Magnetic Fields (computer game developer)
Encyclopedia
Magnetic Fields was a British game development company founded by Shaun Southern and Andrew Morris in February 1982. The company was originally named "Mr Chip Software" but renamed "Magnetic Fields (Software Design) Ltd." usually simply referred to as "Magnetic Fields", in 1988. Between 1982 and 1984 they released the developed games themselves with limited success. In 1984 they ceased publishing games themselves and instead developed for Publishers Mastertronic and then later for Alternative Software, Gremlin Graphics and other publishers. Probably the best known game released under the Mr. Chip Software company name was Trailblazer which led to several sequels and ports to other systems. Most of the other games released under the Mr. Chip Software label were already focused on racing like Kikstart 2
, but also some non-racing games found a fanbase like P.O.D.
. Although early development was focused on the Commodore 64
and Commodore VIC-20
platforms the company widened the number of target platforms for their games in the mid 1980s. With the switch to the "Magnetic Fields" name the company also switched from 8-Bit systems to the rather new 16-Bit systems. While developing games belonging to many different genres, Magnetic Fields soon focussed on racing games. The 1985 release of "Formula 1 Simulator" was already technically on par with the competing racing games of that time.
The company became well known in 1990 for their releases of Super Cars
and Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge on most common home computer systems of the time. Especially the strong sales on the Amiga 500
and Atari ST
platforms led to sequels in 1991. In 1996 the company released Network Q RAC Rally Championship
for the MS-DOS platform which received many favourable reviewsand led to several expansions and sequels. The last release of the company was Mobil 1 Rally Championship
for Windows and Playstation platforms in 1999.
In 2000 Shaun Southern, Andrew Morris and Neil Critchlow founded a new company called "Eugenicy" to develop more racing games but the company was closed down before anything was ever released.
Andrew Morris released the original promotional trailer for Eugenicy on his youtube channel in 2009.
The company has agreed to let fans distribute their releases for 8-Bit systems as long as no profit is made from these. This has led to additional interest in the company among users of emulators for such older hardware.
Kikstart 2
Kikstart 2 is a motorcycle trials racing videogame released for the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum. It enjoyed more success than its prequel, Kikstart. The game allowed 2-player simultaneous or 1-player, vs-computer play...
, but also some non-racing games found a fanbase like P.O.D.
Proof Of Destruction
Proof of Destruction is a computer game for the Commodore 64, developed by Mr. Chip Software and published by Mastertronic. It is a shooter, Centipede-like game released in 1987, featuring up to two player spaceships moving about on a grid, trying to kill enemy spaceships to go to the next level.-...
. Although early development was focused on the Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
and Commodore VIC-20
Commodore VIC-20
The VIC-20 is an 8-bit home computer which was sold by Commodore Business Machines. The VIC-20 was announced in 1980, roughly three years after Commodore's first personal computer, the PET...
platforms the company widened the number of target platforms for their games in the mid 1980s. With the switch to the "Magnetic Fields" name the company also switched from 8-Bit systems to the rather new 16-Bit systems. While developing games belonging to many different genres, Magnetic Fields soon focussed on racing games. The 1985 release of "Formula 1 Simulator" was already technically on par with the competing racing games of that time.
The company became well known in 1990 for their releases of Super Cars
Super Cars
Super Cars is a top-view racing game from Gremlin Interactive, who later produced the Lotus series of games. Stylistically, the game is influenced by Super Sprint...
and Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge on most common home computer systems of the time. Especially the strong sales on the Amiga 500
Amiga 500
The Amiga 500 - also known as the A500 - was the first “low-end” Commodore Amiga 16/32-bit multimedia home/personal computer. It was announced at the winter Consumer Electronics Show in January 1987 - at the same time as the high-end Amiga 2000 - and competed directly against the Atari 520ST...
and Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
platforms led to sequels in 1991. In 1996 the company released Network Q RAC Rally Championship
Network Q RAC Rally Championship (1996)
For the 1993 version, see Network Q RAC Rally Championship Network Q RAC Rally Championship is a rally computer game which is part of the Rally Championship series, being the sequel to the 1993 game with the same name...
for the MS-DOS platform which received many favourable reviewsand led to several expansions and sequels. The last release of the company was Mobil 1 Rally Championship
Mobil 1 Rally Championship
Mobil 1 Rally Championship is a rally video game which is part of the Rally Championship series. The game was released for Windows and PlayStation in 31 December 1999...
for Windows and Playstation platforms in 1999.
In 2000 Shaun Southern, Andrew Morris and Neil Critchlow founded a new company called "Eugenicy" to develop more racing games but the company was closed down before anything was ever released.
Andrew Morris released the original promotional trailer for Eugenicy on his youtube channel in 2009.
The company has agreed to let fans distribute their releases for 8-Bit systems as long as no profit is made from these. This has led to additional interest in the company among users of emulators for such older hardware.