The deadly duo of Patterson and Payne have more years in the business than even they care to remember. Paul was MD of software legend Ocean and one time rival to both Mastertronic and Virgin before taking the helm at 3DO. Andy on the other hand, has run software manufacturing and fulfilment specialists The Producers for 16 years, who actually worked with Virgin Mastertronic, whilst also playing a key role in respected Bristoft publisher Just Flight over the last seven years.
Mastertronic will be focusing on the re-publishing and value market and will be announcing a major ground breaking deal to the industry within the next few weeks.
Patterson commented "With the sad demise of the great name of Virgin Interactive Entertainment and subsequent confusion surrounding the relationship with French publisher owner Titus, we thought it was an ideal opportunity to bring back a true classic British brand and inject high standards into the value market.'
Payne added, "In a market where brand equity is vital, we felt it was the right time to look at value publishing in terms of delivering revenue to all parties. Mastertronic actually created true mass market distribution for games by delivering great value, choice and a seal of quality. There is much talk of the mass market today, so we will see if we can get our products to that magical place. We will be adhering to those original Mastertronic core values in everything we do. Unsurprisingly, The Producers have been appointed to provide a full turnkey manufacturing, distribution and fulfilment service to Mastertronic. Payne went on to add, " I know that we will hit the ground running with the full backing of The Producers, with 16 years of experience in the business and have seen many come and go. Making sure we hit the highest quality thresholds in every department that the industry demands will not be a problem. They have provided virtual publishing services now for 7 years and have the experience and determination to make sure we cover all bases for customers and partners alike."
Patterson summed it all up, "There are not many survivors from the eighties still around and The Producers make things happen without fuss, hit budgets every time and make the impossible possible, with their reputation for honesty, integrity and commitment we are off to a great start"
Mastertronic will be announcing their product line up for the fourth quarter well as key appointments during August.