Les Edgar
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Les Edgar is an entrepreneur, known for being the co-founder and joint
managing director A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...
of
Bullfrog Productions Bullfrog Productions Limited was a British video game developer based in Guildford, England. Founded in 1987 by Peter Molyneux and Les Edgar, the company gained recognition in 1989 for their third release, ''Populous (video game), Populous'', ...
, which he set up with
Peter Molyneux Peter Douglas Molyneux (; born 5 May 1959) is an English video game designer and programmer. He created the god games '' Populous'', ''Dungeon Keeper'', and '' Black & White'', as well as ''Theme Park'', the ''Fable'' series, '' Curiosity: Wh ...
. After Bullfrog's acquisition by
Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by former Apple Inc., Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry ...
in 1995, Edgar became a vice president there. Edgar left Bullfrog in 1999, and eventually left the video gaming industry for the automotive industry, where he reintroduced
Aston Martin Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings PLC () is a British manufacturer of Luxury car, luxury sports cars and grand tourers. Its predecessor was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. Headed from 1947 by David Brown (entrepreneur ...
to racing, and became
chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...
of
TVR TVR Electric Vehicles Limited is a British manufacturer of sports cars. The company manufactures lightweight sports cars with powerful engines and was, at one time, the third-largest specialised sports car manufacturer in the world, offering ...
, which has, under his leadership, set up partnerships with
Gordon Murray Ian Gordon Murray (born 18 June 1946), is a successful and influential South African-British former (Formula One) race-car designer, renowned firstly as lead designer for both the Brabham and McLaren Formula 1 racing teams, during 196 ...
and
Cosworth Cosworth is a British automotive engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in high-performance internal combustion engines, powertrain, and electronics for auto racing, automobile racing (motorsport) and mainstream Automotiv ...
. Edgar has stated that he intends to return TVR to
Le Mans 24 Hours The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with the Monaco Grand ...
.


Career


Video game industry

In 1982, Edgar was working at a Hifi shop called PJ Hi-Fi, which
Peter Molyneux Peter Douglas Molyneux (; born 5 May 1959) is an English video game designer and programmer. He created the god games '' Populous'', ''Dungeon Keeper'', and '' Black & White'', as well as ''Theme Park'', the ''Fable'' series, '' Curiosity: Wh ...
entered one day seeking a computer for a database program he had been writing. This meeting led to the two men forming a partnership: Edgar stated that they had a similar sense of humour, and shared many interests including a desire to succeed. He also said that retail was lacking challenge. Edgar and Molyneux then formed Taurus Impact Systems (named so because both Molyneux and Edgar were Taureans), to develop database software.
Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (India), in India ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ' ...
Europe contacted Taurus, mistaking it for a similarly named one called Torus. As a result, Taurus received several
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 ...
machines, with which Edgar and Molyneux created a database program called Acquisition, which Edgar later stated was "a disaster" due to the market being confused over the meaning of the name. The pair called their future as software developers into question when they spent their money fixing bugs and updating the manual, but Edgar then had the idea of writing games. A friend of Molyneux's asked him to convert ''Druid II: Enlightenment'' to the Amiga, and he and Edgar exaggerated their abilities. According to Edgar, it was during the conversion that they learnt to move sprites, and developed a routine for animation. Afterwards, they were running out of money, and Edgar suggested they shut Taurus down, but Molyneux had the idea of '' Populous''. When the game was released, it was under a new brand: Bullfrog. Edgar had difficulty locating a publisher for ''Populous'' (the genre was "misunderstood by everyone"), and even approached
The Lego Group Lego A/S, also known as the Lego Group, is a Danish construction toy production company based in Billund. It manufactures Lego-branded toys, consisting mostly of interlocking ABS plastic and rubber bricks. The Lego Group has also built severa ...
but they did not like the idea. The game was eventually published by
Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by former Apple Inc., Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry ...
. According to Edgar, Bullfrog was set up in preparation for when Acquisition became unimportant and they could focus on game development. The Bullfrog brand was set up in 1987, and was named after a ceramic ornament in the office. Edgar contributed many ideas to ''Populous'', and was responsible for Bullfrog's administrative work. Both Molyneux and Edgar were managing directors. Another role Edgar had at Bullfrog was motivating people. Edgar is credited for management roles in ''
Theme Park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...
'' and ''
Dungeon Keeper ''Dungeon Keeper'' is a strategy video game developed by Bullfrog Productions and released by Electronic Arts in June 1997 for MS-DOS and Windows 95. In ''Dungeon Keeper'', the player builds and manages a dungeon, protecting it from invading ' ...
''. Edgar licensed ''Populous'' for platforms including the
Super Nintendo Entertainment System The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, commonly shortened to Super Nintendo, Super NES or SNES, is a Fourth generation of video game consoles, 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan, 1991 in No ...
(SNES) and
Sega Mega Drive The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Sys ...
to developers such as Imagineer (who developed the SNES version), which led to the game becoming popular in Japan. In 1993, Bullfrog were in discussion with
Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by former Apple Inc., Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry ...
about a merger. Edgar suggested to talk with other companies such as
Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...
and
Virgin Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...
. Electronic Arts was chosen due to their connection with Bullfrog, and the merger was signed in early 1995. Edgar then became a vice president of Electronic Arts' European Studios and Bullfrog's chairman. He stated that the change was "very big", and worked for Electronic Arts to assist the transition. He built a campus facility to allow Bullfrog employees to merge with Electronic Arts, and left soon afterwards. During the development for the cancelled '' Creation'', Edgar and his Bullfrog colleagues Guy Simmons and Glenn Corpes travelled to
Loch Ness Loch Ness (; ) is a large freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands. It takes its name from the River Ness, which flows from the northern end. Loch Ness is best known for claimed sightings of the cryptozoology, cryptozoological Loch Ness Mons ...
for research. For '' Theme Aquarium'', Edgar wondered about the possibility of having a game designed in the United Kingdom and implemented in Japan. He stated that a group was set up in Bullfrog to do it. In mid-1999, Edgar left Bullfrog. Shortly after his departure, ''Edge'' magazine described him as "one of the industry's biggest players". He helped set up Lost Toys, to whom he provided financial support. Edgar stated that his favourite Bullfrog game is ''Theme Park''. According to
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
, it was generally acknowledged by 2014 that Edgar had "long since" left the video gaming industry.


