Personal Software Services (PSS) was a Coventry-based British software company, founded by Gary Mays and Richard Cockayne in 1981.
Information
Personal Software Services was founded in Coventry, England by Gary Mays and Richard Cockayne in 1981. The company partnered with French video game developer ERE Informatique and published localized versions of their products in the UK. The Strategic War Games series was conceptualized by software designer Alan Steel in 1984. During the development of these titles, Steel would often research the theme of the next game and relay the findings to other associates in Coventry and London. Some games in the series generated controversy upon release, such as Theater Europe. In 1983, the company was recognized as “one of the best software houses” in the UK and was a finalist for BBC Radio 4's New Business Enterprise award that year.
In 1988, Cockayne made the decision to modify his products for release on 16-bit consoles, as he found that smaller 8-bit home computers, such as the ZX Spectrum, lacked the processing power for larger strategy games. . Cockayne claimed that PSS was not withdrawing from the 8-bit market, but no more 8-bit games were released after 1988.
After years of successful sales in the mid-1980s, Personal Software Services experienced financial difficulties, in which Cockayne admitted that he “diverted attention”. The company was acquired by Mirrorsoft in February 1987, and was later divested by the company due to debt tensions.
Address of this company:
- PSS
- 452 Stoney Stanton Road
- Coventry
- CV6 5DG
Company founders:
- Gary Mays
- Richard Cockayne
Software
For Amstrad PCW released