Gremlin Graphics Software Limited, later Gremlin Interactive Limited and ultimately Infogrames Studios Limited was a British

software house A software company is a company whose primary products are various forms of software, software technology, distribution, and software product development. They make up the software industry. Types There are a number of different types of softw ...

based in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

, working mostly in the home computer market. Like many software houses established in the 1980s, their primary market was the

8-bit In computer architecture, 8-bit integers or other data units are those that are 8 bits wide (1 octet). Also, 8-bit central processing unit (CPU) and arithmetic logic unit (ALU) architectures are those that are based on registers or data buses of ...

range of computers such as the

ZX Spectrum The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit home computer that was developed by Sinclair Research. It was released in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1982, and became Britain's best-selling microcomputer. Referred to during development as the ''ZX81 Colou ...

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 S ...

MSX MSX is a standardized home computer architecture, announced by Microsoft and 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, then vice-p ...

Commodore 16 The Commodore 16 is a home computer made by Commodore International with a 6502-compatible 7501 or 8501 CPU, released in 1984 and intended to be an entry-level computer to replace the VIC-20. A cost-reduced version, the Commodore 116, was ...

and Commodore 64. The company was acquired by French

video game publisher A video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that have been developed either internally by the publisher or externally by a video game developer. They often finance the development, sometimes by paying a video game developer ...

Infogrames Atari SA (formerly Infogrames Entertainment SA) is a French video game holding company headquartered in Paris. Its subsidiaries include Atari Interactive#Infogrames subsidiary, Atari Interactive and Atari, Inc. (1993–present), Atari, Inc. It ...

in 1999, and was renamed Infogrames Studios in 2000. Infogrames Studios closed down in 2003.

History

The company, originally a computer store called Just Micro, was established as a software house in 1984 with the name Gremlin Graphics Software Ltd by Ian Stewart and Kevin Norburn with US Gold's Geoff Brown owning 75% of the company until mid-1989. Gremlin's early success was based on games such as '' Wanted: Monty Mole'' for the

and ''

Thing on a Spring ''Thing on a Spring'' is a side-scrolling puzzle-platform game released in 1985 for the Amstrad CPC and Commodore 64 by Gremlin Graphics. The player controls a character resembling Zebedee from ''The Magic Roundabout'' through a toy factory whi ...

'' for the Commodore 64. In 1994, it was renamed as Gremlin Interactive, now concentrating on the 16-bit, PC and console market. Gremlin enjoyed major success with the '' Zool'' and ''

Premier Manager ''Premier Manager'' is a series of a football management video games started in 1992. Published by Gremlin Interactive, it was first developed by Realms of Fantasy, later passed to Spanish company Dinamic Multimedia. The later games were later p ...

'' series in the early 1990s, and then with ''

Actua Soccer ''Actua Soccer'' (''VR Soccer'' in North America) is a sports video game developed and published by Gremlin Interactive for MS-DOS, PlayStation, and Sega Saturn. The game features a variety of teams and leagues to choose from, including nationa ...

'', the first football game in full 3D; other successful games included the ''

Lotus Lotus may refer to: Plants *Lotus (plant), various botanical taxa commonly known as lotus, particularly: ** ''Lotus'' (genus), a genus of terrestrial plants in the family Fabaceae **Lotus flower, a symbolically important aquatic Asian plant also ...

'' racing series; a futuristic racing game, '' Motorhead''; a stunt car racing game, '' Fatal Racing'' (1995); and the 1998 flight simulator '' Hardwar''. Following EA's success with the

EA Sports EA Sports is a division of Electronic Arts that develops and publishes sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to imitate real-life sports networks by calling themselves the "EA Sports Network ...

brand, Gremlin also released their own sports videogame series, adding

Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...

Tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball c ...

and

Ice Hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two o ...

to their '' Actua Sports'' series. During this time, they used a ''

motif Motif may refer to: General concepts * Motif (chess composition), an element of a move in the consideration of its purpose * Motif (folkloristics), a recurring element that creates recognizable patterns in folklore and folk-art traditions * Moti ...

'' from the Siegfried Funeral March from ''

Götterdämmerung ' (; ''Twilight of the Gods''), WWV 86D, is the last in Richard Wagner's cycle of four music dramas titled (''The Ring of the Nibelung'', or ''The Ring Cycle'' or ''The Ring'' for short). It received its premiere at the on 17 August 1876, as p ...

'' as introductory music. The company was floated on the stock market to raise funds. In 1997, Gremlin acquired Imagitec Design and

DMA Design Rockstar North Limited (formerly DMA Design Limited) is a British video game development company and a studio of Rockstar Games based in Edinburgh. The company was founded as DMA Design in Dundee in 1987 by David Jones, soon hiring former clas ...

