| Mel Croucher | |
| Nationality: | British |
| Occupation: | Entrepreneur, writer, video game designer |
| Known For: | immersive entertainment pioneer |
Mel Croucher (born 1948) is a British entrepreneur and video games pioneer. Originally an architect, he moved into computers and in 1977 launched one of the very earliest games companies,[1] Automata UK, as an extension of his publishing business. He is now credited for setting up "the first games company in the U.K.",[2] celebrated as "the father of the British videogames industry"[3] and presented as "a pioneer in affective computing".[4] His first broadcasts of computer game software were made over AM and FM radio. After the release of the Sinclair ZX81,[5] his label published several games for the early home computer market, including three Computer Trade Association award-winners: Pimania (1982), Groucho (1983, a.k.a. My Name Is Uncle Groucho, You Win A Fat Cigar), and the groundbreaking "multi-media" title Deus Ex Machina (1984).
Croucher has championed immersive entertainment throughout his career as director and producer, mixing audio, video, spoken word, real-world locations and computer-generated effects. He is currently Executive Chairman of the Jeeni streamed entertainment channel.[6]
Croucher has written text books, computer manuals and comedy, and worked as a journalist, writing regular columns like Without Prejudice, The Rubber Room, and the comedy sci-fi serial Tamara Knight for the ZX Spectrum magazine CRASH in the 1980s,[7] as well as columns for various computer magazines since.
Mel Croucher is the author of Zygote in Computer Shopper every month since Issue 1 in 1988[8] and the Mel's World column and the Great Moments In Computing cartoon strip in the same magazine.
In 2010, Feeding Tube Records, a small label in the United States, released "Pimania: The Music of Mel Croucher", a deluxe vinyl LP album of the music to the Pimania games, as well as tracks from other Automata releases. The album came with extensive liner notes by Croucher and Caroline Bren, as well as a large poster featuring selections from the original Automata print campaigns. A six-album retrospective of his music complete works was released in 2017 by The Games Collector.
In 2012, Mel Croucher reformed Automata as Automata Source Ltd., with leading figures from the video games, online marketing and music industries. He produced a reimagination of Deus Ex Machina, starring Sir Christopher Lee, released in 2015 as Deus Ex Machina 2,[9] alongside a 30th Anniversary Collector's Edition of the original game including new graphics and a director's commentary. He collaborated with Christopher Lee on several other games titles, and their game for children was released as Eggbird in the same year.
Mel Croucher is Executive Chairman of Jeeni, the global streamed music service and artist development platform, which he co-founded with Dr Shena Mitchell in 2017.[10]