Julian Gollop

Last updated

Julian Gollop
Born1965 (age 57–58)
NationalityBritish
Occupation(s) Game designer
producer
Years active1982–present
Employer(s) Snapshot Games
(founder and CEO)
Known for X-COM
Notable work Chaos: The Battle of Wizards
Rebelstar series
Laser Squad
X-COM: UFO Defense
SpouseReni (m. 2003) [1]
Website http://snapshotgames.com

Julian Gollop is a British video game designer and producer specialising in strategy games, [2] who has founded and led Mythos Games, Codo Technologies and Snapshot Games. He is known best as the "man who gave birth to the X-COM franchise." [3]

Contents

Early life

Julian Gollop was born in 1965. [4] He came of age in Harlow, England. [5] When he was a child, his father introduced him to many different types of games, including chess, card games, and board games. [5] [6] His family played games regularly, choosing to play games instead of going to see films. [5] When he was about 14 years old, Gollop started playing more complex games like Dungeons & Dragons , SPI board games, and Avalon Hill board games. [5] [6] After home computers became a reality while he was in secondary school, Gollop's fascination for complex strategy games helped him recognise how computers could allow him to make and play games he enjoyed. [5] [6]

Game development

Early career (1982 to 1988)

In 1982, while he was still in secondary school, Gollop started designing and programming computer games. [1] [6] [7] For £25, Gollop bought his first computer, a ZX81, from a school friend to learn programming. [6] Even though the ZX81 only had one kilobyte of memory and no real graphics processing ability, he was "amazed" at its capabilities. [6] His first published games were Islandia and Time Lords, which he made for the BBC Micro in 1983 with programmer Andy Greene, a school friend. [7] [8] [9] Gollop subsequently upgraded to a ZX Spectrum and began creating video games like Nebula in BASIC. [6] He recognised that his future involved computers. [6]

When Gollop went on to the London School of Economics to study sociology, he spent more time creating video games such as Chaos: The Battle of Wizards and Rebelstar than he spent studying. [1] [6] He created the first Rebelstar by himself as a two-player game and brought it to a publisher that had an office near his college. [6] They wanted it to be a single-player game, something he had not made before, [6] so Gollop created functional path-finding algorithms from scratch, the game got published, and it ended up doing well. [6]

Mythos Games (1988 to 2001)

In 1988, he was joined by his brother, Nick Gollop, in founding Target Games, a video game development company that subsequently changed to Mythos Games. [6] [10] Under the Mythos name, the Gollop brothers designed and developed computer games such as Laser Squad , X-COM: UFO Defense and X-COM: Apocalypse . [2] [10] [11] Up to this time, Gollop had only made computer games for 8-bit and 16-bit home computers commonly found in Europe. [6] It was with X-COM: UFO Defense that he first beginning making video games directly for the MS-DOS and later Microsoft Windows operating system personal computers that at the time would be sold primarily in the United States. [6] Despite the success of these and other games, Mythos Games was forced to close in 2001 after an essential publisher was acquired by a company that withdrew commitments for The Dreamland Chronicles: Freedom Ridge, which Mythos Games was in the process of developing. [6] [12] [13]

Codo Technologies (2001 to 2006)

After closing Mythos Games, Gollops founded Codo Technologies. [13] They were disheartened by how mainstream publishers treated them at Mythos Games, so they tried a different business model. [13] The inaugural game of Codo Technologies in 2002 was Laser Squad Nemesis , a turn-based tactics game with asynchronous, multiplayer play-by-email features which required a monthly subscription. [13] The Gollop brothers developed only one other game, Rebelstar: Tactical Command , before he moved to Bulgaria with his wife in 2006. [14] [15]

Ubisoft Sofia (2006 to 2012)

After moving to Bulgaria, Gollop began working for Ubisoft in Sofia as a game designer. [6] He was promoted quickly to producer, eventually leading the development of Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars for the Nintendo 3DS. [6] [16] He then became the co-creative director of Assassin's Creed III: Liberation for the PlayStation Vita. [16] Gollop left Ubisoft in 2012 with ideas to remake games from earlier in his career. [14] [15] [16] [17]

Snapshot Games (since 2013)

As of 2017, Gollop works in Sofia as the CEO and chief designer for Snapshot Games, an independent video game developer he co-founded in 2013 with David Kaye. [3] [18] [19] [20] Chaos Reborn, the studio's first game, was released by Snapshot Games in 2015. [21] He then led his company's development of Phoenix Point , which was released in December 2019. [3] [22]

