Jester Interactive
Encyclopedia
Jester Interactive is a video game developer
based in North Wales
in the United Kingdom
and was founded in 1997 as a trading arm of Morgan Computing Limited. It would later trade under the name Jester Interactive Limited, and after going into administration in 2003 http://www.ukresistance.co.uk/pics3/jesterdead.jpg would re-emerge trading as Jester Interactive Publishing Limited. The company is well known for its music sequencing software on home consoles in the form of their MUSIC
and MTV Music Generator branded software.
and then Managing Director, Gavin Morgan.
Jester Interactive initially consisted of a small team of five people working in offices based at Liverpool's Port of Liverpool Building
where a custom made studio was constructed to develop the company's first title NoiseToyshttp://www.coldstorage.org.uk/images/noisetoys.jpg. NoiseToys was later re-titled MUSIC Station, and then shortened to simply MUSIC with the strap line Music Creation for the PlayStation Generation. This line of software also featured a DJ Character known affectionately as 'Scratchy'http://www.coldstorage.org.uk/images/scratchy.jpg which usually appeared on all Jester's MUSICtm products.
After a very quick development of roughly 9 months, Jester launched its first title MUSICtm through Codemasters
to critical acclaim. Winners of the Official PlayStation Magazine award for the Most Innovative Game 1999 and Sony Computer Entertainment America’s award for Most Innovative Game 2000, Jester also twice reached final nomination for the highly acclaimed BAFTA awards in the category of user interface http://www.gamezone.com/news/04_02_01_08_02AM.htm.
Jester sustained this level of success scoring highly in reviews for its subsequent MUSICtm based releases. They then went on to develop several racing games involving Super Trucks
and The Isle of Man TT races.
In 2000 Jester won the Achievement Wales 2000 Business of the Year Award from the Daily Post / Wales 2000 initiative http://www.xsgames.biz/news/jul24.php.
In 2001 it was ranked No.4 in the Fast Growth 50 company list http://fg50.community.sequence.co.uk/fg50/fg50-2001.
Aside from any other achievement, their MUSICtm range of software has sold more copies than any other music sequencer Worldwide http://www.mobygames.com/company/jester-interactive-publishing.
At its peak Jester has over 50 employees at two offices (Mold, North Wales & Liverpool, England) and enjoyed many highs in the form of export awards http://cymru.gov.uk/news/archivepress/officefirstminspress/firstminpress2001/748564/?skip=1&lang=en and also suffered lows in the form of unreleased product such as Girl Talk (PlayStation
& PocketStation
), Hellgate (Dreamcast), Dr. Who PS2. The culmination of the lows led to Jester finally going into administration in 2003, but quickly re-emerging as Jester Interactive Publishing Limited.
Jester's most recent titles include TT Superbikes and TT Legends and they are by all accounts working on as yet un-revealed titles http://www.mcvuk.com/news/30047/Jester-Interactive-returns-with-a-flurry-of-new-releases.
Jester Interactive has been first in many areas; It was the first software development house to be given permission by Sony to launch a non-game utility on its PlayStation console, likewise by Nintendo on its Gameboy Handheld consoles. It was also the first new media company to benefit from the assembly government's £7m Wales Creative IP Fund.
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
based in North Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and was founded in 1997 as a trading arm of Morgan Computing Limited. It would later trade under the name Jester Interactive Limited, and after going into administration in 2003 http://www.ukresistance.co.uk/pics3/jesterdead.jpg would re-emerge trading as Jester Interactive Publishing Limited. The company is well known for its music sequencing software on home consoles in the form of their MUSIC
Music (software)
Music is the common name of a series of music creation programs created by Jester Interactive and published by Codemasters. The programs are tools that allow the user to create music. This can be done either by inserting pre-made riffs and other sound samples, or creating original riffs by...
and MTV Music Generator branded software.
History
Jester Interactive Limited was formed as part of, and through funding from Morgan Computing Limited - a Database Software company based in North Wales. Key staff who kicked off this venture were Lee WrightLee Wright
Lee Wright is a British computer/video game programmer. He was the co-founder of software houses Jester Interactive Limited and Checkmate Solutions Limited, and his recent works include eJay music sequencers for Empire Interactive Limited...
and then Managing Director, Gavin Morgan.
