LD!

then and now

First launched over three years ago, Retro Gamer has gone
on to become an essential purchase for anyone with a love
of retro gaming. To celebrate the launch of our first eMag,
we decided to lock Darran Jones and Martyn Carroll in a
room in order to discover the magazine’s rich history

D
arran: When did you decide that launch issue in three weeks is just stupid.
the time was right to produce a To compound matters, I was already
retro magazine? editing three other magazines at the time
Martyn: The idea of a retro gaming (two awful kids’ comics and a console
magazine was first mentioned around cheats mag). There was no freelance
2002. The publisher had this grand plan budget allocated either so I had to call on
of filling half the pages with classified friends for favours. Aaron Birch, who at the
ads and making thousands out of people time was a staff writer on one of Live’s PC
selling retro stuff, but when he realised that mags, wrote several pieces under various
people already used eBay for doing that, false names to make it look like we had
the idea was dropped outright. Then about some semblance of a team. I got a couple
a year later, the idea resurfaced again, this of old school mates to contribute articles
time as a premium-priced magazine full of for free, and other Live employees chipped
retro features and with a coverdisc slapped in where and when they could (John
on the front. This was around August 2003. Southern was called on to bang out the
A cover was mocked up and I was asked Sinclair feature in one weekend). Most of
start work on the magazine in November. my contributions were merely updates of
articles I’d written for a genre movie mag
Darran: How long did the first issue take called The Dark Side. I’d been lowered to
to create and what problems did you ripping off myself!
encounter?
Martyn: The first issue had to be finished Darran: How did you go about assembling
before we broke up for Christmas, which the original team?
gave me just over three weeks to pull Martyn: A few days after the magazine
» This is the original cover mock-up, date-stamped August 2003. It was
designed by Tym Leckey, who laid out Amiga Computing magazine for
everything together. Doing any single issue was given the green light, I went along to
IDG in the 1990s. And it showed. in three weeks is mad, but trying to do a the Micro Mart show at the NEC where

01 | RETRO GAMER
 retro gamer: then and now

I met Shaun Bebbington for the first time.

Shaun had organised a small retro section
with a few classic computers and coin-ops
on display. I’d read his Micro Mart retro
column before so we had a brief chat and
I told him about the proposed magazine.
He was keen so I asked him if he’d like
to contribute. Other writers came on
board after they’d seen the first issue
and emailed me with article suggestions.
Richard Burton and David Crookes were
the first and I’m chuffed that they still write
the magazine today. They were followed
by Simon Brew, Jonti Davies, Alex Carroll
(no relation) and Craig Vaughan. So
basically people contacted me rather than
the other way around, and as long as their
pitch was convincing I’d sign them up. I
didn’t know any of the writers beforehand
except for Kim Wild who had written
several game guides for me pre-RG. I
knew she had an interest in retro so was
delighted when she asked to contribute.

