Addictive Games was a UK

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

publisher in the 1980s and early 1990s. It is best known for the ''

Football Manager ''Football Manager'', also known as ''Worldwide Soccer Manager'' in North America from 2004 to 2008, is a series of football management simulation video games developed by British developer Sports Interactive and published by Sega. The game beg ...

'' series of games created by company founder

Kevin Toms Kevin Toms (born 22, April 1957 in Paignton is a British video game designer who founded Addictive Games and created the original ''Football Manager'', a simulation game released in the early 1980s. It included a portrait of his bearded face on ...

. The company was originally based in

Milton Keynes Milton Keynes ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of Milton Keynes urban area, its urban area was 264,349. The River Great Ouse forms t ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, and later relocated to

Bournemouth Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...

, in southern England.

History

The company was set up by Kevin Toms in 1982 in order to launch the ''

'' game he had written for the

TRS-80 The TRS-80 Micro Computer System (TRS-80, later renamed the Model I to distinguish it from successors) is a desktop microcomputer developed by American company Tandy Corporation and sold through their Radio Shack stores. Launched in 1977, it is ...

and

ZX81 The ZX81 is a home computer that was produced by Sinclair Research and manufactured in Dundee, Scotland, by Timex Corporation. It was launched in the United Kingdom in March 1981 as the successor to Sinclair's ZX80 and designed to be a low-c ...

computers. Initially, this was just by mail order from advertisements placed in computer magazines. In September 1982, Addictive Games launched the

ZX Spectrum The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer developed and marketed by Sinclair Research. One of the most influential computers ever made and one of the all-time bestselling British computers, over five million units were sold. ...

version of ''Football Manager'', with added match action graphics. The addition of the graphics actions was very popular, and the game went on to be a number one best seller, with the games being stocked in major retailers. The success of Football Manager allowed Toms to move the company to commercial premises in Richmond Hill in the centre of

. In 1984 the game was ported to the

BBC Micro The BBC Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, is a family of microcomputers developed and manufactured by Acorn Computers in the early 1980s as part of the BBC's Computer Literacy Project. Launched in December 1981, it was showcased across severa ...

and

Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in ...

. By 1987, ''Football Manager'' had been ported to 16 different platforms. In 1984, Addictive used the short-lived ''Silicon Joy'' label for games by other authors, 'specially selected' by Kevin Toms, but in 1985, after Toms launched his next game '' Software Star'', Addictive also began publishing games by other authors including ''

Boffin Boffin is a British slang term for a scientist, engineer, or other person engaged in technical or scientific research and development. A "boffin" was viewed by some in the regular military or government services as odd, quirky or peculiar, th ...

'' by Paul Julian O'Malley and '' Kirel'' by Siegfried Kurtz. '' Headcoach'', an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

sports strategy game written by Simon Davies was released in the summer of 1986 and reached No. 3 in the

W H Smith WH Smith plc, trading as WHSmith (also written WH Smith and formerly as W. H. Smith & Son), is a British retailer, with headquarters in Swindon, England, which operates a chain of railway station, airport, port, hospital and motorway service st ...

UK sales charts.ZX Computing, November 1986; p5.
/ref> Toms went on to write the political strategy game ''

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

'' released in 1987. The company was bought by

Prism Leisure Corporation Prism Leisure Corporation Plc was a distribution and publishing company that primarily focused on reissues and compilations, often at low prices. The company was located in Enfield Town, Enfield, Middlesex, United Kingdom until it was placed int ...

in 1987. Prism used the Addictive name for full price game releases (including '' HotShot'' in 1988, '' The Kristal'' in 1989 and the later ''Football Manager'' games), as well as selling older Addictive games (particularly ''Football Manager'') in their budget ranges and in compilations.

Releases

Addictive Games

*''

'', 1982 (

C64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in the Guinness Wor ...

Oric Oric may refer to: * Oric (computer), a series of home computers made in the UK in the 1980s * Oric Products International, the parent company that made the Oric computer * oriC, the origin of chromosomal replication in bacteria * ORIC, the Off ...

Amstrad CPC The Amstrad CPC (short for "Colour Personal Computer") is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the ZX Spec ...

