We spoke with Simon Turner at Plaion about their range of replica consoles, such as TheA500.
Plaion is the distributor of modern replica consoles such as TheC64, ThA500 and the forthcoming The Spectrum. We had the opportunity to ask Simon Turner, who is UK marketing director and responsible for global marketing of the retro division at Plaion a few questions. We discussed the inspiration behind these consoles, about getting the rights to old games, and their plans for any future releases.
Where did the idea of creating mini retro consoles come from?
Given we are all passionate retro gamers and had the means to start developing ideas around preserving our favourite videogames, the idea was really born out of the natural development of our careers.
It can’t be easy to get permission to release games for these machines. How do you track down IP owners and what is the process like for including games?
In a word – hard! Given the age of the games and hardware we work with, it can be very difficult to track down rights owners. Additionally, many of the rights are still disputed, and it is not always clear who owns what. We have access to a variety of tools that allow us to understand the formality of rights ownership, and we also have our experience – we have all been in the industry from the very beginning and have a vast network of contacts who help us track down various rights holders. If we can find them, and there is a deal to be done, more often than not we are able to officially license the hardware and games that we want. However, if this is not possible, we will never use a property that can’t be officially licensed. It’s also important to note that our list doesn’t start with what’s available – our list starts with the machines and games we are passionate about and that we think the fans will want.
What other challenges than the question of who owns the rights do you face? We notice, for instance, that there never seems to be any games from publishers such as Activision, EA, et.c. in these products, despite them still being around.
As the years go by, supposed rights holders can emerge and make the licensing very complicated. While certain brands may believe that they hold full rights, more often than not different third parties claim royalty rights and so on – just because the perception is that it must be easy to license games from established publishers, this is often not correct. For example, I believe that ‘Commodore’ is subject to three different companies claiming they have full rights to the name and 100% ownership of it, despite the fact that none of them can provide any form of legal providence. Licensing is a complicated business!
THEA500 mini was not released with a joystick; why did you opt for a joypad, which is more associated with the Amiga CD32? What was the rationale behind this decision?
As mini-consoles started to take off, we noticed that most users wanted joypads and had become used to using them, so we decided to incorporate that consumer demand in to our product strategy.
Will THEA500 full-size be released?
We will be releasing a full-size Amiga so please stay tuned for additional information over the next few months!
Regarding the Mini/Maxi 500, what are your thoughts on including software like Scala, music programs, and Deluxe Paint, etc.?
Given we are yet to release specific details on our new machine, we can’t really comment on potential software inclusion, but all will be revealed over the next few months.
The Amiga supported two mice connected at the same time, allowing for multiplayer in games such as The Settlers and Lemmings. This functionality did not seem to work in TheA500 Mini, is it something you’re looking into for the Maxi version?
Given we are yet to release specific details on our new machine, we can’t really comment on hardware features, but all will be revealed over the next few months.
Have you made a profit on all your releases? Which has sold the best?
You’ll obviously understand that commercial information can be sensitive for a number of reasons, but we can confirm that the sales performance of all of our retro gaming products has been strong, and has left us in a position whereby we can invest in future projects. THEC64 Mini has been a particular highlight so far.
What do they think in general about people downloading a bunch of games/abandonware «illegally» for their machine?
We liken what we’ve done to creating a record or CD player. So, if you own a record or a CD, it’s really difficult for you to have access to media that you’ve already paid for. We try and facilitate the fact that if you’ve legally purchased a game previously, you can play it again.
When will «The Spectrum» come to Norway?
The machine will be available in Norway from launch, which is 22nd November.
What is the next big milestone for RETRO GAMES?
Well, we’re looking forward to seeing how The Spectrum is received – initial indications are very promising! After that, we will be focused on the full-size Amiga project, and we have additional hardware plans in place for 2025.
Thanks for your time!
Here are some other short-ish interviews we’ve published lately:
- Atari founder: Nolan Bushnell
- Creator of Counter-Stike: Minh «Gooseman» Le
- CEO at Funcom Rui Casais
- Tim Arnold from Pinball Hall of Fame