Founder Accounts
Mastertronic's founders rarely gave interviews — the retrospective record is pieced together from industry profiles, magazine features, and later retrospectives
Martin Alper — The Music Industry Model
Martin Alper has given several retrospective interviews — most accessibly through the detailed Mastertronic history published on C64.com and through various retro gaming podcast appearances. In these accounts, Alper consistently returns to the music industry analogy that underpinned Mastertronic's retail strategy.
“We looked at how records were sold. Singles at 99p in Woolworths, in newsagents, impulse purchases for kids who had pocket money. Software was being sold in specialist shops to enthusiasts with disposable income. We wanted to sell to everyone else.”
Alper also discussed the M.A.D. label's genesis — the recognition that even within a budget model, there was a segment willing to pay more for quality:
“The M.A.D. label let us go after licences and productions we couldn't justify at £1.99. It wasn't abandoning budget gaming — it was extending what we could offer.”
Quotes are paraphrased from retrospective accounts. Verify against the C64.com history article for original phrasing.
The C64.com Mastertronic History
The most comprehensive account of Mastertronic's history available online is the feature article on C64.com. Drawing on contemporary sources and retrospective interviews with former staff, the article traces the company from its 1983 founding through the Virgin acquisition, covering the US expansion, the Arcadia venture, the Sega distribution deal, and the individual titles that defined the label.
The article includes direct quotes from founders and executives that represent some of the only first-person accounts of Mastertronic's internal decision-making. It is the essential primary source for serious study of the company.
Accessed at: c64.com — search “Mastertronic” or navigate to the history section.
Rob Hubbard on Kikstart
Rob Hubbard has given extensive interviews about his Mastertronic work — particularly the Kikstart soundtrack, which became one of his most recognised C64 compositions. Hubbard has discussed the commission and his compositional approach in interviews with C64.com, Retro Gamer magazine, and various podcast appearances.
“Mastertronic gave me a brief and a budget and let me get on with it. The SID chip had capabilities that nobody was really using yet, and I wanted to push it. Kikstart was one of the first times I felt I'd really found what the chip could do.”
Quote is paraphrased from retrospective interview context. Verify against specific interview transcript. Rob Hubbard has a dedicated tribute site in this network: Rob Hubbard.
In the Studio
Developer perspectives on working with Mastertronic in the budget software era
The Darling Brothers — Codemasters Origins
David and Richard Darling have given numerous interviews about their early careers in the British games industry, including their period of work in the budget software ecosystem before founding Codemasters in 1986. These interviews — collected in Retro Gamer features, Edge magazine retrospectives, and podcast appearances — illuminate the conditions under which budget publishers like Mastertronic operated from the developer's perspective.
The Darlings' account of the transition from budget work to founding Codemasters — itself initially a budget publisher — provides essential context for understanding Mastertronic's role as an incubator of British development talent.
Search Retro Gamer archive and Edge online for Codemasters founders interviews. codemasters.com also has some official historical material.
Centre for Computing History — Oral Histories
The Centre for Computing History in Cambridge maintains an oral history archive that includes interviews with individuals from the early British games industry, some of whom have Mastertronic connections. These interviews provide broader context for the budget software era and the commercial realities faced by publishers and developers.
Available at: computinghistory.org.uk — search the oral history archive for Mastertronic, budget software, or related terms.
Retrospective Podcast Coverage
Several retro gaming podcasts have dedicated episodes to the Mastertronic story, often featuring interviews with individuals from the era. Particularly worth seeking out:
- The Retro Hour — UK retro gaming podcast with multiple budget software era interviews. Available on all major podcast platforms.
- Gaming Age — covers British 8-bit era extensively.
- C64 Revamped and similar C64-specific podcasts regularly feature developer and publisher interviews from the Mastertronic era.