Commercial Breaks - The Battle For Santa's Software (Best quality) - Imagine & Ocean Software

In early 1984 the Imagine team were working on a spectacular project known as 'Bandersnatch'. The game was to come in an A4 sized box containing around 30 'goodies' including a required additional piece of hardware for your Spectrum computer. The retail price of 'Bandersnatch' was expected to be around £40 and it was to be a completely new concept in computer games. Apparently 10 professional artists were working on the graphics alone. Bandersnatch was never released. On the 9th of July 1984, Imagine went bust after only 18 months of operation. This documentary also features Ocean Software, who were situated at 6 Central Street, Manchester at the time.

[@Chilliconcarnage]

This documentary should be preserved in a museum. A wonderful time capsule and piece of history.

[@BlueBookGuy]

Thank you for sharing.... never seen before, Coding/Gaming in the 80s was fresh and new for everybody, it was one big adventure! Thank you too all those that produced such brilliant games! Remains part of our memories forever!

[@dronespace]

Thanks for sharing really interesting 20:43 looks like a terrifying cross between the Hulk, ET and Delboy

[@kevinharrison4909]

It's tragic how all the diverse range of computers and the entire British computer industry, along with the hobbyist bedroom programmers potentially becoming rich eventually lost out to the rise of the wintel monopoly and thousand eyed monsters that stifle innovation like electronic arts.

[@RustyBullet1974]

stumbled across this, thanks for sharing. My childhood, and i still love video games.

[@marcdelaunay1]

Ken morse rostrum camera! Worked with him when he was at Bbc scotland early nineties and beyond! 😝👍

[@graham217]

What an amazing time to be alive

[@evo5dave]

Ahhh... My childhood!

[@davidhall7648]

David Ward died recently ...R.I.P.

[@set1237]

Everiss still blames piracy for Imagine's downfall. Not the fact that they spanked every penny on cars and vapourware.

[@denislechevalier8517]

oh yeah for sure.

[@adamskyj69]

I never bought the idea of piracy destroying companies in the 80s computer games market, as the majority of piracy was by school children who couldn't afford to buy the games anyway! Also, the game sold if it was good - I didn't ever pirate any Ultimate game, always bought them even when they rose to £10 from Sabrewulf - that says it all!

[@rwxdesigns]

I'm glad my copy of Hunchback is original. I think if I went back in time to show Ocean my new version of Hunchback I'm writing they'd have a meltdown and force money into my hands to get it finished!

[@ttrjw]

Hugh Sykes - a very familiar voice even 35 years later!

[@mustardegg2]

Is he still active? It would be great if he could ring people up on my behalf and intimidate them.... of course I am willing to pay... but not too much, after all I must look after the balance of my pocket book as a priority. For how can a man prosper in a society like ours without sufficient funds ?

[@tier1turks]

When the game dev's are real ones...

[@wlsmojo]

12:40. You’re about to watch an MD’s head explode 😅😂

[@NJJ77]

6:57 sucking on a dart in the office. I remember mid 90s when I started working in an office with computers the nicotine stained equipment.

[@MatthewBester]

Release date in 6 weeks. Price £40. Oh wait, release is delayed and will probably cost more. Not much has changed. At least there was no DLC and day one patches.

[@mustardegg2]

Britain in 1984 looks like a miserable and terrifying time.....

[@mlucifersam]

Why do you think that? It wasn't! If I could go back there I'd be there in a flash!

[@mustardegg2]

@@mlucifersam everyone looks poor and malnourished and there is a a general air of depression and menace

[@magusxxx]

Black Mirror sent me. I couldn't help myself.

[@glue-sniffer]

you look diffent in this tony 😂👍

[@PeasGraveny]

"When we going to see it, Sylvia, 'Bandersnatcher' " Sounding a tiny bit boomer-y there,Chris!

[@aangryy3099]

so bandersnatch never got finished

[@tinblue]

£49? Did Imagine loose the plot with Bandersnatch?

[@dorksouls978]

Yes. Did you not watch the documentary?

[@jarrodhartanku3188]

I guess they were trying to go "AAA". I can respect their ambition and what they were aiming for, but I guess it needed to be balanced with practicality at the same time..... Hindsight, 20/20, etc.

[@poljkuki]

Why is it muted around 1min? Uncomfy facts or what?

[@mlucifersam]

No, a copyrighted song

[@mustardegg2]

the narrator went on a racist and threatened the viewers. The BBC was different back then.