Games Maker - Marks & Spencer
Hello, I can throw some light on this MIA item.
Its was released in late November 1985, priced ?9.99 and was quite simply a repackaging of John Hollis's Games Designer, released two years previously for Quicksilva.
The software was unchanged and didn't mention M&S (and in fact listed the author as "Software Studios")
The packaging was a 8" x 10" cardboard box with a cellophane window, in silver.
I had a copy of this and may yet still have it knocking around - if I do, I'll gladly donate it.
Its was released in late November 1985, priced ?9.99 and was quite simply a repackaging of John Hollis's Games Designer, released two years previously for Quicksilva.
The software was unchanged and didn't mention M&S (and in fact listed the author as "Software Studios")
The packaging was a 8" x 10" cardboard box with a cellophane window, in silver.
I had a copy of this and may yet still have it knocking around - if I do, I'll gladly donate it.
Post edited by Bad Horsey on
Comments
http://www.worldofspectrum.org/infoseekid.cgi?id=0001970
Edit: we can probably also merge Games Pack with Games Pack and Start to Program with Start to Program.
In fact the Quicksilva release is a re-release. The original was marketed by Software Studios before being repackaged as Games Designer and released by Quicksilva.
Ah, so St. Michael was a label from Marks & Spencer? I thought it belonged to Grisewood & Dempsey?
Did we ever find any proof for that, though? I agree that 'Software Studios' is written somewhere, but it still looks odd... especially since the author, John Hollis, says he only ever worked for Quicksilva.
The other games from 'Software Studios' are 1986-1990, so this one would be very much earlier, unless it's a different company. Could it be a license?
Rather like musicians these days have their own record labels and use the major record labels to market and distribute.
For many years, Marks & Spencer goods were branded "St. Michael", so I'd assume they had some relationship here. Certainly the "St. Michael" wordmark used on the Games Designer inlay is the M&S wordmark.
The St Michael name has long been a label for Marks and Spencer's in all areas of trading.
I have been rooting through a few old copies of PCW and found adverts for GS in the 23-28th Sept 1983 issue. (I suspect there are adverts prior to this but its too cold to go in the loft again tonight to check)
There is no mention at all of Quicksilva, just Software Studios.
However there is NO method of ordering the title, no address or contact telephone.
As stated by karingal above -
"I suspect though it was released by QuickSilva, John Hollis was producing games through his own software house and it was marketed by Quicksilva."
Fast forwarding to the first "real" advert I can find (29 Sept -5 Oct - PCW, full page colour splurge) the title is still by Software Studios "marketed exclusively by Quicksilva Ltd" with requests for your money to Software Studios, Quicksilva Mail Order, 55 Haviland Road......... with a small tagline of "By John Hollis - author of TIMEGATE"
I would conclude the title is written by Software Studios (John Hollis sideline?) and just marketed by Quicksilva which means the infoseek Publisher is correct (Quicksilva) but the Producer/Author should be Software Studios / John Hollis or a comment needs adding that the game was licensed to Quicksilva by Software Studios.
Or something like that.....
Marks and Spencer traditionally only sell there own Brand of goods. But they are such a major player in the UK high street that suppliers will repackage/rebrand there goods for them. This is particularly the case at Christmas with toys and giftware etc.
For example this years lot from Marks and Spencer includes:-
Revell model kits.
and pvr that looks like a rebadged Humax.
It is very likely the link is simply a "rebadged" book published by:-Grisewood & Dempsey and sold under the "St michael" Brand in Marks and Spencers, for example this book I happened to have lying around:-
This clearly shows the "St Michael" Brand on the cover, but not on the title page.