by 
A new heritage label focused on the games of Gremlin Graphics is set to launch later this year, with the help of Gremlin founder Ian Stewart.
Gremlin Graphics Classics is the work of Allan Turvey, the founder of the homebrew publisher Midnight Brew, who is working directly with Stewart on the project, and is set to launch this October at CRASH Live, where Stewart will be making an appearance alongside other Gremlin legends like Peter Harrap, Tony Crowther, and Shaun Hollingworth.
Gremlin Graphics was originally founded in 1984 by Ian Stewart and Kevin Norburn and grew out of the small software shop in a Sheffield side street called Just Micro. It initially became known for developing and publishing games for the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum, such as the Monty Mole series, Thing on a Spring, Bounder, and Jack the Nipper, before having success in the '90s with games like Zool and its Actua Soccer series (the latter being released under the name Gremlin Interactive). In 1999, the French publisher Infogrames bought the company, with the studio, renamed Infogrames Sheffield House, closing just four years later in 2003.
As stated in the announcement, the new heritage label will have a particular focus on "the company's pioneering 8-bit years and the people who helped shape them" and will bring together "developers (new and old), archivists, specialist partners and enthusiasts to restore and recover Gremlin's history, support new creative projects and ensure its iconic games and characters continue to inspire future generations." Some of those partners mentioned in the press release include Games That Weren't, The Gremlin Archive, the creators of the Spectrum NEXT, as well as the individuals behind Mega65, CRASH, and ZZAP!
As mentioned, one of the first projects to be released from the Gremlin Graphics Classic label will be a retrospective art book published via Fusion Retro Books, called Gremlin Graphics Classics Volume One: The ZX Spectrum (which is set to be followed next year by Gremlin Graphics Classics Volume Two: The Commodore 64). But this isn't the project on the boil, with Turvey also revealing the label is releasing the physical 'deluxe' edition of Dreamtime Monty — "the first official Monty Mole adventure in over 30 years" - for the Spectrum NEXT, which is being developed by Rusty Pixels and the Spectrum Next team.
Midnight Brew previously announced two Monty Mole projects last year, which Turvey says are still coming, and will now be released as part of this new label once they're ready.
“For most of this year, Ian Stewart and I have been discussing how we might work together with the classic Gremlin characters, and we quickly agreed that we wanted to do something a little differently," said Turvey in an email to Time Extension. "We didn't want to simply revisit the past for nostalgia's sake. Instead, we wanted to go back to learn more about the stories, the people and the creative spirit that made Gremlin so special, and bring that into the present for people to discover, enjoy and appreciate today. It's a fantastic opportunity and one I am really looking forward to.
"Gremlin was there at the very beginning, giving opportunities to the remarkable bedroom programmers who helped lay the foundations of the British games industry. That same independent, creative spirit is something we hope will inspire everything we do going forward, including bringing Gremlin's classic characters to more vintage platforms and giving players new adventures to enjoy.
"We know this is a niche market," he continued. "But that's exactly what makes it special. It's about passionate communities where people know one another, where creativity comes first, and where projects are driven by enthusiasm rather than deadlines. The people we've chosen to work alongside have already shown that, with a strong and supportive community, small-scale independent ventures can defy expectations and thrive."
"Of course, it has to be commercially sustainable, but our goal isn't simply to mine the past—it's to learn from it, build on it and create something new. We believe that's an adventure people will want to join us on.”
A website for the project has been launched here.