Jester Interactive initially consisted of a small team of five people working in offices based at Liverpool's Port of Liverpool Building
Port of Liverpool Building
The Port of Liverpool Building , is a Grade II* listed building located in Liverpool, England. It is sited at the Pier Head and along with the neighbouring Liver Building and Cunard Building is one of Liverpool's "Three Graces", which line the city's waterfront...
where a custom made studio was constructed to develop the company's first title NoiseToyshttp://www.coldstorage.org.uk/images/noisetoys.jpg. NoiseToys was later re-titled MUSIC Station, and then shortened to simply MUSIC with the strap line Music Creation for the PlayStation Generation. This line of software also featured a DJ Character known affectionately as 'Scratchy'http://www.coldstorage.org.uk/images/scratchy.jpg which usually appeared on all Jester's MUSICtm products.
After a very quick development of roughly 9 months, Jester launched its first title MUSICtm through Codemasters
Codemasters
The Codemasters Software Company Limited, or Codemasters is a British video game developer founded by Richard and David Darling in 1986...
to critical acclaim. Winners of the Official PlayStation Magazine award for the Most Innovative Game 1999 and Sony Computer Entertainment America’s award for Most Innovative Game 2000, Jester also twice reached final nomination for the highly acclaimed BAFTA awards in the category of user interface http://www.gamezone.com/news/04_02_01_08_02AM.htm.
Jester sustained this level of success scoring highly in reviews for its subsequent MUSICtm based releases. They then went on to develop several racing games involving Super Trucks
Super Trucks Racing
Super Trucks Racing is a truck racing video game for the PlayStation 2. All drivers and sponsor information are based on 2002 season of the Super Trucks racing series....
and The Isle of Man TT races.
In 2000 Jester won the Achievement Wales 2000 Business of the Year Award from the Daily Post / Wales 2000 initiative http://www.xsgames.biz/news/jul24.php.
In 2001 it was ranked No.4 in the Fast Growth 50 company list http://fg50.community.sequence.co.uk/fg50/fg50-2001.
Aside from any other achievement, their MUSICtm range of software has sold more copies than any other music sequencer Worldwide http://www.mobygames.com/company/jester-interactive-publishing.
At its peak Jester has over 50 employees at two offices (Mold, North Wales & Liverpool, England) and enjoyed many highs in the form of export awards http://cymru.gov.uk/news/archivepress/officefirstminspress/firstminpress2001/748564/?skip=1&lang=en and also suffered lows in the form of unreleased product such as Girl Talk (PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
& PocketStation
PocketStation
The is a peripheral by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation home video game console. Categorized by Sony as a miniature personal digital assistant, the device features a monochrome liquid crystal display , infrared communication capability, a real-time clock, built-in flash memory, and...
), Hellgate (Dreamcast), Dr. Who PS2. The culmination of the lows led to Jester finally going into administration in 2003, but quickly re-emerging as Jester Interactive Publishing Limited.
Jester's most recent titles include TT Superbikes and TT Legends and they are by all accounts working on as yet un-revealed titles http://www.mcvuk.com/news/30047/Jester-Interactive-returns-with-a-flurry-of-new-releases.
Jester Interactive has been first in many areas; It was the first software development house to be given permission by Sony to launch a non-game utility on its PlayStation console, likewise by Nintendo on its Gameboy Handheld consoles. It was also the first new media company to benefit from the assembly government's £7m Wales Creative IP Fund.
Titles Released
- MUSIC - Music Creation for the PlayStation PlayStation - 1998
- Music 2000 / MTV Music Generator PlayStation, PC - 1999
- MTV Music Generator 2 PS2 - 2001
- Supertruck Racing PS2 - 2002
- Pocket Music Gameboy & Gameboy Advance - 2002
- Music 2002 Slinky Club Edition PC - 2002
- Music 3000 / Funkmaster Flex's Digital Hitz Factory PS2 - 2003
- TT Superbikes PS2 - 2007
- TT Superbikes RRC PS2 - 2008
- TT Superbikes Legends PS2 - 2008
External links
- Official Jester Interactive Website
- Official Jester Interactive Forum
- Official Jester Interactive on-line store
- Jester MUSIC product summary
- Codemasters MUSIC 2000 forum
- Interview with bike racer Paul Owen, Regarding Jester Bike Racing Game
- BBC News Article - Jester Interactive Computer game is Wales Creative IP Fund's first new media investment