imported>Stooob: Colin Roach didn't start the company but joined later, removed 1988 defunct date - no evidence of this

2025-06-23T10:24:25Z

Colin Roach didn't start the company but joined later, removed 1988 defunct date - no evidence of this

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{{Short description|Former British video game developer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{More citations needed|date=August 2011}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Software Projects
| logo = Sw-projects.png
| industry = [[Video game industry|Video games]]
| products = [[Personal computer game|Computer games]]
| location = Bear Brand Complex, Allerton Road, [[Woolton]], [[Liverpool]] L25 7SF
| key_people = [[Matthew Smith (games programmer)|Matthew Smith]], Alan Maton, Tommy Barton,<ref name='pcw8dec83'>{{cite magazine |title=Bug-Byte loses claim to fame|magazine=Popular Computing Weekly|issue=49|publisher=Sunshine Publications|date=8 December 1983|page=5|url=https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.php?issue_id=2784&page=5|access-date=28 January 2023}}</ref> Colin Roach
| founder = Matthew Smith, Alan Maton<ref name='pcw_ms'>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.carlylesmith.karoo.net/spectrum/matsmith/mattpcw.html|magazine=[[Popular Computing Weekly]]|date=April 1984|author=Graham Taylor|title=And pigs will fly... Graham Taylor talks to Matthew Smith and Alan Maton of Software Projects}}</ref>
| foundation = 1983
}}
'''Software Projects''' was a computer game development company which was started by ''[[Manic Miner]]'' developer [[Matthew Smith (games programmer)|Matthew Smith]], Alan Maton and Liverpool businessman Tommy Barton. After leaving [[Bug-Byte]] as a freelance developer, Smith was able to take the rights to his recently developed ''Manic Miner'' game with him, due to an oversight in his freelance contract.<ref name='pcw_ms' /> Software Projects was then able to market and publish the [[ZX Spectrum]] hit game separately from [[Bug-Byte]]. Their logo was a [[Penrose triangle]].

In 1987, Software Projects released '''Special FX Software'''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> first title ''Hysteria''.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=March 1988 |title=NEWS |pages=8 |magazine=[[Crash (magazine)|Crash]] |url=https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.php?issue_id=1017&page=8 |publisher=Newsfield|access-date=November 8, 2023}}</ref>

==Released games==
* ''Anaconda''
* ''Astronut''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://worldofspectrum.org/archive/software/games/astronut-software-projects-ltd|title=World of Spectrum - Astronut}}</ref>
* ''[[BC's Quest for Tires]]''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.zzap64.co.uk/cgi-bin/displaypage.pl?issue=001&page=034&thumbstart=0&magazine=zzap&check=0|title = BC's Quest for Tires}}</ref>
* ''Binky''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nx13389.your-storageshare.de/s/ts9d6YokQ7HMH96|title=Amstrad Action-001-Binky-AMS.JPG}}</ref>
* ''[[Crazy Balloon]]''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/uta_Crazy_Balloon_1983_Software_Projects_388|title=Crazy Balloon (1983 Software Projects) [388]|date=1983 }}</ref>
* ''Crypt Capers''<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/26615/Crypt-Capers/ | title=Crypt Capers - Software - Game - Computing History }}</ref>
* ''Dinky Doo''<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/40999/Dinky%20Doo/ | title=Dinky Doo - Software - Game - Computing History }}</ref>
* ''Dodo Lair''<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/12666/Dodo-Lair/ | title=Dodo Lair - Software - Game - Computing History }}</ref>
* ''[[Dragon's Lair (1983 video game)|Dragon's Lair]]''<ref name="Commodore User Magazine Issue 41">{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/commodore-user-magazine-41/page/n66/mode/1up?view=theater|title = Commodore User Magazine Issue 41|date = February 1987}}</ref>
* ''[[Escape from Singe's Castle|Dragon's Lair Part II - Escape from Singe's Castle]]''<ref name="Commodore User Magazine Issue 41"/>
* ''Ewgeebez''<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/17687/Ewgeebez/ | title=Ewgeebez - Software - Game - Computing History }}</ref>
* ''Fatty Henry''
* ''Galactic Gardener''<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/31330/Galactic-Gardener/ | title=Galactic Gardener - Software - Game - Computing History }}</ref>
* ''Harvey Smith Showjumper''<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/12632/Harvey-Smith-Showjumper/ | title=Harvey Smith Showjumper - Software - Computing History }}</ref>
* ''Hunchback at the Olympics''
* ''Hysteria''
* ''[[Jet Set Willy]]''<ref name='pcw_ms' />
* ''[[Jet Set Willy II]]''
* ''Karls Kavern''<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/20223/Karls-Kavern/ | title=Karls Kavern - Software - Game - Computing History }}</ref>
* ''Learning with Leeper''
* ''Ledgeman''
* ''Legion''
* ''[[Loderunner]]''<ref>{{Cite web| title=Lode runner | url=https://worldofspectrum.org//pub/sinclair/games-inlays/l/LodeRunner.jpg | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150908002231/http://www.worldofspectrum.org/pub/sinclair/games-inlays/l/LodeRunner.jpg | archive-date=2015-09-08}}</ref>
* ''McKensie''
* ''[[Manic Miner]]''
* ''Nutcraka''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bbcmicro.co.uk/game.php?id=229|title = Nutcraka}}</ref>
* ''Ometron''<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/30740/Ometron/ | title=Ometron - Software - Game - Computing History }}</ref>
* ''Orion''
* ''Project Graphics Language''
* ''Push Off''
* ''Run and Plunder''
* ''Space Swarm''
* ''Space Joust''
* ''[[Star Paws]]''
* ''[[The Perils of Willy]]''
* ''Thrusta''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/Personal_Computer_Games_Issue15/page/n49/mode/2up?view=theater|title=Personal Computer Games Issue15}}</ref>
* ''Tribble Trubble''<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.retrogamer.net/retro_games80/tribble-trubble/ | title=Tribble Trubble | Retro Gamer | date=23 December 2008 }}</ref>

In 1984 and 1985 they released a number of budget titles at £2.99 on the ''Software Supersavers'' label.<ref>{{Cite journal|date=February–March 1985|title=More at less|url=https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.php?issue_id=353&page=82|journal=ZX Computing|publisher=Argus Specialist Publications|pages=82}}</ref>

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Defunct video game companies of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Video game companies established in 1983]]

{{UK-videogame-company-stub}}

Software Projects - Revision history

imported>Stooob: Colin Roach didn't start the company but joined later, removed 1988 defunct date - no evidence of this