Ambrosia Software was a long-time developer and publisher of Mac (and, eventually, Windows) productivity and entertainment shareware. It was founded in 1993 in Rochester, New York, by programmer Andrew Welch. Ambrosia gained prominence in the 1990s for high-quality Mac shareware games, such as Maelstrom (developed by Welch), Apeiron, and the Escape Velocity series. Over time the company is widened its focus to include both utility software as well as iPhone and iPad games.
In spring 2013 Ambrosia laid off the majority of its employees and was assumed to be shutting down. President of the company Andrew Welch later clarified that application sales and support would continue despite the layoffs. Over the next few years the company released sporadic updates for its products before going completely silent in 2016. As of January 2019 the Ambrosia Software website is down and the company seems to be gone for good.
Ambrosia's mascot and office pet was Hector, a Norwegian Blue parrot. Hector is referenced in several games, including Avara, which features 3-D mechs called H.E.C.T.O.R.s, and the aforementioned Escape Velocity, where the invincible Captain Hector will periodically blow you out of the sky if you're overdue on paying your shareware license. Since Ambrosia’s layoffs Hector has come to reside in the offices of Apple-centric website The Mac Observer.
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