Electron The electron (, or in nuclear reactions) is a subatomic particle with a negative one elementary charge, elementary electric charge. It is a fundamental particle that comprises the ordinary matter that makes up the universe, along with up qua ...

Dragon A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...

VIC-20 The VIC-20 (known as the VC-20 in Germany and the VIC-1001 in Japan) is an 8-bit entry level home computer that was sold by Commodore International, Commodore Business Machines. The VIC-20 was announced in 1980, roughly three years after Commod ...

Atari 8-bit computers The Atari 8-bit computers, formally launched as the Atari Home Computer System, are a series of home computers introduced by Atari, Inc., in 1979 with the Atari 400 and Atari 800. The architecture is designed around the 8-bit MOS Technology 650 ...

, C16,

Plus/4 The Commodore Plus/4 is a home computer released by Commodore International in 1984. It was part of the Commodore 264 series, which also included the Commodore 16 and Commodore 116 models. The Plus/4 was marketed as "the productivity computer wit ...

MSX MSX is a standardized home computer architecture, announced by ASCII Corporation on June 16, 1983. It was initially conceived by Microsoft as a product for the Eastern sector, and jointly marketed by Kazuhiko Nishi, the director at ASCII Corpo ...

Amiga Amiga is a family of personal computers produced by Commodore International, Commodore from 1985 until the company's bankruptcy in 1994, with production by others afterward. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16-b ...

Atari ST Atari ST is a line of personal computers from Atari Corporation and the successor to the company's Atari 8-bit computers, 8-bit computers. The initial model, the Atari 520ST, had limited release in April–June 1985, and was widely available i ...

IBM compatible An IBM PC compatible is any personal computer that is hardware- and software-compatible with the IBM Personal Computer (IBM PC) and its subsequent models. Like the original IBM PC, an IBM PC–compatible computer uses an x86-based central pro ...

s) *'' Software Star'', 1985 (ZX Spectrum, C64, Amstrad CPC) *''Stringer'', 1985 (C64) *''

'', 1985 (BBC Micro, Electron) *''Arac'', 1986 (C64) *'' Kirel'', 1986 (ZX Spectrum) *''

Head Coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

'', 1986 (ZX Spectrum, C64) *''President'', 1987 (ZX Spectrum, C64, Amstrad CPC) *'' Football Manager 2'', 1988 (ZX Spectrum, C64, Amstrad CPC, Amiga, Atari ST, MS-DOS) *'' Hot Shot'', 1988 (ZX Spectrum, C64, Amstrad CPC, Amiga, Atari ST, MS-DOS) *''Battle Stations'', 1988 (C64) *''Metaplex'', 1988 (ZX Spectrum, C64, Amstrad CPC) *''Hyperforce'', 1989 (Amiga, Atari ST) *'' The Kristal'', 1989 (Amiga, Atari ST, MS-DOS) *''Aquanaut'', 1989 (Amiga, Atari ST) *''

Football Manager World Cup Edition ''Football Manager'' is a video game series published and developed by Addictive Games, the label set up by the game's creator Kevin Toms. The first game was released in 1982.

'', 1990 (ZX Spectrum, C64, Amstrad CPC, MSX, Amiga, Atari ST, MS-DOS) *'' Football Manager 3'', 1992 (ZX Spectrum, C64, Amstrad CPC, MS-DOS)

Silicon Joy

*''Caves of Rigel'', 1984 (Atari 8-bit) *''

Grand Prix Manager ''Grand Prix Manager'' (GPM) is a Formula 1 management game released in December 1995 by MicroProse. It featured the 1995 Formula 1 season. Description The goal of this game is to manage a successful Formula 1 Grand Prix racing team and even ...

'', 1984 (ZX Spectrum) *''Boxing'', 1984 (ZX Spectrum) *''Run Your Own League'', 1984 (ZX Spectrum) *''Trio'', 1984 (ZX Spectrum) - 3 games: ''Ascot'', ''Chaotic Caverns'', ''Dracula's Castle''

References

{{Reflist Video game companies established in 1982 Companies based in Bournemouth Defunct video game companies of the United Kingdom 1982 establishments in England