Interceptor Micros

Interceptor Micros also known as Interceptor Software (and later as Interceptor Group) was a developer/publisher of video games for various 8bit and 16bit computer systems popular in Western Europe during the eighties and early nineties.

In addition to publishing games and utilities under the Interceptor label the company ran a tape and later disc duplication business, a print shop and associated graphic design studio, manufactured dual size cassette tape cases under the Compact Case Company brand and also published budget priced software under the Players and Players Premiere labels, and a couple of full-price titles under the premium Pandora label.

The company was owned and operated by father and son team Julian and Richard Jones, out of various locations in and around the small town of Tadley, near Basingstoke in Hampshire, England. At the height of its success the company employed around thirty people, but fell victim to the 90's video game decline, and went out of business in the early nineties.

Richard and Julian’s first foray into the computer games business is documented on the official Llamasoft web site with The Joneses and Jeff Minter forming a partnership in 1982. Although the Llamasoft account of the parties' short relationship and the events surrounding the dissolution of the partnership reflect Jeff Minter and his family's opinions, the key facts and dates do not seem to be in dispute. The Jones' and Minters' short-lived partnership ended in September 1982. History has shown that neither parties' interest in the business suffered from the split, with Jeff retaining the Llamasoft name and the Joneses forming Interceptor.

The following titles were published under the Interceptor label:

From 1986 to 1991 Players issued budget priced £1.99 tape based games for various 8bit platforms. The Players Premier label games were priced at £2.99. In addition some titles were released for the Atari ST and Amiga platforms on disc at £4.99 under the Smash 16 and Players Gold labels. The titles competed against budget software pioneer Mastertronic, and later Codemasters and others in an increasingly crowded budget software marketplace.

Players packaging was bright and colourful. The original concept was designed by Michael Wood a talented artist and designer and the then Studio Manager at Interceptor. Most of the packaging artwork at the time was designed by Michael Wood who had several talented artists working with him. The designs were worked up as finished pieces by air brush artists such as Peter Austin.

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