FG: What's been your favourite moment in your career so far?

John: Wizball getting the Game of the Decade award for the '80s in Zzap 64 magazine. Receiving our second consecutive INDIN Developer of the Year award in 1993. The two minutes of February sunshine on the balcony of my Cannes hotel room at Milia '98 - it was the first time I had really felt like smiling for almost six months.

FG: What's been the worst moment?

John: Nearly all of 1997 and 1998 were a horrific uphill struggle, during which I personally layed off about 20 people, a number of whom are good friends, lost a hell of a lot of money, had to can the game of my dreams, and spent the whole time paranoid about being liable, getting sued and so on.

FG: What's the future for Sensible Software?

John: A good question. Subsequent to the abandonment of SDR and the completion of Sensible Soccer European Club Edition we currently have no office and no employees, as - believe it or not - we are making more money that way. What is really happening is that we are currently in the advanced stages of negotiating the sale of the company, and a company with no encumbrances is a lot easier to sell than a company with a lot of practical issues still left to iron out. Sensible as an independent developer is no longer a viable option in today's marketplace - the risk we have to take every time we develop a game has become too great.

Therefore the time is now right for us to find someone else to shoulder all of the problems associated with running a development company, but who will still respect Sensible's heritage and reputation for excellent gameplay. This would personally mean for me that I can still be contracted to Sensible as an independent game designer/director, still in creative control, but be totally free of all the business pressures that have made the last two years a living hell. Anyway, that is the plan and if it all works out nicely I shall be a very happy man.


As reported in FG30, Codemasters have now acquired Sensible Software and all the rights to their back catalogue for an undisclosed sum. When the acquisition was publicly announced Jon gave this thoughts on the new venture. "Codemasters are the perfect adoptive parent for Sensible Software," he said. "With their track record of producing quality, innovative software, Codemasters are very well equipped to provide a new home, enabling the colourful Sensible legacy to continue. I'm very happy to be working with one of the largest surviving independent British developers and publishers".