This month, Digital Eclipse will release Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story on modern systems, giving gamers the most exhaustive look yet at the life and library of the legendary British developer.
We've been speaking to Digital Eclipse's editorial director Chris Kohler about the project, and he's spoken a little more about the fact that the pack will mark the official home debut of the Konix Multisystem – a British-made console/computer which was cancelled back in the early 1990s.
In case you weren't aware, the Konix Multisystem was set to be a truly groundbreaking piece of gaming hardware. It would have featured a steering wheel, flight yoke, motorbike handles, force feedback and even an optional seat, giving players the most immersive experience outside of arcades.
Sadly, it never came to be. Despite the promise of powerful internal tech (supplied by Flare, the company that would later work on the Atari Jaguar), the Konix Multisystem was ultimately undone by the failings of its parent company, which was on the brink of financial collapse.
A 1989 release was pushed into 1990, but when it was confirmed in March of that year that Konix had sold off its range of joysticks to rival Spectravision in order to keep the firm afloat, the writing was effectively on the wall. Despite a rescheduled August 1990 release window, the Konix Multisystem died when Konix ran out of money.
As a result, the machine itself is something of a unicorn – no units were ever mass-produced (although the original 'Flare One' tech was purchased by arcade gambling machine manufacturer Bellfruit) and, despite a range of games being in development when the plug was pulled, nothing has ever surfaced in playable (and official) form – until now.
Llamasoft's Attack of the Mutant Camels '89 was one of the most notable games being made for the Konix Multisystem, and, thanks to the efforts of Digital Eclipse, we're finally going to get the chance to play it 34 years after the system was officially declared dead.
Speaking exclusively to Time Extension, Kohler says:
We’re even going to have the Konix Multisystem, which never even came out at all. The hardware doesn’t even exist, as far as I know. I don’t even know of anybody that has one. But we’re actually going to emulate Attack of the Mutant Camels ’89 for this system that never came out and you can play that on your Xbox or your Switch or your computer. It’s just going to be very cool to have this stuff out there. And the other really important thing is that Jeff owns all these games because as a point we make he is just an indie developer through and through. He never "sold out".
Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story launches on March 13th on Steam, PS5, PS4, Switch and Xbox Series X/S.