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Company

Following the MBO of the business from CI, I conceived of a ‘big idea’, a series of on-line and retail projects which became known as the ‘Nation’ range, and which would require investment to bring to market.

So I set about finding a backer to invest in the company. I negotiated with a major Japanese corporation and agreed terms, and a new business was formed, Crush! Holdings, which in turn acquired the assets and business of Crush! Ltd.

Position Summary

• The running of Crush and then Crush Holdings Limited. Including:

• Usual business unit financial planning and operational duties

• Preparation of monthly management reporting

• Liaising with our Japanese partner as to progress and distribution issues

• Establishing high-end production facility, predominantly Intel-based; C/C++, proprietary resource tools and databases, Softimage, Wavefront, 3DSMAX, Photoshop etc

• Product development activities, including project management, design, production and testing

• Pitching new concept ideas for projects to third-party publishers

• I was also the Managing Director of Live! Sport Limited, which represented the shareholding of the non-Japanese investors of Crush! Holdings Limited

Achievements

• Achieving investment of over $3m

  I had realized many years before that successful game development requires investment, and the CI route had proven unsuccessful for us. So in our new guise, Crush!, we set about achieving substantial investment such that we could undertake our own marketing and customer services. I was successful in achieving investment of more than $3m from a major Japanese corporation, Sun Denshi Kabusikigaisha and other private investors including Osborne Electronics Ltd of England

• Expanding business

  With the investment in place, we expanded to over thirty people

• Establishing high-end production facility

  With investment we were able to invest in high- level production tools, predominantly Intel-based; C/C++, as well as proprietary resource tools and databases, SoftImage, Wavefront, 3DSMAX, PhotoShop etc.

• Conceived of new on-line business opportunity and products, collectively called "Nation Sports" (see Softography and panel, right)

• Wrote comprehensive business plan and innovative business model for ‘Nation Sports’

• Establishing ‘Nation’ as a new brand and trade mark world-wide

• Establishing our own marketing operation, including the creation of lifestyle and specialist press advertising, PR, and a television commercial

• Establishing our own customer services operation

• Establishing an on-line facility on-site (internet and intranet)

• Implementing internal office procedures for security, health and safety

• Drafting several contracts including Crush’s standard Employment Terms, various Publishing Agreements, Heads of Terms etc.

• Software Products:- the following original titles were created by Crush!

   

  • MORTAL COIL

    My involvement included originating the concept with Tony Jackson, Creative Director at Crush!. I wrote the storyline for the game, scripted the six voice parts, negotiated with voice-agents for the vocal talent, and gave voice direction during voice-over recording. I also negotiated the funding for the game development, in collaboration with Crush's agent, Jacqui Lyons

    I also produced the game during development, co-ordinating project scheduling, technical and graphical issues

    Mortal Coil received a lot of media coverage. See right-hand panel for some stills from the television show "Live & Kicking" – the segment called ‘Electric Circus’, that featured our game as one of a new breed of innovative game. It scored 90%.

    The game was also featured on the television show "Bad Influence" – it highlighted the game’s innovative features, including multiple characters, waypoint settings and replaceable sounds. In the right-hand panel the pop group China Black are shown using this feature on the TV show. The game scored 93%

     

  • SOCCER NATION / FUTBOL PRO

  The first in the "Nation Sports" series of related on-line and retail fantasy sports management titles, providing genuine world-wide human-v-human competition, in managed league systems and knockout tournaments.

  • On-line & retail Soccer Management simulation

  • You can be coach or even play on pitch

  • Buy and sell footballers

  • Play on-line in a managed league system against other managers around the World via the Internet

  • Hand-pick your squad & strategies

  • Build your stadium

  • Customize your kit

  • Maximize your team's income

  • Sponsorship designed in

  • Realistic footballer Artificial Intelligence profiles

  • Create almost any soccer league structure in the World

  • Seasonal weather conditions - wind, rain, snow, fog, sun

  • Night time and day time fixtures

  • Multiple languages (published in Spain as "Futbol Pro"; sales Nov '97 - Jan '98 approx. 150,000 units)

  • Internet and Intranet play

  My involvement included:

  • Originated concept

  • Conceived of unique business model and business plan

  • Negotiated funding for the project development

  • Instigated commercial sponsorship from third-parties including McDonalds, OKI and EuroSport

  • Liaison with Japanese software publisher and project partner, Sunsoft, in Europe, Japan and USA

  • Worked with external PR agency to instigate press campaign (the title was the third-most mentioned PC title in 1997 in the media)

  • Worked with external advertising agency MMHL to create lifestyle television and press campaign to support product launch

  Voice talent recording their lines at Crush! for Soccer Nation and/or Mortal Coil:

  

  Brian Bowles and Dean Holdsworth

  

  Fiona Allen, Ray Wilkins and Paul Tonkinson

  • MORPHIN’ MACHINES

  • SKAVENGERZ

  • HEIST

  (click here to see Softography for more details of the products)

Reason For Leaving

Our Japanese backer withdrew from the joint-venture at short notice in December 1997 before the project had launched. The business was sold in early 1998, and having seen this difficult period through to the end, I chose to accept several offers of Management Consulting work, while I worked on securing a US Visa so I could relocate.

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Crush! became a high-profile, leading edge developer; but we were also high risk being one of the first to really go after the on-line and retail business model mix.  It was a great time of innovation and I am extremely proud of our work which gave us the chance to create TV commercials, lifestyle press etc in addition to just being the developer

Soccer Nation - TV Commercial  (click to see TV commercial - may take a short while to download)
(created by MMHL agency)

Trade Coverage
(click image to enlarge)

"Mortal Coil"
TV Coverage

One of 8 press ads for Soccer Nation
(click image to enlarge)

Crush! was news outside the games industry
(click image to enlarge)

More Crush! Announcements
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Eurosport sponsor Soccer Nation
(click image to enlarge)

Soccer Nation was the 3rd most mentioned PC title of 1997
(click image to enlarge)

Me! Hosting the first Beta trial of Soccer Nation