Vault Entry
[📷 suggested: montage of llama logos, tape inlays, and a mail-order advert]
Overview
Llamasoft began as Jeff Minter’s one-person label in 1982 and quickly became a cult favourite. Operating from rural Wales, the studio mailed brightly packaged cassettes filled with laser-fast shooters, experimental light synths, and in-jokes about llamas, camels, and sheep.
Fast facts
- Flagship titles: Gridrunner, Attack of the Mutant Camels, Revenge of the Mutant Camels.
- Platforms: Started on VIC-20 and C64, later expanded to Atari 8-bit, Amiga, Atari ST, Nuon, iOS, and VR.
- Distribution: Direct mail order plus partnerships with publishers like Human Engineered Software (HES) for international releases.
Lesson connections
- BASIC Block 4’s sound design segment references Llamasoft’s SID tricks—sync sweeps and arpeggios.
- Assembly Act II examines their sprite multiplexing strategies for dense enemy waves.
- Vault link suggestions encourage learners to compare Llamasoft’s manuals with their own dev journals.
Cultural impact
Llamasoft proved a studio could have a consistent, eccentric voice and still ship commercially. Their newsletters fostered community decades before social media.