ocean SOFTWARE FRANCE

I knew a lot of French programmers were already coding on 16-bit machines so we decided to open Ocean Software France
Marc Djan

Ocean Software’s former developers often tell of long days working in the ‘dungeon’ – the windowless basement of 6 Central Street in the heart of Manchester. There, immune to the inevitable rain that would pound the ground, they’d create some of videogame’s most iconic titles. Yet this location doesn’t tell the full story.

As Ocean bid to become one of Europe’s leading developers and publishers, it looked to expand its horizons, soon venturing across the English channel from where it would bring the gaming world some of its finest 16-bit coin-op conversions. “Things happened really quickly,” recalls Marc Djan, of the decision to push ahead with a French subsidiary company in 1986.

Ocean’s cofounder David Ward had long had his eye on France. As a strong Francophile, he knew it was a strong market and that there was plenty of opportunity for any company which could build strong contacts with retailers, advertisers and the media. Marc was the editor of the French videogame and he knew many talented people in the fledgling industry.