Riedel Software Productions was founded in Garden City, New York by American game designer, programmer, and artist Michael J. Riedel in 1986. He started working as a one man team on a project-to-project basis, receiving international recognition for the design and development of the game Spy vs. Spy. During this time, Riedel received assistance from Desi Network Inc., a consulting agency established by game producer Vince Desi (founder of Running with Scissors) which served as Riedel's agent and consultant supplier.

In November 1991, Mike Riedel and Vince Desi relocated to Tucson, Arizona and formally established Riedel Software Productions as a proper video game development company. This led to the creation of several hit games based on major licenses from companies like The Walt Disney Company and Paramount, among others.