Quicksilva
{{Short description|British software publisher}}
{{Distinguish|text=American developer Quicksilver Software}}
{{infobox company
| name = Quicksilva
| type = Private
| industry = Video games
| genre =
| foundation = {{Start date and age|1980}}
| founder = Nick Lambert
| defunct = {{End date and age|1990}}
| location_city = {{unbulleted list|Southampton (1979-85)|London (1985-89)}}
| products = {{unbulleted list|Time-Gate|Bugaboo|Ant Attack|Zombie Zombie|Glider Rider}}
| intl =
}}
Quicksilva was a British games software publisher active during the early 1980s.
Quicksilva was founded by Nick Lambert in 1980.{{cite web | url=https://archive.org/details/ZXComputingJunJul1985/ZXComputing/ZXComputing_Summer_1982/page/n73 | title=ZX Computing Summer 1982 - June 1987 }} The name Quicksilva was inspired by a particular guitar solo in a track on the album Happy Trails by Quicksilver Messenger Service.[http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23311983.2016.1190441 A first-hand account of Quicksilva and its part in the birth of the UK games industry, 1981–1982] Quicksilva mainly released games for the ZX81, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum, but also did conversions and some original games for the VIC-20, Dragon 32/64, Oric-1/Atmos, BBC Micro and Acorn Electron home computers.
One of their earliest titles was QS Defenda (originally QS Defender), a clone of the Defender arcade game for the ZX80 and ZX81 home computers.[http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23311983.2016.1190441 A first-hand account of Quicksilva and its part in the birth of the UK games industry, 1981–1982] Greater success followed with later releases, including a Star Raiders-style game entitled Time-Gate which reached the top of the ZX Spectrum charts in December 1982.{{cite magazine |title=Top 10|magazine=Popular Computing Weekly |volume=1|issue=36 |publisher=Sunshine Publications |date=30 December 1982|page=31|url=https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.php?issue_id=2735&page=31|access-date=15 May 2021}} Amongst the company's other successes were Jeff Minter's Gridrunner (1983),{{Cite web|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-03-06-code-britannia-sandy-white|title=Code Britannia: Sandy White|website=Eurogamer|date=8 March 2013}} Bugaboo (1983, a.k.a. La Pulga) and Fred (1983, titled "Roland on the Ropes" on the Amstrad CPC), two titles licensed from Spanish software house Indescomp S.A. Sandy White's Ant Attack (1983) for the ZX Spectrum featured revolutionary 3-D graphics for which a patent application was made.{{cite journal|journal=CRASH|issue=1|url=http://www.crashonline.org.uk/01/antattack.htm|title=3D Ant Attack}}
In early 1984, they published their first licensed title, The Snowman, an adaptation of the 1978 book by Raymond Briggs.{{cite magazine |title=Quicksilva goes soft with the Snowman|magazine=Your Computer|issue=3|publisher=IPC|date=March 1984|page=49|url=https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.php?issue_id=172&page=49|access-date=23 July 2021}}{{cite magazine |title=Now book is a game|magazine=Home Computing Weekly|issue=49|publisher=Argus|date=14 February 1984|page=6|url=https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.php?issue_id=2615&page=6|access-date=23 July 2021}} Software Manager Paul Cooper ruled out an adaption of Briggs' When The Wind Blows stating "nuclear war can upset a lot of people".
Later years
In May 1984, the company was bought by Argus Press Software{{cite magazine |title=Quicksilva Introduction|magazine=Computer Gamer|issue=1|publisher=|date=April 1985|page=85|url=https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.php?issue_id=1579&page=85|access-date=23 July 2021}}{{Cite web | url=http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~jg27paw4/yr06/yr06_05.htm | title=Your Spectrum 06 - Frontlines}} which later became Grandslam Entertainment. Paul Cooper and Managing Director Rod Cousens left to establish Electric Dreams Software in 1985 when Argus moved the company from Southampton to London.{{cite journal |last=Goodwin |first=Simon |date=September 1985 |title=Planning our Future |journal=CRASH |issue=20 |url=http://www.crashonline.org.uk/20/cousens.htm |access-date= 2007-11-09}}{{cite magazine |title=Births, marriages and deaths|magazine=Sinclair User|issue=39|publisher=EMAP|date=June 1985|page=5|url=https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.php?issue_id=39&page=5|access-date=23 July 2021}}
The company continued to publish licensed products, including the first official home computer conversion of Atari's Battlezone, Eric Bristow's Pro Darts,{{cite magazine |title=Norman's on the warpath|magazine=Popular Computing Weekly|issue=38|publisher=Sunshine Publications|date=20 September 1984|page=5|url=https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.php?issue_id=2824&page=5|access-date=23 July 2021}} two different games based on Strontium Dog from the 2000 AD comic and Fantastic Voyage (an official licence from the 1966 film).{{cite magazine |title=Fantastic Voyage|magazine=Crash|issue=16|publisher=Newsfield|date=May 1985|page=132|url=https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.php?issue_id=983&page=132|access-date=23 July 2021}}
In late 1984 they developed The Thompson Twins Adventure (an adaptation of the Thompson Twins single Doctor! Doctor!) which was published by Computer and Video Games magazine on a flexi-disc,{{cite magazine |title=Meet The Pop Twins!|magazine=Computer and Video Games|issue=|publisher=EMAP|date=October 1984|page=11|url=https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.php?issue_id=1487&page=11|access-date=23 July 2021}} and published Sandy White's follow-up to Ant Attack, Zombie Zombie.{{cite magazine |title=Deserted City|magazine=Popular Computing Weekly|issue=40|publisher=Sunshine Publications|date=4 October 1984|page=68|url=https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.php?issue_id=2826&page=68|access-date=23 July 2021}}
The following years brought further tie-ins including games featuring Rupert Bear in Rupert and the Toymaker's Party,{{Cite web|url=http://www.the-commodore-zone.com/articlelive/articles/3/4/Taskset/Page4.html|title = Taskset}} The Flintstones in Yabba Dabba Doo! and Max Headroom.{{cite magazine |title=Max Headroom|magazine=Popular Computing Weekly|issue=15|publisher=Sunshine Publications|date=10 April 1986|page=24|url=https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.php?issue_id=2903&page=24|access-date=23 July 2021}} It also produced popular original titles such as Glider Rider and two more arcade ports, Taito's Elevator Action in 1987{{cite magazine |title=Elevator Action|magazine=Computer and Video Games|issue=65|publisher=EMAP|date=March 1987|page=38|url=https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.php?issue_id=1516&page=38|access-date=23 July 2021}} and the final{{citation needed|date=July 2021}} Quicksilva game, Namco's Pac-Land in 1989.{{cite magazine |title=Ultimate Guide: Pac-Land|magazine=Retro Gamer|issue=127|publisher=Imagine|date=27 March 2014|page=72}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.sandywhite.co.uk/fun/ Sandy White's homepage]
- [http://www.worldofspectrum.org/infoseekpub.cgi?regexp=^Sandy+White$ Sandy White] at World of Spectrum
Category:Defunct video game companies of the United Kingdom
Category:Video game companies established in 1980
Category:Video game publishers