Blimey! Games gone...

[Dave 'Gizmo' Gymer]

... but now resurrected as Slightly Mad Studios.

Hmm.

[Mr.BMW]

looks like you better look to SimBIN again.....

[Simon Gymer]

So they went into administration to do something "funny" with the accounting of the company, but carry on in business just under a different company name? Doesn't make sense to me how that stuff works, but if they ever release any good new racing games sounds good to me!

I really hope they survive cause I was looking forward to their new games with far more antipation than any other game developer, but they seem to have succumbed to the lengthy development process as it's been what 3 years since they finished GTR 2 and decided to go their own way without actually releasing anything yet.

[Steven Foster]

....for the old video gamers out there, the gent mentioned in the article, Ian Bell, it THE Ian Bell. You know, the one who wrote Elite with Dave Braben.

I wondered where he ended up........

[Joss]

I'm personally pinning my hopes on RFactor 2. I doubt anything else will be better than GTR2 for me.

That new F1 2007 mod looks really yummy....

[EdamSpeed]

....for the old video gamers out there, the gent mentioned in the article, Ian Bell, it THE Ian Bell. You know, the one who wrote Elite with Dave Braben.

Are you absolutely sure about that? When his name first surfaced during the GTR years, I'm sure he said he wasn't that same Ian Bell..

I don't remember the 'original' Ian Bell being that wacky either.

Update: This is Ian C.G. Bell:
He has a web page here: http://home.clara.net/iancgbell/ and here: http://www.ibell.co.uk/ (but that's not working for me at the moment) I can't find a recent pic of the SimBin/Blimey/SlightlyMad Ian Bell, but I thought he looked different somehow.

[EdamSpeed]

Update 2 (sorry )

Ian Bell (Simbin) : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Bell_(game_developer)
Ian Bell (Elite) : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Bell_(programmer)

Both exceptionally clever people by the look of it - one rather more of a recluse than the other.

[Steven Foster]

Not 100%.....but this makes me think they're the same chap:

http://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,1004/

[EdamSpeed]

Yeah, I saw that, but to be honest, the interview doesn't mention anything about previous games like Elite.

As I say, I recall the Simbin (as was) Ian Bell being questioned about this, and he said he wasn't THAT Ian Bell.

I rather think that Moby Games have put 2 + 2 together, thinking there's only one Ian Bell involved in computer games. If you read interviews with the Ian Bell responsible for Elite, I think the last thing on his mind these days would be the games industry - after his spat with David Braben, he publically said he doesn't like computger games these days, and didn't enjoy the industry he helped to create.

[Steven Foster]

Ah, OK. There's lies, damn lies, and then information on the Internet

[Ken Murray]

This is THE Ian Bell. 

http://www.iomtt.com/TT-Database/competitors.aspx?ride_id=4258&filter=B

[Brendan]

No, this is the Ian Bell.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ian_Bell_Trent_Bridge_2004.jpg

[Steven Foster]

Oh dear - this is THE Brendan Wright:

http://www.britishhorseracing.com/inside_horseracing/about/press/regulationDetail.asp?item=084219

Naughty, naughty, "Brian"

And it looks like Ken owes a bit of dosh:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/2896655/Ken-Murray-must-pay-400000-legal-bill.html

[Dave 'Gizmo' Gymer]

This is not Dave Gymer. But it is his cousin.

[Ken Murray]

Oh dear - this is THE Brendan Wright:

http://www.britishhorseracing.com/inside_horseracing/about/press/regulationDetail.asp?item=084219

Naughty, naughty, "Brian"

And it looks like Ken owes a bit of dosh:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/2896655/Ken-Murray-must-pay-400000-legal-bill.html

LOL