A new book on the legendary British developer and publisher Psygnosis is currently in the process of being crowdfunded, by Éditions 64k — a French independent publisher who previously released various books on the Amiga demoscene.
Psygnosis, as you may well be aware, was the developer behind like Barbarian, WipEout, and Colony Wars, and also helped bring other studios' games like Shadow of the Beast and Lemmings to the market. Founded in 1984 as a successor to Imagine Studios, it originally got its start developing games for home computers like Atari ST and Commodore Amiga, before famously becoming part of Sony Computer Entertainment in 1993, where it was tasked with developing games for the upcoming Sony PlayStation.
In 1999, it was announced that the company would be consolidated into Sony Computer Entertainment, eventually resulting in the Psygnosis name being dropped in favour of the more corporate-sounding SCE Studio Liverpool. SCE Studio Liverpool went on to release various F1 titles and a bunch of additional entries in the WipEout series but was later shut down in 2012, leading several key members of staff to go on to form a new venture under the name Firesprite.
Psygnosis: Games people play Tome One is described as "a story of an era when imagination and technology came together to redefine the world of video games" and will take a look at the famous Liverpool company's games, through "interviews, archives, and analysis". It will chart the company's journey from the Bandersnatch successor Brattacas, through to some of its later more recognizable hits.
Here's the description, provided by the publisher:
"Immerse yourself in the fascinating history of Psygnosis, one of the most iconic video game studios of the 1980s and 1990s. Through a detailed exploration of its origins, successes and challenges. Discover how this Liverpool-based company left its mark on the video games industry, with memorable titles such as Shadow of The Beast, Agony and Lemmings. At the crossroads of technological innovation, artistic creativity and gaming culture, Psygnosis has been able to push back the boundaries of what is possible, while coping with increasing economic and technological change."
If you're interested in backing the project, you can do so by heading over to the Éditions 64k website. The campaign is set to end next month on May 11th, giving you a little bit of time to weigh up whether or not you want to snag a copy of your own.
Anyone who backs the project will also get a T-shirt thrown in, featuring the company's iconic logo, designed by Roger Dean.