Newspaper cutting from 1992 . Steve worked in the shop at weekends . He will be 47 now !
An early hand written invoice from 1988 . Everything in full swing 8bit 16bit and console . Note the retail prices very expensive 33 years ago .
our history
“In 2019 The UK games software market was valued at £5.35bn, and the sector accounted for more than half of the UK’S entertainment market . The UK games market is the biggest in Europe and the sixth largest in the world, with half of the UK’s population playing games.” But how did we get here?
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Did you know that between 1972 and 1999 there were around 146 different console/handheld launches. Some were total failures, others were a runaway success! Not many survived but each one has a story and I almost wish we had some of the failures now! Fortunes were lost and won. Game, for example, began life as a single shop in Bradford.
Do you remember Future Zone and Electronics Boutique? Some of the biggest players today started life in a bedroom. This has all happened in the last 45 years: there were no mobile phones, internet or e-mail and the industry was championed by mavericks and independents. Every market had an independent computer games stall and every town an independent shop, not on the high street but tucked away where the rents were cheaper. They were the enthusiasts who drove the industry forward.
Now the big boys are in control, livelihoods were lost, but there is still a place for the independent. We hope you enjoy this blog in which will try to include a little bit of our history.