Darran: Retro Gamer was originally going

to be a quarterly magazine, what made you
change your mind?
Martyn: The magazine went from as there is now. I admit that some of the fell apart in the last week and we spent » Left: A fresh-faced Martyn Carroll, pictured
shortly after joining Live Publishing as a staff
quarterly to bi-monthly to monthly in the hardware features were a bit too techy in many a deadline working through the night. writer in 2000. Right: Forgive Darran Jones for
space of four issues. The official line was places, for my taste at least, but feedback looking smug, he’s just landed his dream job at
the all-new Retro Gamer.
because the magazine was selling so well suggested that a lot of readers enjoyed Darran: How important do you feel the
and in a way that was kind of true. The them. I got more complaints when we cover discs were?
real reason, however, was that Live was watered stuff down rather than the other Martyn: They went some way to
convinced that another publisher would way round. justifying the price, even if they cost
see the strong sales of the first two issues around 25p to physically produce and yet
and launch a competing title. Unlike Live, Darran: Is there anything about Retro lumped a pound on the cover price. I think
no other publisher would be daft enough Gamer that you would have done they helped early on in attracting people
to launch a magazine in three weeks, so differently? who might have otherwise passed over
it was assumed that we had a good three Martyn: There were things I would the mag, but generally most readers were
months to establish Retro Gamer and get have liked to have changed but couldn’t fully aware that most of the content could
the community on side before someone in my humble position, such as the price be easily downloaded from the web. It’s
like Future Publishing stepped up to the (breaking the five-pound barrier was short- a difficult one because the debate about
mark. They never did of course. sighted and greedy) and the cover disc whether the cover disc should be bought
(all Live mags had one so it was there to back appears on the current forum every
Darran: Why did so many top-ten styled stay, no matter what). My biggest personal other month, so some folks obviously
lists appear in the first issues of the regret was not giving specific commissions appreciated them.
magazine? to freelancers. I basically gave the writers
Martyn: It was just quick and dirty filler a deadline date and a rough word limit and Darran: How easy was it to create content
copy. When you’re persuading people left them to get on with it. The benefit of for them?
to write stuff for free it obviously helps if this was that they weren’t restricted by Martyn: It was a pain. There was no
it’s easy to knock together. I should point templates and often turned in some truly dedicated disc editor (obviously) so
out that the Top 100 Games feature in excellent, individual pieces. The downside I compiled all the discs myself, and it
issue one was mainly included because was that it was a complete nightmare to usually took me two or three days – time
there was a very real possibility that there manage. I was never quite sure how many that I should have spent editing the mag.
wouldn’t be a second issue. I was told that pages an article would run to until it turned Sometimes I was lucky in that we’d have
» The directors of Imagine Publishing have strong
if the first issue bombed the mag would up, and then the hacked-off designer had some exclusive content, but mostly I’d just ties with Oliver Frey, so it was only natural that
be canned outright, so I tried to make to try and make it all magically fit. It always download some freeware games, throw his distinctive art would soon start appearing.
the issue work as a one-off just in case
the axe fell. But looking back it just looks
pretentious now. “the Top 100 Games feature in issue one was
Darran: Do you feel there was too much included because there was a possibility that
focus on hardware in the earlier issues?
Martyn: No, not really. There was usually
there wouldn’t be a second issue. I was told that if
just one hardware feature in each issue, the first issue bombed the mag would be canned”

RETRO GAMER | 02
 LD!
O

then and now

» The original Retro Gamer was one
of the first magazines to actively
support the homebrew scene,
as this in-depth interview with
Cronosoft proves.

in a few emulators for good measure and Darran: Do you have any funny stories
then dress it up in a nice inlay. about creating the first few issues?
Martyn: It’s all a bit of a blur to be honest. and making everything more digestible.
Darran: What was the best disc and why? However, I’ll never forget the publisher However, I think we only succeeded
Martyn: It has to be the one with the looking at issue one and congratulating in short-changing those readers who’d
Konix videos and the Hewson back our ad sales lady on getting Epson subscribed or bought the magazine based
catalogue. The Konix stuff was just brilliant on board. He’d been looking at the on the earlier issues.
and I remember being absolutely thrilled advertisements from 1983 at the back of
when I first viewed the footage. I also the magazine. Darran: What do you think of the
loved the C64 audio CD that Chris Abbott relaunched Retro Gamer?
kindly provided. Darran: When did you first start to Martyn: I like it a lot and some of the
notice a drop off in sales during the Live recent issues have been very strong. It’s
Darran: How easy was it to secure back Publishing period and what did you do to certainly more professional looking than
catalogues from companies such as combat this? the Live magazine thanks to the template
Gremlin and Hewson? Martyn: It’s funny; at Live you were design and the higher production values
Martyn: It was easier than you’d perhaps only told if the sales were particularly all-round. The “Making of” features are
think because we just went to companies good or bad. If they were up or down my favourite – I really wish I’d included
cap-in-hand and asked if we could cover slightly, or just held steady, there was no more of those in the Live mag.
mount some of their old games. Often communication. The biggest drop was
we’d just stumble across opportunities. from issue three to four. The management Darran: Where do you think Retro Gamer
For example, I went to see a company blamed the cover-mounted music CD can go next?
called Jester Interactive about some of its not being to everyone’s taste, but I was Martyn: I think as the years pass and
upcoming GBA releases, and its PR guy convinced that the bubble had burst early. more games and systems become retro,
happened to mention that they owned I think I was right because sales continued and hence harder to find, RG could widen
the Hewson back catalogue. We asked to slide, albeit slowly. They levelled out the collecting angle. I always imagined
if we could cover mount the games in around issue ten and we were left with that the magazine would one day become
» While the earlier Live Publishing covers were
often criticised for their lack of creativity, you return for plugging its upcoming releases what was probably our core audience. like a retro gaming version of Record
can’t really do much with a big DVD case. and that was that. It was give and take. The whole ‘Volume 2’ charade was a Collector, where a programmer, software
Similarly, I interviewed the boss of Elite way of generating some new interest house or system is covered in detail and
Systems and he told me that they owned in the magazine by including lots of then there’s a large focus on how much
the Durell back catalogue, and it went shorter, regular features, catering more
from there. Amazingly, a lot of the people for console fans,
we approached either read Retro Gamer
or had at least heard of it, so
» Staff got to meet readers, retro fans and
conversations always got off to a
Matthew Smith at the first Classic Gaming Expo good start.
UK, held on a very hot weekend in July 2004.

