphics and scalable design
– Multimedia and visual design (pixel art, sprites, UI)
– Interactive media and game development
– UX/UI and user-focused design
– Technical implementation and optimization
– Project management: concept to finished product
Professional Reference / CV:
This site and its projects serve as professional references for multimedia, interactive, and digital design work.
Download my full CV (PDF)
Presentations & Talks:
Retro Game Days 2023, 2024, 2025 – Panel discussions and presentations on Amiga development of Battle Squadron, Hugo the TV Troll and C64 development of Thunderforce and covering past, present, and future of game development, including AI.
Selected Game Projects:
Battle Squadron
Hugo the TV Troll
Daggerfall
Sword of Sodan
Hybris
The Vikings
Tiger Mission
Complete list of games…
“Our work is rooted in the Danish Demoscene—a culture currently recognized by UNESCO in Finland, Germany, Sweden and France. Read our [UNESCO Heritage Manifesto here].”
Industry recognition:
“The most famous game graphic artist in Denmark from the mid-80s and a decade on was involved in most of the major Danish game productions.” – play:right – Danish Game Museum
“Torben Bakager was one of the lead artist on our Hugo the TV Troll series and truly the pioneer within danish computer art”.
Head of Graphic Design and Animation ITE A/S – Niels Krogh Mortensen
Early Years and Development
The Cope-Com Games Portal documents and preserves Denmark’s retro game heritage while supporting learning, creativity, and research in digital culture. Built around the legacy of Cope-Com (founded in 1987), the platform presents restored game materials, developer insights, and educational experiments that connect past and present technologies.
Here, we celebrate the golden age of the C64 and Amiga, offering free, legal downloads of iconic Danish games such as Hybris, Battle Squadron, Thunderforce, The Vikings, Tiger Mission, and more. The portal serves as both a digital preservation archive and a learning platform, allowing fans, students, and newcomers to explore the vibrant gameplay, colorful graphics, and memorable music that defined an era of creative innovation. This era was driven by the Demoscene, a digital culture recently recognized as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in Finland, Germany, France and Sweden and this portal remains dedicated to honoring that living tradition.
Cope-Com (short for Copenhagen Computers) remains an independent studio, retaining full creative control while continuing to explore retro gaming, historical documentation, and innovative learning projects — such as the C64 AI Project, where enthusiasts can experiment, develop, and learn using classic hardware and emulated environments.
Martin B. Pedersen began his journey into game development in 1982 on a ZX81 (an upgraded ZX80), later moving on to the ZX Spectrum and eventually the Amstrad. In 1985, he created The Vikings for a Danish publisher. At the same time, Torben Bakager worked on the graphics for the Commodore 64 version of the same title, while also developing the vertical shooter Tiger Mission. Their shared interest in game design and technology sparked a collaboration that would soon define a new era of Danish Amiga development.
Feeling constrained by the technical limits of the Commodore 64 and Amstrad platforms, Martin and Torben turned their attention to the Amiga in late 1985. The system’s advanced architecture — with superior processors, higher screen resolution, a richer color palette, and 8-bit sampled sound — offered creative possibilities far beyond what had previously been possible.
Inspired by these new capabilities, they began developing their first Amiga title: the shoot-’em-up Hybris, produced in collaboration with the American publisher Discovery Software, based in Annapolis, Maryland.
The office building on Conduit Street, Annapolis — home to Discovery Software, where the collaboration on Hybris took shape through long days and nights of Amiga development.
Hybris: The Courages One
Released worldwide in 1988, Hybris quickly became a landmark success on the Amiga. Torben Bakager and Martin B. Pedersen were among the first developers to exploit a hardware discrepancy in the Amiga, enabling the game to display more than the standard limit of eight sprites per scanline. This innovative sprite technique influenced numerous other renowned Amiga developers, who adopted similar methods in their own games.
Hybris received multiple Amiga awards and was widely praised for its technical sophistication, engaging gameplay, exceptional music and sound design, and sharp, vibrant graphics. The game remains a notable example of early Amiga programming ingenuity and creative excellence.
Battle Squadron
Following the success of Hybris, Martin and Torben developed Battle Squadron, a vertical shoot-’em-up for the Amiga designed to support two players simultaneously. The game not only pushed the technical limits of the Amiga but also became a milestone in Danish game development history.
Battle Squadron is a key part of the Cope-Com Games Portal’s preservation and learning mission. By documenting its development, gameplay innovations, and reception, the portal provides insights into Amiga-era programming, cooperative gameplay design, and hardware-driven creative techniques.
After Discovery Software ceased operations in 1989, Innerprise Software, co-founded by Torben Bakager, acquired the company’s assets and continued development of Battle Squadron. The game received a landmark 109% rating in Amiga Computing, demonstrating both the technical excellence and creative vision of the developers.