Accolades

IGN included him among the top hundred computer game creators of all time. [2] In the X-COM reboot, XCOM: Enemy Unknown , Firaxis Games gives homage to Gollop in the form of a "Gollop Chamber" facility in the game. [23] Jake Solomon, creative lead for this XCOM and its sequel, XCOM 2 , credits Gollop for much of his success. [24]

Games

TitleYearDeveloperPublisher
Time Lords1983Julian Gollop Red Shift
Islandia1983Julian GollopRed Shift
Battlecars 1984SLUG
Julian Gollop		 Games Workshop
Nebula1984Julian GollopRed Shift
Rebelstar Raiders 1984Julian GollopRed Shift
Chaos: The Battle of Wizards 1985Julian GollopGames Workshop
Rebelstar 1986Julian Gollop Firebird
Rebelstar II 1988Julian Gollop Silverbird Software
Laser Squad 1988 Mythos Games Blade Software
MicroLeague
Lords of Chaos 1990Mythos GamesBlade Software
X-COM: UFO Defense 1994Mythos Games MicroProse
Spectrum HoloByte (Japan)
X-COM: Apocalypse 1997Mythos GamesMicroProse
Magic and Mayhem 1998Mythos Games(Windows)
The Dreamland Chronicles: Freedom Ridge CancelledMythos Games—
Laser Squad Nemesis 2002 Codo Technologies
  • EU: Merscom
Rebelstar: Tactical Command 2005Codo Technologies Namco
Rebelstar 2: The Meklon ConspiracyCancelledCodo Technologies—
Chessmaster Live 2008 Ubisoft SofiaUbisoft
Feral Interactive (Mac OS X)
Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars 2011Ubisoft SofiaUbisoft
Assassin's Creed III: Liberation 2012Ubisoft SofiaUbisoft (PlayStation Vita)
Chaos Reborn 2015 Snapshot Games Snapshot Games
Phoenix Point 2019Snapshot GamesSnapshot Games

Related Research Articles

<i>XCOM</i> Video game series

XCOM is a science fiction video game franchise featuring an elite international organization tasked with countering alien invasions of Earth. The series began with the strategy video game X-COM: UFO Defense created by Julian Gollop's Mythos Games and MicroProse in 1994. The original lineup by MicroProse included six published and at least two canceled games, as well as two novels. The X-COM series, in particular its original entry, achieved a sizable cult following and has influenced many other video games; including the creation of a number of clones, spiritual successors, and unofficial remakes.

<i>X-COM: Terror from the Deep</i> 1995 video game

X-COM: Terror from the Deep is a strategy video game developed and published by MicroProse for the PC in 1995 and for the PlayStation in 1996. It is a sequel to X-COM: UFO Defense and the second game of the X-COM series, this time taking the war against a renewed alien invasion into the Earth's oceans.

<i>X-COM: UFO Defense</i> 1994 video game

UFO: Enemy Unknown, also known as X-COM: UFO Defense in North America and as X-COM: Enemy Unknown, is a 1994 science fiction strategy video game developed by Mythos Games and MicroProse. It was published by MicroProse for DOS and Amiga computers, the Amiga CD32 console, and the PlayStation. Originally planned by Julian Gollop as a sequel to Mythos Games' 1988 Laser Squad, the game mixes real-time management simulation with turn-based tactics. The player takes the role of commander of X-COM – an international paramilitary and scientific organization secretly defending Earth from an alien invasion. Through the game, the player is tasked with issuing orders to individual X-COM troops in a series of turn-based tactical missions. At strategic scale, the player directs the research and development of new technologies, builds and expands X-COM's bases, manages the organization's finances and personnel, and monitors and responds to UFO activity.

Tactical role-playing games, also known as strategy role-playing games and in Japan as simulation RPGs, are a video game genre that combines core elements of role-playing video games with those of tactical strategy video games. The formats of tactical RPGs are much like traditional tabletop role-playing games and strategy games in appearance, pacing, and rule structure. Likewise, early tabletop role-playing games are descended from skirmish wargames such as Chainmail, which were primarily concerned with combat.