» The beginning of our eight-page Sonic the Hedgehog

feature to celebrate the blue hero’s 15th birthday.

03 | RETRO GAMER
 retro gamer: then and now
» Some people
accused Retro
Gamer for giving
far too much
coverage to Jet
Set Willy creator
Matthew Smith...

about it and it was definitely a very brave

move on Live Publishing’s part – I’d been
related items are worth. People love pitching a similar magazine at Highbury,
knowing that something they own is worth but to no avail – but I wasn’t its biggest
a bob or two, even if they’ll probably never fan. To be fair though, this was mainly
part with it. I’d go as far as including price because I was working on games™ at
lists for various systems – like the ones the time and felt that Live Publishing
Digital Press produce. was trying to cash in on our retro section. Then, of course, there was the readership
Arrogant I know, hey, but I can be who were also concerned about what
» The Jet Set Willy loving continues. To
Darran: Why do you think Retro Gamer arrogant sometimes. I’ve lost count of would happen if Retro Gamer ever came be fair though, he didn’t really receive
receives such a supportive fan base? the times that I’d leave a sarky comment back (at that point no one knew that more coverage than any other popular
videogame character.
Martyn: It would be easy to say it’s on their forums saying that a feature Imagine had been looking at buying it).
because it’s a niche magazine and was extremely similar to one I’d written Luckily, when we did finally announce
such titles always attract a dedicated a month or two previously, but luckily Retro Gamer’s return the majority of
readership, but I really think that Retro that’s all in the past. So I welcomed the old readers were extremely happy with
Gamer has become something of a opportunity to meet up with you at the the news.
focal point, pulling together the various very last CGEUK and we sorted out our
retro communities on the web. And differences over a few beers. Martyn: How difficult was it adjusting to
that’s not easy to achieve when you editing a monthly mag as opposed to the
consider how disparate and diverse (and Martyn: Was it a difficult decision to Retro section of games™?
defensive) some of these groups are. It leave Highbury and take the reins at RG? Darran: It was a bloody nightmare.
shows that RG is managing to find that Darran: It was very difficult. You have to Mainly because I’d never been an editor
elusive balance between 8-bit and 16-bit, remember that back then Imagine was on an entire magazine before, so while
computers and consoles, nostalgia and seen to be a very unstable company (at I knew a few bits and bobs about the
the scene. There’s still some way to least from a Highbury point of view) as it editing process, a lot of it was alien to me.
go but it’s certainly moving in the right hadn’t even been around for six months. Fortunately, I had some brilliant support
direction. Also, I’m a family man and I couldn’t make from Damian, Mark, Simon and various
any rash decisions that would affect my freelancers, and while the first few issues
Martyn: What was your overall opinion of wife and two children, so I gave it some were rough going, things soon started to
the original Retro Gamer? very serious thought. On the other hand settle down nicely.
Darran: If I’m brutally honest I wasn’t I once told Simon Phillips (who was my
a huge fan of the Live Publishing days. editor on games™) that I’d follow him to Martyn: How did you approach the new
There were certainly features I liked hell and back, so after making a grand magazine? Did you look at what worked
claim like that, I felt I should follow it and what didn’t in the original mag, or did
through, seeing he was nice enough to you basically start from scratch?
offer me my dream job. Darran: It was a little of both really. I
knew there were certain elements that
Martyn: Were you worried that RG may I wanted to keep – Desert Island Disks
have attracted a negative image after the was a no-brainer, for example. But I was
Live fallout? also keen to stamp my own authority
Darran: Definitely. I remember reading on the mag, and was eager to introduce
some very nasty comments on the new ideas that I had been saving for
old retro survival forum about how the my Highbury mag and the retro section
freelancers had been treated by Live and I of games™. Initially we started a series
knew that I was going to have a hard time called ‘The Classic Game’ but it didn’t » When we’re not using Oliver Frey or Wil
convincing some of them to work for me. really work as a four-page spread because Overton, we prefer iconic imagery like this.

