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How Revolution survived the British games industryInterface
How Revolution survived the British games industryInterface
WRITTEN BY
JACK YARWOODCharles Cecil talks Broken Sword, problems with publishers,
and how Apple saved Revolution from the brink of collapseharles Cecil is a natural storyteller.
If that wasn’t clear enough
from his games – adventure
titles like Broken Sword, Lure
of the Temptress, and Beneath
a Steel Sky – it certainly is from hearing him
recount his lengthy 30-year-plus history in the
games industry.
Over the course of two interviews, he spins
some exciting tales about run-ins with dodgy
lawyers, a chance robbery that could have
changed gaming history, and how his beloved
company Revolution was rescued from the brink
by the unlikeliest of sources: the American tech
giant, Apple. But like all good stories, his starts
with somewhat humble beginnings.C
Cecil’s introduction to computing happened
in school, with a proud maths teacher showing
off his new tech. From there, Cecil followed an
unusual path, studying engineering at university
and securing a place on a specialist program
working for car manufacturer, Ford. Here he
would learn BASIC, as well as meeting Richard
Turner, who was in the process of starting up
software company, Artic Computing.
Turner convinced Cecil to start making games
for his company, and the partnership resulted
in such creatively titled releases as Adventure
B: Inca Curse – which Cecil now admits borrows
perhaps too liberally from blockbusters such as
Indy’s first outing, Raiders of the Lost Ark – and
Adventure C: Ship of Doom.How Revolution survived
the British games industry