Jeff Minter

Overview

Alternative and independent game developer from England with a fascination for llamas, sheep, and camels. Formed Llamasoft Ltd. in 1982 and still develops games under this name. Creator of the polarizing Space Giraffe, a shmup for PC and Xbox Live Arcade which offered a twist on the familiar Tempest format. (Not so coincidentally, Minter also contributed his "Neon" visualization engine to the XBLA port of Space Invaders Extreme, as well as to the Xbox 360 dashboard in general.) Many of his games feature chaotic blends of sound bites, throbbing electronic music, flashy visuals, and bizarre nonsensical humour (often involving inside jokes referencing previous titles of his).

In more recent years, Llamasoft flirted with mobile platforms with the "Minotaur Project" series of retro-style games, which they ultimately were forced to abandon due to low sales. After that, though, things have picked up with the successful TxK and critically acclaimed Polybius...

Bio

Born April 22, 1962 in Reading, England. Began his game design career developing games for the VIC-20 among other early gaming machines such as the Commodore 64, Atari 2600, and Sinclair ZX81. As a child, Minter was afflicted with an illness, limiting him to bed-rest for several months. During this time, Minter formed a deep passion for computer programming. In 1981, Minter began commercially producing games for the ZX Spectrum, Atari 2600, Commodore VIC-20, Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX81. One of his first games, Gridrunner for the VIC-20, has been revisited multiple times, both as Gridrunner Revolution and as part of The Minotaur Project and Minotaur Arcade.