risky business - kick off keynote for trustmarque
DESCRIPTION
A 45 minute whistle-stop tour through my 'career' covering early 8-bit gaming development successes, failures and lessons learned from a teenager. Some pointers on how to change one thing at a time in businesses large and small. All combined with some lessons learned from risk management in high adrenaline aviation. A warmly received punchy nostalgic look over a varied 30 years from teenager to 45 year old innovator, developer and innovator.TRANSCRIPT
“Risky Business”Mungo Leir
‘Pilot, publisher, innovator, one-time millionaire and pauper’
ACORN BBC MICRODECEMBER 1982
JANUARY 1983
CONVENIENCE
SINCLAIR QL1984
QL CAVERNJULY 1985
ASK FOR THE MONEY
£2,500
ATARI ST1985
ATARI ST1985
PERSONAL COMPUTER WORLD SHOWSEPTEMBER 1985
PERSONAL COMPUTER WORLD SHOWSEPTEMBER 1985
LOGISTICS
“Paradox were one of the first companies to release any game on the ST with Mission Mouse which ran in mono only. I never saw a finished copy but what I did see only really came into the 'alright' category. Nothing else seemed to happen for a year and then, suddenly, at the PCW show in 1986 Paradox leapt out with no less than six ST games all in glorious colour and with midi-compatible sound to boot!”
PARTNER WISELY
QUALITY OR QUANTITY?
IS THE GRASS GREENER?
CAN YOU DELIVER THE REQUIREMENTS?
SINK OR SWIM
(Distribution and re-selling)1990-1995
Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesSpeedball II
Kick OffSensible Soccer
LemmingsDungeon Master
WormsChampionship Manager
Golden AxeBubble Bobble
And…
GRAFT & SELL(until the next opportunity comes along)
REMEMBER…PARTNER WISELY
1995
RISK:Capital or Income?
WIFE
TODAY NEWSPAPER - 1993
INCOME IS GOOD
(especially if you are married)
Airmail sold 1997
£4 million
OWNERSHIP IS BETTTER
(AS IS HINDSIGHT)
instant access
Encrypted content on CD-ROM. First non-channel sale of Microsoft products in the world.
OLD WARDEN AIRFIELD - 1995
OLD WARDEN AIRFIELDFLIGHT SIMULATOR 95
20 YEARS…
20 MILLIONUSERS
1995 - 2005
20,000 SOLDEACH ISSUE
THE PERFECT MARKET
No viable competition
Cheap to develop
High spending hobby
Selling on back of Microsoft
THREE YEARS
THREE STAFF
£3,000,000 SALES
(Just Flight)
THE DOWNSIDES OF MICROSOFT
EVERY TWO YEARS
GROUND ZERO
CHANGE ONETHING
(It works at home too)
2006 -
DIFFERENT PRODUCT
SAME MARKET
CHANGE ONETHING
(It works in the office too)
TODAY NEWSPAPER - 1993
FREEDOM
CHALLENGE
EXCITING
RISKY
“Assumptions cost lives”
REWARDING
FOCUS & SAFETY
AND SEXY