Retro gaming enthusiasts, get ready for a deep dive into the career of a true industry original! Sheep In Space, LLC, the team behind the documentary features in the Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story, has announced a Kickstarter campaign for their new project, Heart of Neon. This documentary will chronicle the remarkable 40-year career of video game legend Jeff Minter.
Who is Jeff Minter?
For those unfamiliar with Minter, he’s been a singular force in game development since the early 1980s. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he’s remained an independent voice, creating unique and often psychedelic games across nearly every major platform. Think titles like Tempest 2000, Defender 2000, and the more recent Polybius – games known for their distinctive visual style and often intense gameplay.
Heart of Neon promises an insider’s perspective on the ever-evolving video game industry through the lens of Minter’s enduring journey. The documentary will feature interviews with industry executives from giants like Microsoft, Sony, and Atari, alongside insights from those who know Jeff Minter best. This looks set to be an intimate portrait of an artist who has dedicated his life to the craft of making video games on his own terms.
Key features of this documentary
To summarise, you can expect:
- Unique inside story about the video games industry
- Interviews with industry executives from Microsoft, Sony & Atari
- Interviews with people who know Jeff Minter the best
- An intimate portrait of an artist who made video games their life’s work
Director Paul Docherty, himself a former 1980s video game graphics artist, emphasizes Minter’s unique position: “In Jeff Minter’s experience I see the same modest 1980s game developer attitude. He truly is an independent. While he has partnered with many distribution companies over the years, Jeff makes the games he wants to make. It’s the name of his company that goes over the title. Heart of Neon is a film about how rare and special that is.”
The Kickstarter campaign to fund the Blu-ray release of Heart of Neon will launch on Thursday, May 22nd, 2025.
If you’re a fan of video game history and the stories of the individuals who shaped it, be sure to check out the Kickstarter campaign page for more details: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dokk/the-heart-of-neon-blu-ray. This is your chance to support a project that promises to shed light on a truly unique and influential figure in the world of gaming. You can also checkout the project’s website, www.heartofneon.com.
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