Update [Tue 6th Dec, 2022 15:50 GMT]: The book has passed its initial funding goal of £25,000 and is close to hitting the £30,000 mark – so the team behind it have revealed the stretch goal for reaching £35,000.
Should the campaign pass that figure, brand new interviews will be included in the final book with industry legends such as composer Motohiro Kawashima (Streets of Rage 2, 3 and 4, Eye of the Beholder and Batman Returns), Star Fox 1 & 2 programmer Dylan Cuthbert, famous pixel artist Henk Nieborg (Shantae: Risky's Revenge, Lionheart and The Misadventures of Flink) and the one and only Andrew Braybrook (Uridium 1 and 2, Paradroid, Gribbly's Day Out and Fire and Ice).
"We have some more exclusive interviews we hope to add to the book before the end of the campaign," the Kickstarter page adds. "Keep tuned for more announcements as we get closer to this stretch goal!"
Original Story [Tue 15th Nov, 2022 14:30 GMT]: If you're a fan of retro gaming podcasts, then you'll surely have listened to at least one episode of The Retro Hour. Since it began in 2015, this UK-based series has interviewed 350 different gaming personalities, ranging from developers, musicians, journalists, executives and much more besides.
Now, the team behind the podcast is cooking up something a little more tangible – a book which cherry-picks 10 of the very best interviews from the show.
The Retro Hour: The History of Video Gaming From Those Who Made It Happen is a full-colour, premium hardback tome with over 400 of "unique insight into the careers of these amazing people, and the ways in which they helped shape the world's biggest entertainment medium." The book will also feature written content from the show's hosts, Dan Wood, Ravi Abbot and Joe Fox.
The confirmed interviews are:
- Nolan Bushnell - Founder of Atari, often referred to as "the father of video games".
- Dominik Diamond - Host of classic 90s UK gaming TV show GamesMaster.
- David Perry - Founder of Shiny Entertainment, known for such classics as Earthworm Jim, Disney's Aladdin and Cool Spot.
- Jeff Minter - “The Yak” himself, founder of Llamasoft, one of Britain's greatest and longest-running independent developers.
- Trip Hawkins - Founder of Electronic Arts and The 3DO Company.
- Al Nilsen - Sega marketing legend who helped to launch the Mega Drive, who gives us the inside story on how they challenged Nintendo's dominance.
- Ken Williams - Founder of Sierra Online, who brought us classic adventure games like Police Quest and Leisure Suit Larry.
- Ed Smith - Unsung black video game pioneer and creator of The Imagination Machine, a largely overlooked 70s console/computer hybrid.
- John Byrd - Sega's former director of development technology, who helped design the Dreamcast.
- “Wild” Bill Stealey - Former fighter pilot and MicroProse co-founder.
It's currently up on Kickstarter, with a relatively modest goal of £25,000.