<i>Chaos: The Battle of Wizards</i> 1985 video game

Chaos: The Battle of Wizards is a turn-based tactics video game released for the ZX Spectrum in 1985. It was written by Julian Gollop and originally published by Games Workshop. Based on Gollop's 1982 design for a board game / card game hybrid, Chaos received a positive reception and went on to influence various games, including Darwinia and King's Bounty, and spawned a sequel, Lords of Chaos, in 1990.

<i>X-COM: Alliance</i> Cancelled video game

X-COM: Alliance is a cancelled video game in the X-COM series. The game was developed by two different teams of MicroProse developers between 1995 and 2002. It had the player assume the role of commander of the militarized scientific mission lost in space during the aftermath of X-COM: Terror from the Deep.

<i>Laser Squad</i> 1988 video game

Laser Squad is a turn-based tactics video game, originally released for the ZX Spectrum and later for the Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, MSX, Amiga, Sharp MZ-800 and Atari ST and PC computers between 1988 and 1992. It was designed by Julian Gollop and his team at Target Games and published by Blade Software, expanding on the ideas applied in their earlier Rebelstar series. Laser Squad originally came with five mission scenarios, with an expansion pack released for the 8-bit versions, containing a further two scenarios.

<i>Rebelstar</i> 1984 video game

The Rebelstar games are a series of turn-based tactics video games designed by Julian Gollop. Rebelstar Raiders was published in 1984 by Red Shift for the ZX Spectrum. It was reworked in machine code as Rebelstar, published by Firebird in 1986. A sequel, Rebelstar II, was published in 1988 by Silverbird. Rebelstar, but not its sequel, was also adapted for the Amstrad CPC home computer.

<i>UFO: Aftermath</i> 2003 video game

UFO: Aftermath is a 2003 real-time tactics/turn-based strategy video game created by ALTAR Interactive. It is a homage to the X-COM game series, with roots in the unfinished game The Dreamland Chronicles: Freedom Ridge. It was followed by two sequels, UFO: Aftershock (2005) and UFO: Afterlight (2007).

<i>Rebelstar: Tactical Command</i> 2005 video game

Rebelstar: Tactical Command is a turn-based tactics video game developed by Codo Technologies and published by Namco and Atari Europe for the Game Boy Advance in 2005. It's the fourth game in the Rebelstar series. The game was created by Julian Gollop, who previously designed X-COM: UFO Defense, Laser Squad and the original Rebelstar games.

Red Shift was a video game publisher active between 1983 and 1985. They were well known for their strategy games and had a close working relationship with Julian Gollop and Games Workshop.

<i>The Dreamland Chronicles: Freedom Ridge</i> Video game

The Dreamland Chronicles: Freedom Ridge is an unreleased video game for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 2 by Mythos Games. Developed by the team which produced X-COM: UFO Defense, including lead designer Julian Gollop, the game was planned to be "a remake of the first X-COM with 3D graphics," as the first of four games planned in the new series. Cancelled in 2001, the unfinished game was later bought and partially turned into UFO: Aftermath by Altar Interactive, which was in turn itself followed by two sequels. Some elements of the game are also present in Gollop's own Phoenix Point.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mythos Games</span> UK video game developer

Mythos Games was a British video game developer company founded by Julian Gollop and Nick Gollop in 1988 as Target Games. It is best known for its 1994 strategy game X-COM: UFO Defense, which went on to become the first installment in the later XCOM series. Following the closing of Mythos Games in 2001, the brothers founded Codo Technologies.

<i>XCOM: Enemy Unknown</i> 2012 video game

XCOM: Enemy Unknown is a 2012 turn-based tactical video game developed by Firaxis Games and published by 2K. The game is a "reimagined" remake of the 1994 cult classic strategy game X-COM: UFO Defense and a reboot of MicroProse's 1990s X-COM series. Set in an alternative version of the year 2015, the player controls an elite multinational paramilitary organization called XCOM during an alien invasion of Earth. The player commands troops in the field in a series of turn-based tactical missions; between missions, the player directs the research and development of technologies from recovered alien technology and captured prisoners, expands XCOM's base of operations, manages finances, and monitors and responds to alien activity.

Ian Paul Terry is an English computer game designer and artist. He was responsible for designing a variety of games from the early ZX Spectrum through to PC. He has co-designed successful games such as Rebelstar and Lords of Chaos, and was the lead designer in the creation of Magic and Mayhem.

<i>Chaos Reborn</i> 2015 video game

Chaos Reborn is a turn-based tactical role-playing game developed by Snapshot Games and was part funded through a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign in April 2014. Following an early access release in December 2014, the full game was released in October 2015.

