In that he made the counter-allegation that funds had gone missing from RCL while Andrews and Smith were in charge.Ī statement in Levy’s name sent to The Register said: “RCL has asked him to return a sum of money to the company, which he has not done.” Andrews told El Reg this claim about money is groundless and did not form part of Levy’s public claims until much later. RCL’s David Levy denied the allegations in a rival statement. I hope this will be followed by other exciting developments next year.”Īugust saw Andrews and Smith issue a stinging press release in which they alleged the new directors of RCL had been spreading “lies and disinformation about us” and claimed they were owed £80,000. Its chief exec, Janko Mrsic-Flogel – the new RCL director, who The Register understands is a long term associate of Levy’s – said at the time: “The first new development for Retro from my team at Private Planet is a completely new firmware for the Vega+. June saw Private Planet Ltd brought on board to develop new Vega+ firmware. Later in April Janko Mrsic-Flogel and Suzanne Martin were appointed as directors of RCL, something opposed by Andrews and Smith on the grounds that as shareholders with 50 per cent of the company’s voting rights, they had not consented to the appointments. RCL appears to have moved on, though Martin claimed to us that the sum was still disputed. The Register understands that the £10k was eventually counted towards paying off other debts RCL owed to Smith. Smith's consistent position has been that the £10,000 was effectively paid to him without his asking for the money. A couple of months later RCL paid him £10,000, claiming that this was enough to cover it, but the company had already started trying to find alternative firmware. He offered it to RCL for £20k but the company refused to pay, so he withdrew the offer. Both kept their shareholdings in the business (of 25 per cent each) and Smith retained the intellectual property in the Vega and Vega+ firmware. It was this falling-out which triggered the whole saga.Īndrews and Smith resigned from RCL in April. RCL’s position is that the trio had previously agreed to work with Levy and RCL on the new project and that not involving Levy would be a conflict of Andrews and Smith’s legal interests as directors of RCL. In mid-March Andrews, Smith and a third party, Darren Melbourne, told Levy they would be collaborating on a Commodore 64-based project without Levy’s involvement. RCL’s team of directors when the campaign started were original MD Paul Andrews, David Levy, then-CTO Chris Smith and Sinclair Research Ltd, Sir Clive's corporate presence. A month later they had received pledges for £360,000, as El Reg reported at the time. The Register understands it came about in part because sales of the original Vega were lower than forecast and had left RCL with debts to clear. In February 2016 RCL, with support from ZX Spectrum daddy Sir Clive Sinclair himself, began its Vega+ crowdfunding campaign.
SINCLAIR ZX SPECTRUM VEGA INDIEGOGO PSP
It looks vaguely similar to the Sony PSP handheld console.
The Vega+ is a new device with an integral screen and more buttons. Two years ago RCL delivered its original ZX Spectrum Vega remake, with its initial 1,000 units selling out very quickly. The Register understands that the £500,000 has been handed by Indiegogo to RCL, meaning backers seeking refunds must now deal directly with the company rather than the crowdfunding website. Retro Computer Ltd (RCL) managed to raise more than half a million pounds through Indiegogo before the campaign was frozen, though the crowdfunding site stated that backers pledge cash towards an idea rather than paying for a specific item. None of the original Indiegogo crowdfunding backers have received the ZX Spectrum Vega+ console they pledged money towards, and promised deadlines – including the most recent one of February 2017 – have passed without products being delivered. What happened, and how did a straightforward gaming console project go so far off piste? Perhaps these modern-day shenanigans cast light on why the UK's 1980s game coding scene collapsed. Investigation Troubled Sinclair ZX Spectrum Vega+ firm Retro Computer Limited has missed multiple product delivery dates amid lawsuits and very public infighting.
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