Thorn EMI Computer Software

rdf:langString Thorn EMI Computer Software

rdf:langString Thorn EMI Computer Software was a British video games software house set up in the early 1980s as part of the now-defunct British conglomerate Thorn EMI. They released a number of games in the early 1980s, initially for the Atari 8-bit family, and later for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and VIC-20 computers. In 1984, the Thorn EMI name was dropped in favour of Creative Sparks as the company were reportedly unhappy with their image in the video games market. A budget label, Sparklers, was created in early 1985 to publish titles at £2.50. Later in 1985, Creative Sparks, Sparklers and the distribution company, Creative Sparks Distribution (CSD) gained independence from Thorn EMI after a management buyout. In July 1987, six months after buying software company Mikro-Gen for a "substantial" sum,Creative Sparks went into receivership with debts estimated at up to £1.5million. The back catalogue of the company was acquired by Tynesoft, Alternative Software and Maynard International (Top Ten Software).The former management at CSD went on to form Software Publishing Associates, owners of the Crysys and Pirate Software labels.