New Gremlin in the Works?
Industry vet Ian Stewart plans comeback
Computer Trade Weekly has linked industry veteran Ian Stewart to a possible buy back of Sheffield House from Infogrames. The development studio at Sheffield House is the meat of what used to be Gremlin, the company that Stewart built over the course of 16 years. Amongst Gremlin's triumphs are the inimitable Actua Sports games, but since Infogrames' acquisition of the firm in March of 1999, the twenty-three-million-pound studio has failed to capitalize on its position, with a string of ducks including UEFA Striker, Wacky Races and Hogs of War. Stewart's current company, Zoo Digital Media, is looking for content partners in an attempt to break into the console market. Said Stewart to CTW, "At the moment we're a company that produces entertainment products across a number of digital platforms [but] we're going a little more traditional and will be looking to go into the console market." Infogrames has offered no comment on Stewart's comeback or the state of Sheffield House, and the man himself was unwilling to be drawn on the topic by CTW.