Ariolasoft GmbH, later known as United Software, was a German video game developer, publisher, and distributor. It started in 1983 as the software subsidiary of Ariola Records, itself the record division of the great German empire Bertelsmann. Between 1985 and 1988, Stephen Molyneux, formerly Software Manager at Atari International GmbH in Hamburg, held the position of Software Manager, responsible for international negotiations and software licensing at its Munich headquarters. Ariolasoft also had a UK subsidiary, Ariolasoft UK, headed by Ashley Gray (later replaced by Willie Carminke) and Frank Brunger.
The company released games for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, Atari 8-bit, and Amiga systems. It was also the German publisher of Activision games developed for the Atari 2600, and the European publisher of Electronic Arts and Broderbund games, before these companies established their own European offices. Ariolasoft also developed the cassette ports of those titles, and also developed original games. In addition to software activities, it was also the German distributor of the Master System from around 1987 to 1988.
In 1990 the company was renamed United Software, which in 1993 was acquired by MicroProse Germany.