(creators of ''

Grand Theft Auto ''Grand Theft Auto'' (''GTA'') is a series of action-adventure games created by David Jones and Mike Dailly. Later titles were developed under the oversight of brothers Dan and Sam Houser, Leslie Benzies and Aaron Garbut. It is primarily de ...

'' and '' Lemmings''). In 1999, they themselves were bought by

for around £24 million and renamed "Infogrames Sheffield House". Infogrames closed the studio in 2003. The building they latterly occupied near Devonshire Green has since been demolished when Infogrames Sheffield House was supposed to be renamed "Atari Sheffield House". In October 2003, Zoo Digital, the successor company to Gremlin, purchased the company's assets from the now-named Atari. Following the administration of Zoo Digital (later renamed Zushi Games), Gremlin Interactive's catalogue and name were bought up by Ian Stewart's new company Urbanscan.

Key staff

Gremlin staff had included: *

Kevin Bulmer Kevin Bulmer (1962, in Solihull – 12 November 2011, in Tettenhall), also known as Kev Bulmer, was an English artist, game designer and president of the graphic design and video game company Synthetic Dimensions, which was co-founded by him in 1 ...

- Designer/graphics artist * Jon Harrison - Designer/graphics artist * Gary Priest - Programmer * Bill Allen - Programmer * Richard Stevenson - Programmer * David Martin - Marketing Director * Ben Daglish - Outsourced Musician * Ade Carless - Designer/graphics artist * Shaun McClure - Graphics artist / Art Resource Manager *

Antony Crowther Antony Crowther is a former designer, programmer, and musician of Commodore 64 games. During the 1980s he worked for Alligata, Gremlin Graphics and later his own company, Wizard Development. Career The first computer game he created was a ver ...

('Ratt') - Designer, programmer * Asad Habib - Lead Tester * Paul Whitehead - Tester / Designer * Ian Stewart - Managing director * Kevin Norburn - Operations director * Patrick Phelan - Software manager/sound engineer * Chris Harvey - Lead console programmer * Wayne Laybourn - Artist * Chris Shrigley - Designer / Programmer * Peter Harrap - Programmer * Chris Kerry - Programmer * Shaun Hollingworth - Programmer * MicroProjects Ltd (Jason Perkins, Mark Rogers, Anthony Clarke) * Richard Hall - Production Manager

Video games

As Gremlin Interactive

*''Monty Mole'' series (1984-1990) **'' Wanted: Monty Mole'' (1984) **'' Monty Is Innocent'' (1985) **'' Monty on the Run'' (1985) **'' Auf Wiedersehen Monty'' (1987) **'' Moley Christmas'' (1987) **'' Impossamole'' (1990) *''

Potty Pigeon ''Percy The Potty Pigeon'' (also known simply as ''Potty Pigeon'') is computer game written by Shaun Hollingworth for the ZX Spectrum and published by Gremlin Graphics in 1984. The Commodore 64 version was programmed by Antony Crowther Antony ...

'' (1984) *''

Bounder Bounder may refer to: *Bounder (character), a dishonorable man * ''Bounder'' (video game), a 1985 computer game *'' The Bounder'', a television show *Myasishchev M-50 (NATO reporting name "Bounder"), a Soviet Union prototype bomber aircraft * Pseud ...

'' (1985) **''Re-Bounder'' (1987) *''

Grumpy Gumphrey Supersleuth ''Grumpy Gumphrey Supersleuth'', often known simply as ''Super Sleuth'',The game was packaged as ''Grumpy Gumphrey Supersleuth'', but the in-game title screen used 'Super Sleuth', as seen here in the video walkthrough. https://www.youtube.com/watc ...

'' (1985) *''

Gauntlet Gauntlet or the gauntlet may refer to: Common uses *Gauntlet (glove), protective gloves used as a form of armor *Running the gauntlet, a form of physical punishment Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Gauntlet (comics), a Marvel ...

'' (1985) **'' Gauntlet: The Deeper Dungeons'' (1987) *''

'' (1985) *'' Zone X'' (1985) *'' Jack the Nipper'' (1986) **'' Jack the Nipper II: In Coconut Capers'' (1987) *'' Trailblazer'' (1986) **'' Cosmic Causeway: Trailblazer II'' (1987) *'' Alternative World Games'' (1987) *'' Basil the Great Mouse Detective'' (1987) *'' Deflektor'' (1987) *''

Gary Lineker's Superstar Soccer ''Gary Lineker's Superstar Soccer'' is a computer game released in 1987 for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum, published by Gremlin Interactive in Europe, and by Mindscape as ''Superstar Soccer'' in the USA. Gameplay ''Superstar ...

