Remember Firebird? An upcoming book delves into the history of one of Britain’s early software houses.
Launched in 1984, Firebird was owned by British Telecom, a recently privatised entity that is now more comonly referred to as BT. it managed to issue a succession of well-received games in the UK before hitting the skids and eventually closing in 1989.
The first three games published on the label were The Wild Bunch (ZX Spectrum), Booty (Commodore 64) and Bird Strike (BBC Micro). (I have personal recollections of the second two games; I included Booty among the C64 games I spent the most time on.)
This new book, Memories of Firebird: The Unofficial and Unauthorised History, is by Richard C Hewison and published through independent Telos. With a £34.99 pre-order price, the book is set to be 288 pages long, and described as an “extensively illustrated, full-colour, coffee-table-style book.” It tells the story of how and why British Telecom got involved in the nascent home computer industry in the UK.
In 1984, telecommunications giant British Telecom decided to enter the fray and become a computer games publisher, creating Firebird Software. Firebird produced almost 250 different titles, with classic games including Booty, Thrust, Elite, The Sentinel and Virus to name just a few. This is their story.
You can learn more about this book and pre-order a copy at the Telos listing for Memories of Firebird.
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Christian Cawley is a writer and editor who covers consumer electronics, IT, and entertainment media. He has written for publications such as Computer Weekly, Linux Format, MakeUseOf.com, and Tech Radar.
He also produces podcasts, has a cigar box guitar, and of course, loves retro gaming.