Automotive industry

In the early 2000s, Edgar played a major role in returning
Aston Martin Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings PLC () is a British manufacturer of Luxury car, luxury sports cars and grand tourers. Its predecessor was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. Headed from 1947 by David Brown (entrepreneur ...
to endurance racing. He stated that he is a "big fan" of Aston Martin, and has owned a 600N Vantage. He was still involved with the gaming industry in the 2000s, at one point being a non-executive director at
Kuju Entertainment Kuju Entertainment Ltd. is a British video game developer. The original company was Simis, formed in 1989 and purchased by Eidos Interactive in 1995. Kuju was formed in 1998 in Shalford, Surrey, England, after a management buyout of Simis f ...
, and was described by ''
Computer and Video Games ''Computer and Video Games'' (also known as ''CVG'', ''Computer & Video Games'', ''C&VG'', ''Computer + Video Games'', or ''C+VG'') is a British-based video game magazine, published in its original form between 1981 and 2004. Its offshoot web ...
'' as a "high-powered games consultant". In June 2013, Edgar was in charge of TVR Automotive Ltd. and purchased
TVR TVR Electric Vehicles Limited is a British manufacturer of sports cars. The company manufactures lightweight sports cars with powerful engines and was, at one time, the third-largest specialised sports car manufacturer in the world, offering ...
from Nikolai Smolenski, and became its chairman. On the purchase, Edgar explained that Smolenski was uninterested at first, but one day someone yelled "you killed TVR!" to him. Edgar then suggested the repatriation of the brand to the United Kingdom, and explained that the transaction was "bizarrely straightforward". When asked about his choice of brand in an interview with the BBC's ''
Top Gear Top Gear may refer to: * "Top gear", the highest gear available in a vehicle's manual transmission Television * ''Top Gear'' (1977 TV series), a British motoring magazine programme * ''Top Gear'' (2002 TV series), a relaunched version of the ori ...
'' magazine, Edgar said that he liked sports cars in-between an Aston Martin and a Lotus in luxury, and TVR cars "fit that bill perfectly". Edgar also revealed that he would like to return TVR to
Le Mans 24 Hours The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with the Monaco Grand ...
. Edgar believed that TVR had a "credibility gap", which led to the hiring of
Gordon Murray Ian Gordon Murray (born 18 June 1946), is a successful and influential South African-British former (Formula One) race-car designer, renowned firstly as lead designer for both the Brabham and McLaren Formula 1 racing teams, during 196 ...
and
Cosworth Cosworth is a British automotive engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in high-performance internal combustion engines, powertrain, and electronics for auto racing, automobile racing (motorsport) and mainstream Automotiv ...
. Talking about the deal, Edgar said that Murray was "a God", but knew TVR could not afford his services. It was when Edgar revealed his intention to go to
Le Mans Le Mans (; ) is a Communes of France, city in Northwestern France on the Sarthe (river), Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the Provinces of France, province of Maine (province), Maine, it is now the capital of ...
that a deal was reached. Edgar's original intention was to construct a few cars to race in a special series. The deal with Murray was struck in June 2015. Edgar described Murray and Cosworth as "perfect partners", and said that they were "incredibly excited and motivated". In March 2016, TVR launched a factory in
Ebbw Vale Ebbw Vale (; ) is a town at the head of the valley formed by the Ebbw Fawr tributary of the Ebbw River in Wales. It is the largest town and the administrative centre of Blaenau Gwent county borough. The Ebbw Vale and Brynmawr conurbation has a ...
, Wales, which Edgar stated was "a fantastic opportunity both for TVR and the
Welsh Government The Welsh Government ( ) is the Executive (government), executive arm of the Welsh devolution, devolved government of Wales. The government consists of Cabinet secretary, cabinet secretaries and Minister of State, ministers. It is led by the F ...
". On 10 July 2017, Edgar revealed the TVR Griffith, which uses a 5-litre Cosworth V8, and is reported to weight less than . It debuted in September 2017 at the
Goodwood Revival The Goodwood Revival is a three-day festival held each September at Goodwood Circuit since 1998 for the types of road racing, racing cars and motorcycles that would have competed during the circuit's original period—1948–1966. History The ...
.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Edgar, Les Video game businesspeople Video game designers Bullfrog Productions TVR Living people Year of birth missing (living people)