'' (1987) *''

Technocop ''Techno Cop'' is a 1988 action game, action video game for the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Apple II series, Apple II, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS and ZX Spectrum. It was subsequently ported to the Sega Genesis in 1990. The gameplay combines pseudo-3D d ...

'' (1988) *''Motor Massacre'' (1988) *'' Dark Fusion'' (1988) *'' Mickey Mouse: The Computer Game'' (1988) *'' The Muncher'' (1988) *''

Axel's Magic Hammer ''Axel's Magic Hammer'' is a platform game developed by Core Design and published by Gremlin Graphics in 1989. The game was released for the Amiga and Atari ST The Atari ST is a line of personal computers from Atari Corporation and the succe ...

'' (1989) *''

Federation of Free Traders Federation of Free Traders is a space trading video game released in 1989 for the Amiga and Atari ST. The game is similar in scope to Elite In political and sociological theory, the elite (french: élite, from la, eligere, to select or to so ...

'' (1989) *'' H.A.T.E.: Hostile All-Terrain Encounter'' (1989) *''

Switchblade A switchblade (aka switch knife, automatic knife, pushbutton knife, ejector knife, flick knife, Stiletto, flick blade, or spring knife (Sprenger,Benson, Ragnar (1989). ''Switchblade: The Ace of Blades''. Paladin Press. pp. 1–14. . The sw ...

'' (1989) **'' Switchblade II'' (1991) *''

'' series (1990-1992) **''Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge'' (1990) **''Lotus Turbo Challenge 2'' (1991) **''Lotus III: The Ultimate Challenge'' (1992) *'' Skidz (1990) *'' Super Cars'' (1990) **'' Super Cars II'' (1991) *''

Toyota Celica GT Rally ''Toyota Celica GT Rally'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''GT Rally'') is a racing computer game developed and published by Gremlin Graphics Software (later Gremlin Interactive) released for the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, and ZX Spectrum. The game consis ...

'' (1990) *'' Venus The Flytrap'' (1990) *''

HeroQuest ''HeroQuest'', sometimes written as ''Hero Quest'', is an adventure board game created by Milton Bradley in conjunction with the British company Games Workshop. The game was loosely based around archetypes of fantasy role-playing games: the g ...

'' (1991) **'' HeroQuest II: Legacy of Sorasil'' (1994) *''Spacewrecked: 14 Billion Light Years from Earth'' (1990) *'' Utopia: The Creation of a Nation'' (1991) *''

Harlequin Harlequin (; it, Arlecchino ; lmo, Arlechin, Bergamasque pronunciation ) is the best-known of the '' zanni'' or comic servant characters from the Italian ''commedia dell'arte'', associated with the city of Bergamo. The role is traditionall ...

'' (1992) *'' Jeep Jamboree: Off Road Adventure'' (1992) *''

Nigel Mansell's World Championship Racing ''Nigel Mansell's World Championship Racing'' is an arcade-style Formula One racing video game developed by Gremlin Graphics and released for various systems. The game was largely successful on Amiga and DOS platforms, and was consequently porte ...

'' (1992) *''

Plan 9 from Outer Space ''Plan 9 from Outer Space'' is a 1957 American independent science fiction-horror film produced, written, directed, and edited by Ed Wood. The film was shot in black-and-white in November 1956 and had a theatrical preview screening on March 1 ...

'' (1992) *''

'' series (1992-2000) **''

'' (1992) **'' Premier Manager 2'' (1993) **'' Premier Manager 3'' (1994) **''Premier Manager 97'' (1996) **''Premier Manager 98'' (1997) **'' Premier Manager: Ninety Nine'' (1999) *''

Space Crusade ''Space Crusade'' is an adventure board game produced by Milton Bradley together with Games Workshop and was first made in 1990. It was produced in the UK and available in some other countries including Finland, Ireland, France, Spain, Denmark, ...

'' (1992) *'' Top Gear'' (1992) **'' Top Gear 2'' (1993) **'' Top Gear 3000'' (1995) *'' Zool'' (1992) **'' Zool 2'' (1993) *'' Jungle Strike'' (1993) *''

Litil Divil ''Litil Divil'' is a video game released by Gremlin Graphics Software in 1993. The game stars Mutt, a dog-like devil in the Underworld whose goal is to obtain the "Mystical Pizza of Plenty" from the Labyrinth of Chaos. ''Litil Divil's'' release ...

