Mastertronic
£1.99 hits from a London basement
Mastertronic flooded newsagents with budget games, giving bedroom coders a fast path from hobby to paycheck.
Overview
Mastertronic built a budget empire by bundling simple, catchy games onto £1.99 cassettes and delivering them to every corner shop in Britain. They combined aggressive duplication, bold cover art, and an eye for charismatic bedroom coders.
Fast facts
- Founders: Frank Herman, Terry Medway, Martin Alper, and Alan Sharam.
- Volume: released hundreds of titles across 8-bit micros, often in themed sub-labels like “Mad” and “Ricochet.”
- Distribution: sold through newsagents, petrol stations, and mail order—places traditional publishers ignored.
Legacy
Mastertronic merged with Richard Branson’s Virgin Games in 1987, forming Virgin Mastertronic and eventually seeding Virgin Interactive. Their talent pipeline introduced studios that later defined the 16-bit era.