STUART WHYTE
As a seasoned producer and gaming executive at renowned companies such as MicroProse, Bullfrog, Lionhead and Supermassive Games, Stuart Whyte had led many development teams to create a host of well-known, cutting-edge titles
Words by David Crookes
Stuart Whyte has worked on some of the most iconic games for more than 30 years, enjoying a highly successful career as a project manager, producer and studio head. A keen fan of text adventure games as a youngster, he spent more than four years writing for Amstrad Action before starting work at MicroProse. He would later move to Bullfrog, work for Electronics Arts and have two highly productive spells with Lionhead Studios/Microsoft Game Studios. A long-standing board member of industry body TIGA, Stuart also worked for a promising start-up, created his own company and oversaw many big titles for PlayStation London Studio.
How did you get into computing, Stuart?
When I was around the age of eight or nine, a neighbour across the road built his own computer and I remember playing a couple of very basic games on it. My dad, a lecturer at UMIST in Manchester, also introduced me to computers at his work but the first computer I really spent time with was a Sinclair ZX81 which I got in 1982 for passing my 11+ exams.
When did you begin to take an interest in game development?
I loved my ZX81 and upgraded it over time with a 16K RAM pack, a sound card and a ‘proper’ keyboard. I spent many hours typing in program listings from magazines like Your Sinclair and taught myself BASIC programming. Around 1985 to 1986, I upgraded to an Amstrad CPC 464 and as well as writing some games in BASIC, I experimented with tools like the Graphic Adventure Creator and the Professional Adventure Writer. However, nothing I created was good enough to release!
What kinds of games did you enjoy?
I enjoyed games like 3D Monster Maze and Mazogs. I also enjoyed text adventures such as Ship Of Doom and Inca Curse though the limited parsers on the ZX81 often made them frustrating. By the time I’d upgraded to my Amstrad I was a voracious gamer. I’d head down to Altrincham market every Saturday and buy a new game with my pocket money. My first text adventure on the CPC, Souls Of Darkon, had graphics and a more sophisticated parser which felt like a massive leap forward compared to the adventure games I’d played previously on the ZX81! I also really got into the Infocom text adventures on the CPC with Lurking Horror probably my favourite but I remember discovering Laser Squad for the first time and playing it over and over again.
How did you land the job of project manager at MicroProse?
After graduating with a degree in computers and management, I knew I didn’t want to work in traditional tech jobs like banking or database programming. Instead, I took a job at a local pub, the Haddon Hall, and spent my free time playing games on the 486SX-25 MHz PC I’d bought during my final year at university. Some of my favourites included Ultima Underworld, Wolfenstein 3D and Wing Commander. One day, a friend spotted an ad in the local Leeds newspaper for an office manager position at MicroProse. The only detail that stood out was “knowledge of videogames a plus”.