Elixir Studios - Formation

Elixir's Formation - Part 2

Demis had initially hoped to find venture capitalists willing to lend money for a smallish stake in the company (around 20%). However, although nearly all were willing to fund him, most wanted a 50% stake in the company, meaning he would lose control of the company, something he never wanted to happen. Therefore, Demis was forced to search for publishers instead. It was a painful task to say the least. Having used up nearly all his savings starting up Elixir, he scraped together enough for a plane ticket to E3 in Atlanta. However, funds did not stretch to a hotel room, and Demis was forced to sleep on Joe McDough's floor for the duration of the computer games fair. Over the next few days, Demis approached many publishers, and, as they were cautiously interested, got asked back for several extra interviews. The initial 15 publishers were whittled down to just 2, and finally Eidos were chosen. They offered an impressive deal, and the recent success of Lara Croft was an obvious indication of their marketing abilities. It also helped that the Eidos headquarters were only half an hour's drive up the motorway.

And so the team began the first of their three projects, Republic. In a small, stuffy, dark room, the ten or so team members so far brought together started work. For Demis, it was a wonderful moment:

"Monday 7th of July, the first day of Elixir Studios. What a fantastic buzz. No windows, an unglamorous location, no teabags and school chairs to sit on, but who cares? Within two hours we were coding. All the work I'd put in and we were finally up and running. We could have been in someone's back room or attic and I still would have been thrilled. The atmosphere as everyone knuckled down was intoxicating. "

"Within days a familiar pattern had emerged. Hours of silence and hard work punctuated by outbursts of absurd conversation. At first I found this both cool and unsettling. Imagine a room of ten people with perfect silence for three hours and then suddenly bedlam, as we attempt to solve the mysteries of Life and the Universe. Should Spock have been the Captain of the Enterprise rather than Kirk? Is 'governing' someone more severe than 'learning' them? Keegan, Venison and Waddle: the worst footballing haircuts ever?"

Later Demis would start work on his second title - details of which are currently unknown to the rest of the world. But chances are, it will be something special.

The official website for Elixir also stated that the company broadened its horizons further still:

"At the foundations of Elixir's business model is a passionate desire to create original and innovative games. However, it is also based on leveraging the cutting edge technology used in the game development process by developing commercial applications for other markets. To this end, the company established Immersive Education Limited In December 1998, a joint venture with MathEngine PLC, to transform the market for educational and edutainment software. The company believes that the market for such products can be transformed by the use of game technology and game production values. "

More information on specific team members can be found on the Team Info page.

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