“Retro Gamer has become something of a focal

point, pulling together the various retro
communities on the web. that’s not easy when you
» Live’s marketing maharishi Tony Allen in a promotion shot
that appeared in trade journal MCV. consider how diverse some of these groups are”

RETRO GAMER | 04
 LD!
O

then and now

» Retro Gamer has always striven to produce the finest articles,

having people involved in the magazine who worked in the
industry at the time proved to be a huge boost.

it was far too long. If you want to hear Retro Gamer is that the writers involved
someone rave on about how wonderful need to ‘know their shit’ so to speak. You
a game is you can simply head over to have to remember that the vast number
the internet. We felt the articles needed a of readers will probably know just as
little more substance and insight, so after much (or maybe even more) about a
the first two issues they were turned into certain subject as you, so you need to
Making Ofs. At first we only ran two an make sure that the writers you have are
issue, but they’ve proven to be so popular the best that you can find. People like
that we now run about five a month. Paul Drury, John Szczepaniak, Ashley Day,
David Crookes and Shaun Bebbington had
Martyn: How long did the relaunch issue been instrumental in the success of Retro
take to create and what problems did you Gamer during the Live Publishing period,
» On joining Live in April 2004, Shaun Bebbington’s first job was to uncover the contents of the Mega-tree disks using
his outlandish Commodore set-up.
encounter? so they were some of the first people I

“the vast number of readers will probably

know as much (or maybe more) about a
subject as you, so you need to make sure that
the writers are the best you can find”
» Coin-Op Conversions Darran: The biggest problem we had was in touch with (mainly because they
still appears in Retro
Gamer, but like many
was time, or rather a lack of time. The had already written for me when I was
of the older articles, it issue was due to go to the printers on 21 at Highbury). Unfortunately, I wasn’t able
was given a new look November and I joined Imagine two weeks to get hold of everyone to begin with, but
and direction.
earlier, so we had an insanely now that you’ve unearthed a lot of old
short time to put everything contact numbers readers can expect to
together. Most days rarely saw see some familiar names over the coming
us leaving before midnight, few months.
but the excitement was so
high that we were all simply Martyn: What’s your view on the cover
fuelled on adrenaline. We felt disc debate?
it was important to get the Darran: We decided from the beginning
magazine out by the end of that they were a fairly pointless exercise
the year and I’m delighted and often entered a ‘grey’ area that we
to say that everyone pulled didn’t want to get involved with. We’ve
together to make it so. In never ruled them out completely, but
fact, the only downside to we’ve always said that if they were to
the short schedule was that return, it would be because the content
a few grammatical howlers couldn’t be found anywhere else. If you
occasionally crept into the look back at the previous disks, you can
text. Luckily, most people probably count the unique content on
were just happy that the one hand. Another issue we now have
magazine was back on the is that a lot of companies are now very
shelves, so we were able to cagey about releasing their back catalogue.
get away with it. Because of the likes of Xbox Live Arcade
and the Virtual Console, companies are
Martyn: Was it important now assuming that they could make more
to keep some of the original money by releasing past titles on these
» From the history of football management to the latest Virtual
writers on board? systems instead of a cover disc. And to be
Console reviews, Retro Gamer leaves no stone unturned. Darran: The problem with a magazine like honest, I can’t really blame them.