Innerprise Software was based on Cockeysville Road, Hunt Valley, Maryland, a hub for technology companies at the time. By including this historical context, the portal highlights the global connections and collaborative environment that shaped Danish game development.
Battle Squadron was adapted by Cope-Com for the popular Sega Mega Drive/Genesis console and published by Electronic Arts (EA) in 1990. The conversion featured enhanced parallax scrolling, and the original Amiga music and sound were skillfully re-arranged for the console by the renowned Commodore 64 composer Rob Hubbard, preserving the game’s iconic audio experience across platforms.
In 2011, Battle Squadron was released for Apple iOS devices, including iPod, iPhone, and iPad, later updated to feature the world’s first 2-player split-screen shoot-’em-up. Retro gamers could once again enjoy the classic Amiga experience on modern devices, and the game quickly achieved top ratings on the App Store.
In 2012, the highly acclaimed Amiga version of Battle Squadron was released for Android devices. Retro gamers could once again enjoy the classic gameplay on modern devices, and the game received an impressive 5-star rating.
Battle Squadron was also made available, for a limited time, on PC Windows, MacOS, and AOS4, allowing fans and retro gaming enthusiasts to experience the classic title across multiple platforms.
Game Awards
A memorable experience at Bethesda Softworks in Rockville, Maryland.
Here’s my very first car — thanks to the generosity of Professor Christopher Weaver, founder of Bethesda Softworks. Truly unforgettable!
Creators
Torben Bakager
Co-founder Innerprise Software and Cope-Com
3D/2D CGI engineer. Technical director
Innovator
Contributing game titles:
– The Vikings (Commodore 64, Amstrad)
– Tiger Mission (Commodore 64)
– M.A.C.H. (Commodore 64)
– Thunder Force (Commodore 64)
– ZOOM! (Commodore 64/128, Amiga, DOS, CGA, EGA, Tandy)
– V.I.P. Virus Infection Protection. The first virus protection program on the Amiga.
– Hybris (Commodore Amiga)
– Sword of Sodan (Commodore Amiga, Apple IIgs(Only Demo), Macintosh, Sega Mega Drive)
– Battle Squadron (Commodore Amiga, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Apple iOS, Android, PC, Mac, AOS4 and MorphOS)
– Hugo the TV Troll Series (Commodore Amiga, PC Windows, Playstation, iOS, TV platform)
– Hugo Classic 1+2 (PC Windows)
– Hugo 2 (Playstation)
– Daggerfall (PC Windows)
– Double Clutch (Sega Mega Drive/Genesis)
– Complete list of games…
“The most famous game graphic artist in Denmark from the mid-80s and a decade on was involved in most of the major Danish game productions.” – play:right – Danish Game Museum
“Torben Bakager was one of the lead artist on our Hugo the TV Troll series and truly the pioneer within danish computer art”.
Head of Graphic Design and Animation ITE A/S – Niels Krogh Mortensen
Martin Pedersen
Co-founder
Holds a Ph.D. in Biotechnology.
Software engineer
Innovator
Contributing game titles:
– The Vikings (Amstrad)
– Hybris (Commodore Amiga)
– Battle Squadron (Commodore Amiga, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Apple iOS, Android)
– Hugo the TV Troll (Commodore Amiga, TV platform)
Additional games
Event/Shows/Videos
Retro game days 2023 (Vejle bibliotekerne)
Royal Danish National Library
In September 2009, The Vikings, Tiger Mission, Battle Squadron, Hybris, Sword of Sodan and many other iconic games were exhibited at the Royal Danish National Library as part of Denmark’s digital cultural heritage.
Interview/Books
68000: The Flame Wars (Atari/Amiga)
Available at microzeit.com
COMMODORE AMIGA: A VISUAL COMPENDIUM
Available at bitmap books
Pix’n love #26 Goldeneye
Youtube Videos
Apple iOS / Android
Commodore Amiga
PC Windows
Commodore 64
Additional credits:
Peter Uhd Jepsen
Eric Beran
Daniel Müßener
Ron Klaren
Paul Van Der Valk
Yvo Zoer
Søren Grønbech
Thomas Zelikman
Johannes Bjerregaard
Andy Hook
Thomas Jakobsen
Viet Ngyuen
Copyright legal notice.
Hybris ONE © 2015
Battle Squadron ONE © 2010 – 2017
Battle Squadron 2 © 1989 – 1990
Battle Squadron © 1988 – 1989
Hybris © 1987 – 1988
Cope-Com ® 2024. All rights reserved.
Copying and/or distributing the intellectual property of Cope-Com is illegal. It is strictly prohibited by domestic and international intellectual property laws.
Further information please use: mrcopecom@gmail.com
