Revisionist history says Amtix was an important part of the Amstrad CPC scene. However it only had 18,000 readers whereas its next rival (the mag it merged into) had 40,000 readers and the likes of ACU were up at 60,000. CPC owners were not the same demographic as Speccy and C64 owners. They wanted more than just games and magazines aimed at 12 year olds. Amtix failed because it misjudged the CPC scene not because the CPC was unpopular. #newsfield #zzap #crash

Finally, I got my signed Oliver Frey print on the wall. He will be sorely missed, and his art will remain forever in the hearts of our generation. #OliverFrey #zzap64 #zzap #crash #magazine #newsfield #retro #gameart #uk

I just heard Roger Kean – of #Newsfield fame – has passed away, just a few months after his partner, Oliver Frey. Newsfield’s Zzap!64 hugely influenced my approach to writing, and Roger and Oli were a delight when I later met them to work with Thalamus Publications. RIP, sir.