05 | RETRO GAMER
 retro gamer: then and now

» Here’s a few pages from

Retro Gamer 12’s in-depth
look at the Atari 2600.

Martyn: Have you considered any other the online community outside of the
giveaways such as bonus magazines or forums. We’re making amendments
retro posters? though and you’ll see a bigger focus
Darran: I’d love to do another Oli Frey on the homebrew scene over the next
calendar, particularly one that did his art few issues. The balance is a tricky one
justice, but time, as always, is usually because you’re never going to make
against us. I have a few plans for future everyone happy, mainly because
releases, but I’m certainly not going to tell they all have their own ideas of what
you what they are now. actually constitutes retro coverage. It’s
somewhat telling that when people
Martyn: Some of the covers are excellent. usually complain about the magazine
How difficult is it to source original they rarely moan about the quality of
artwork? the writing, it’s usually along the lines
Darran: It can be quite a pain, mainly of ‘I really liked/disliked this particular
because a lot of companies don’t actually game or genre, so therefore this new
archive anything. For example, I was issue is amazing/rubbish’, which is a little
desperate to get a specific piece of frustrating. Still, I can appreciate that we
Castlevania art for a recent cover, but have a broad audience and the best I
the original artwork no longer existed. can do is try and keep the magazine as
Fortunately, the new art worked extremely balanced as possible.
well, mainly because it’s taken from a
poster that was only released in Japan. Martyn: How much importance do you
The Oliver Frey pieces happen because give to forum feedback?
our art director, Mark Kendrick, used to Darran: I try and get on there as often as
work with him and they have a very good possible. I’ve built up a strong relationship
relationship and he’s managed to keep with many of the readers there and do my
most of his original art. I approached Wil best to answer their questions as quickly
Overton because I was a huge fan of his as possible. I don’t have enough time to
Super Play covers and he was more than be there as often as I’d like, but I post
happy to help us out. Every single one of regularly and try and keep everyone up to
his pieces has been a work of art, and it’s date with everything that’s happening with more than enough of
hardly surprising that his Rare cover that the magazine. these already covering a
he drew for issue 20 won the vote for ridiculously wide range of retro subjects so
Best Cover on our forum recently. Martyn: Imagine has recently announced I don’t think the world needs another one » Retro Gamer prides itself on
having features that are just
that it plans to invest in its internet right now. as beautifully created as they
Martyn: You’ve tweaked the magazine presence. Does this include RG, and if not, are written.
quite a lot since you took over. Are you do you think that one day RG will be more Martyn: As a print title, how financially
happy with how it stands now, particularly closely integrated with the web? viable is Retro Gamer?
with the balance of content? Darran: I’ve not been told of any plans, Darran: I guess the real difference
Darran: There’s always room for but I don’t think Retro Gamer would work between the Imagine version of Retro
improvement and one of the things that as a PDF magazine or a website. There are Gamer and its Live Publishing counterpart
I’ve been guilty of lately is not giving is that we continue to make money on the
enough support to magazine, so it remains an asset to us.

Martyn: What are your plans for the

magazine this year?
Darran: More content, more interaction
with the readers, more great interviews,
more great features, more of everything
really. We’re rapidly approaching the 50-
issue mark. When we do expect to see
something really special.

Martyn: Can readers ever look forward to » Why have just another picture of the Wii on your
another RG Christmas Edition? front cover when you can get Wil Overton to
draw something amazing instead?
Darran: I don’t see why not. It’s
something we’ve discussed in the past
and there’s still plenty of time to plan for
the end of 2007. People have said that
they’d love to see a touched-up Oli cover,
but I’d prefer it if he could put a new one
together for us. In fact, I think I’m going to
give him a ring about it now.
» When an article is created, we want it to capture as
much spirit of the original game as possible.

RETRO GAMER | 06