OFF THE RECORD
FROM THE ARCHIVE... EIGHT YEARS AGO NEWS
MCV July 4th 2003
Microsoft kills off its Sidewinder PC accessories brand, blaming shrinking sales and general price erosion... GAME defends its decision to sell Tomb Raider: Angel of Darknessthree days early, claiming that rival retailers had already broken the street date... In a shock move, THQ sales director Paul Oughton leaves the firm after four and a half years… Ubisoft celebrates record full- year results thanks to the success of Splinter Cell, Rayman 3 and Ghost Recon...
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TAG-TEAM INTERVIEW This week: Lisa Morgan chats to industry veteran Geoff Heath
Lisa Morgan, Founder, Morgan-Knox
You are without doubt an industry veteran. When and how did it all begin for you? I was approached to set up Activision in the UK over 30 years ago. They were a video games company (‘A what?’ I thought at the time).
CHARTS: ALL FORMATS 1. SOCOM US Navy
Seals..............Sony
................................................PS2 2. Enter the
Matrix.............................Atari
......................PS2, XB, GC, PC 3. The Sims: Superstar.....................EA ........................................................PC 4. Midnight Club
II..............................Rockstar................................PS2, PC 5.
Hulk.......................................................Vivendi..................PS2, XB, GC, PC
AND FINALLY
Having won the Best Editorial Team prize at the 2003 MCV Industry Excellence Awards, GamesTMruns an ad showing the awards round-up in MCV, pointing to the team’s victory and declaring “Were brilliant”. Despite this, they managed to win the award again in 2004.
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What are you up to now? What I am good at and enjoy: building up young businesses and creating value in them. I’m also doing quite a lot with UKIE, which has become very exiting – particularly grappling with the seismic changes in the industry.
The games market has transformed over the past 20 years. What have been the key milestones? The launch of the Atari 2600,
Vs
followed by the Spectrum and then the Commodore 64 – so many platforms to develop and publish for. Microsoft entering the hardware business, Sony’s exquisite response with the PS3 and, of course, Nintendo doggedly creating platforms with mass appeal. And GAME acquiring Gamestation – nice one, Lisa. Still don’t know how you got it approved.
What do you think are the biggest challenges the industry faces going forward? Getting our heads around the social gaming phenomenon and make money out of it.
Which game you are most proud to be associated with? The original Ghostbusters–
Geoff Heath, Investor
still probably the best-selling game of all time in the UK.
What tips would you give to anyone starting their career in games today? Go get a job with a games company doing anything offered to you. Or start your own company. The barriers to entry have not been so low for decades and there are angel investors out there.
Can you share a memory that makes you smile? Hiring a teenage Phil Harrison and then losing him to Sony. ‘That won’t last’, I thought.
Who will you be interviewing next week? David Gardner, London Venture Partners.
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50 July 8th 2011
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