For a company synonymous with the 16-bit gaming era and beyond, it may perhaps surprise you that there hasn't already been a book covering the history of Psygnosis. However, thanks to the efforts of Christophe Boucourt, ably assisted by Andrew Fisher and Mark Hellewell, as well as publisher Editions64K, here we have the first of a two volume set that examines the founding, history and software of that pivotal developer and publisher.
Tome One comes in at just over 430 pages and covers the period of 1980 to 1993. Although not founded until 1984, the history rightly covers the events that led to the company's creation, as well as the state of the contemporary UK 8-bit software scene. Combining narrative and oral history, the book takes the reader through the many stages that led to the company delivering their first game in 1986, and from then on, through a mixture of internally developed titles and externally sourced games as a publisher, creating a software catalogue that (mostly) still stands up to this day. Sorry, Air Support, I wanted to love you, but it was not to be.
Demos and cancelled efforts also received fair coverage, as do the studios that had titles published by the company: Traveller's Tales, Reflections, and Bizarre Creations to name three.
Those familiar with the period will know of the attraction of CD-ROM's as the 90's really got into gear, and Psygnosis were at the forefront of that technology. From the CD-i to the FM-Towns and CD32, it is evident that pushing the boundaries of what was possible was very much a company mantra. Even without such shiny kit, your humble scribe remembers well loading up Armour-Geddon and experiencing that pre-rendered intro for the first time! The game itself was pretty good too. And yes, after perusing the vast array of titles covered here, I'd be lying if I said I didn't fire up an emulator or two and slip back thirty plus years. Sigh...
Anyhoo...
Psygnosis' acquisition by Sony forms a neat break in the narrative that will be continued in Tome Two, and if that holds up to the quality of the first book, readers will be in for a treat. I know I'll be pre-ordering as soon as it is announced!
There are a wide variety of publications catering to the history of videogames - from Chris Scullion's fantastic, continuing encyclopaedic efforts, to individual memoirs from the likes of Sid Meier and Walt Williams. Mr Boucourt and co's efforts are a perfect combination of the two approaches - the games are given their due praise and attention (the imagery pops off the pages!), while the people involved get to tell their own stories in their own words.
Given the progression of the art form that is video gaming, this book is a timely reminder of how the industry has developed, grown, and changed. In your humble scribe's opinion, in some ways for the better, yet in many more ways for much worse, but what cannot, and should not, be forgotten is the journey to where we are today. Psygnosis - Games People Play is a heartfelt celebration of just a small part of that history, and one that any who love video games should most definitely read.
You can pick up a copy of Psygnosis - Games People Play - Tome One direct from the publisher's website, as well as view their other offerings, here.
