This is a monumental work about the pioneering days of computer game design, starting with the significance of the Commodore 64 in 1982 to 1985.
With an introduction by video game researcher Andrea Pachetti and timeless memories from John Romero and Chris Crawford, both visionaries of the gaming industry, the latter founder of the GDC. Numerous C64 heroes answer a plethora of pressing questions about their formative years as game producers, providing a total of 64 interviews with a focus on the USA and Japan (vol. 1) and with the second book, on Canada and Europe (vol. 2).
Official release: End of Q3. Shipping in October 2025
- Hardback Edition, free PDF
- 384 full-colour pages
- High-quality offset print
- 168 × 230 mm portrait format
- Special cover refinement
- 135 gr/m² illustration paper
- Finest print raster (120)
- Made in Germany
1982–1985: Pioneering spirit and creative freedom
The author invested 10 years in the project to track down and bring together the visionaries, creators and producers of this turbulent gaming era. Here, innovators such as Jeff Bruette (Wizard of Wor), David Crane (Ghostbusters, Decathlon), Dane Bigham (Choplifter), David S. Maynard (Worms) and Paul Norman (Aztec Challenge) talk about their specific efforts that paved the way for the Commodore 64 as a gaming machine and why this period was so spectacular for a single producer.
Featuring interviews with the industry veterans
Andrew Kaluzniacki, Bruce Robinson, Chris Crawford, Chris Warling, Chuck Benton, Dane Bigham, David Crane, David Lundberg, David Martin, David S. Maynard, Douglas Carlston, Harry Briley, Hitoshi Suzuki, Jeff Bruette, Jerry W. Jewell, John Marvin, John Romero, Judy Braddick, Ken Madell, Ken Williams, Louis Ewens, Michael Crick, Michael J. Hanson, Mike Blackman, Mike Wacker, Paul Norman, Peter Filiberti, Randall Lockwood, Robert Leff, Satoshi Matsuoka, Scott C. Berk, Steve Hales, Steve Penners, Steven Sidley, Yash Terakura.
The complete work is divided into two books
Each volume contains over 30 personal interviews ranging from the USA and Japan to Canada and Europe. About 800 photos, images, and screenshots per book, accompanied by comprehensive journalistic content, makes this work equally interesting for beginners and experts in retro gaming history.
With a wealth of classic publishers from the 8-bit era
Activision, Briley Software, Brøderbund, Comm*Data, Commodore, COSMI, Cyberia, Electronic Arts, Epyx, HAL Laboratory, Lucasfilm Games, HESware, Mindscape, Sierra On-Line, Sirius Software, Softsel, Spinnaker, Synapse, T&F Software, The Code Works, Tronix, United Microware Industries (UMI), Victory Software… and more.
* The cover image you see here is a preliminary version and is still being revised – the final result may look different.