<i>Phoenix Point</i> 2019 video game

Phoenix Point is a strategy video game featuring a turn-based tactics system that is developed by Bulgaria-based independent developer Snapshot Games. It was released on December 3, 2019, for macOS and Microsoft Windows, for Stadia on January 26, 2021, and Xbox One and PlayStation 4 on October 1, 2021. Phoenix Point is intended to be a spiritual successor to the X-COM series that had been originally created by Snapshot Games head Julian Gollop during the 1990s.

Snapshot Games is a Bulgarian video game developer headquartered in Sofia. Snapshot Games was founded in 2013 by Julian Gollop and David Kaye. Gollop is recognized for creating the X-COM video game franchise in the 1990s with X-COM: UFO Defense and X-COM: Apocalypse. Gollop also is the CEO of Snapshot Games. In addition to Gollop, the company includes about eight developers who are industry veterans with years of previous experience working for Ubisoft Sofia, Crytek Black Sea, and other Bulgaria studios.

Allen Stroud is a researcher and university lecturer at Coventry University. He is currently leading the Creative Futures project, a funded research partnership between Coventry University and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL). Previously, he was Course Leader for the BA Media (Hons) Top Up and BA (Hons) Media and Communications. Before that, he was the course leader for Film and Television Production and the Creative Writing for Publication degrees at Bucks New University. Up until the end of 2019, he was the editor of the British Fantasy Society Journal. He also composes instrumental music; however, Stroud is best known for his sci-fi fantasy novels and video game writing. He was the 2017 and 2018 chair of Fantasycon, the annual convention of the British Fantasy Society, which hosts the British Fantasy Awards.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The Lords Of Chaos Downloads for Commodore Amiga and Atari ST Tribute Website". amigalordsofchaos.tripod.com. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 "Top 100 Game Creators". IGN. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 Hall, Charlie (2 May 2017). "X-COM spiritual successor Phoenix Point hits $500K crowdfunding goal". Polygon . Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  4. ↑ "Chaos Reborn • View topic - Happy Birthday Julian!". www.forum.chaos-reborn.com. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Julian Gollop". Notey. 4 February 2014. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 "Interview With XCOM Creator Julian Gollop". Notey. 30 August 2011. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  7. 1 2 "Legendary Game Designers: Julian Gollop". GamesNostalgia. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  8. ↑ "Julian Gollop (Person) - Giant Bomb". Giant Bomb. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  9. ↑ "Julian Gollop | Retro Gamer" . Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  10. 1 2 Bickham, Al (28 November 2010). "0". Eurogamer. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  11. ↑ "Mythos Games Ltd - UFO Enemy Unknown". 6 June 2001. Archived from the original on 6 June 2001. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  12. ↑ "The Dreamland Chronicles is Set Free". IGN . 11 April 2001. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Gillen, Kieron (9 November 2007). "Making Of: Laser Squad Nemesis". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  14. 1 2 "Julian Gollop - Google" . Retrieved 24 August 2013.
  15. 1 2 Jenkins, David (1 April 2014). "XCOM creator Julian Gollop interview – Chaos Reborn on Kickstarter | Metro News". Metro.co.uk. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  16. 1 2 3 Yin-Poole, Wesley (9 April 2014). "What XCOM creator Julian Gollop did next". Eurogamer . Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  17. ↑ Micek, Greg (3 April 2014). "Julian Gollop Discusses Chaos Reborn". Cliqist. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  18. ↑ "Inspired by X-COM, Snapshot Games is creating Phoenix Point for fall 2018". venturebeat.com. 25 April 2017. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  19. ↑ "Phoenix Point has hit its funding target". gamereactor.eu. 3 May 2017. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  20. ↑ "Phoenix Point Boss Battle Gameplay Revealed". ign.com. 5 June 2017. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
  21. ↑ Meer, Alec (9 October 2015). "X-COM Creator's Chaos Reborn Is Born This Month". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  22. ↑ "Release Update". Phoenix Point. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  23. ↑ Griliopoulos, Dan (25 April 2013). "X-Com creator Julian Gollop on how he would have designed Enemy Unknown differently, and why it would have failed | News". PC Gamer . Retrieved 24 August 2013.
  24. ↑ Hall, Charlie (26 June 2017). "XCOM 2 dev is hyped for Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle". Polygon . Retrieved 26 June 2017.
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