From 8-bit bedroom coder to global franchises
What is this?
I’m Steve Wetherill. For over 40 years, I’ve been building video games. My journey started in the golden age of the ZX Spectrum (Nodes of Yesod, Robin of the Wood) and spanned the industry’s evolution through the 16-bit era (Projectyle, Desert Strike), the RTS explosion (Command & Conquer, Red Alert), and into the modern era of online gaming (Battle Pirates).
This newsletter is my memoir in real-time. I’m documenting the wild stories, the technical hacks, the “pirate ship” offices, and the forgotten history of how this industry was actually built, and where it went from there.
I believe this history belongs to everyone, so the digital edition here will always be free to read.
Why subscribe?
Free Subscribers get a new chapter of the story delivered to their inbox roughly every two weeks. No spam, just history.
Paid Subscribers get to join the inner circle. You’ll get access to the comments to swap war stories, plus exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
The Ultimate Perk: Be Part of History
My long-term goal is to compile these posts into a printed memoir. All paid subscribers will be listed in the “Special Thanks” section of the published book. Join now to get your name in the credits of the final release.
To learn more about the tech platform that powers this publication, visit Substack.com.