'' (1993) *'' Full Throttle: All-American Racing'' (1994) *''

K240 ''K240'' is a real-time strategy video game published by Gremlin Graphics and released for the Amiga home computer in 1994. It is a sequel to the 1991 game '' Utopia: The Creation of a Nation''. Plot Based in a sector of deep space called K240 ...

'' (1994) *'' Newman/Haas IndyCar featuring Nigel Mansell'' (1994) *'' Race Days'' (1994) *''

Shadow Fighter Shadow Fighter (hangul:섀도우 파이터, ''Shaedou Paiteo'') is a Korean animation. It is a product of the major anime broadcaster Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation, and the 3D animation was done by Yellow Film. The story centers on the fight ...

'' (1994) *'' Actua Sports'' series (1995-1999) **''

'' (1995) **''

Actua Golf ''Actua Golf'' (''VR Golf '97'' in North America) is a sports video game developed and published by Gremlin Interactive for PlayStation and Sega Saturn. Gameplay ''Actua Golf'' features two fictional golf courses. The game includes various modes ...

'' (1996) **''

Actua Soccer 2 ''Actua Soccer 2'' (''Fox Sports Soccer '99'' in North America) is a sports video game developed and published by Gremlin Interactive for PlayStation and Microsoft Windows.Pixel Games UKannounced they would be rereleasing the game via Steam in Oc ...

'' (1997) **''

Actua Golf 2 ''Actua Golf 2'' (''Fox Sports Golf '99'' in North America) is a sports video game developed and published by Gremlin Interactive for PlayStation and Microsoft Windows. Development of the game was underway as of August 1997, and it was released i ...

'' (1998) **''Actua Ice Hockey'' (1998) **''Actua Tennis'' (1998) **''Actua Soccer 3'' (1998) **'' Actua Pool'' (1999) **''Actua Ice Hockey 2'' (1999) **''Actua Golf 3'' (1999) **''

UEFA Euro 96 England ''UEFA Euro 96 England'' is an association football video game developed by Gremlin Interactive and published by Sega for MS-DOS and the Sega Saturn in 1996. The title is an officially licensed tie in with the football tournament of the same name ...

'' (1996) *'' Fatal Racing'' (1995) *'' Loaded'' (1995) **'' Re-Loaded'' (1996) *'' Slipstream 5000'' (1995) *'' Normality'' (1996) *''

Hardcore 4X4 ''Hardcore 4x4'' (initially known as ''TNN Motorsports Hardcore 4X4'' in the US and known as in Japan) is a racing video game developed by Gremlin Interactive for the Sega Saturn, PlayStation and Microsoft Windows. It became available for downlo ...

'' (1996) *'' Fragile Allegiance'' (1996) *''

Realms of the Haunting ''Realms of the Haunting'' is a first-person adventure shooter game developed by Gremlin Interactive and published by Interplay Productions. It was released in 1997 for MS-DOS compatible operating systems. The 3D engine used in this game was borr ...

'' (1997) *''

Monopoly A monopoly (from Greek el, μόνος, mónos, single, alone, label=none and el, πωλεῖν, pōleîn, to sell, label=none), as described by Irving Fisher, is a market with the "absence of competition", creating a situation where a speci ...

'' (1997) *'' Buggy'' (1998) *'' Motorhead'' (1998) *''

N2O Nitrous oxide (dinitrogen oxide or dinitrogen monoxide), commonly known as laughing gas, nitrous, or nos, is a chemical compound, an oxide of nitrogen with the formula . At room temperature, it is a colourless non-flammable gas, and has a ...

'' (1998) *'' Body Harvest'' (1998) *'' Hardwar'' (1998) *''

Wild Metal Country ''Wild Metal Country'' is an action video game developed by DMA Design. The game was published by Gremlin Interactive and released for Microsoft Windows in May 1999. A Dreamcast port, known as ''Wild Metal'', was released in February 2000 by Roc ...

'' (1999) *''

Soulbringer ''Soulbringer'' is a fantasy RPG developed by Gremlin Interactive and published by Interplay Entertainment and Infogrames in 2000. It was later packed and shipped in combination with Interplay's '' Planescape: Torment''. Plot It starts off wit ...

'' (2000)

As Infogrames Sheffield House

References

External links

Wayback Archive

Gremlin Interactive profile
from

MobyGames MobyGames is a commercial website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes nearly 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms. The site is supported by banner ads and a small ...

{{Authority control 1984 establishments in England 2003 disestablishments in England Defunct video game companies of the United Kingdom Video game companies established in 1984 Video game companies disestablished in 2003 Defunct companies based in Sheffield Video game development companies