Editing David Perry (game developer)

{{Short description|Northern Irish video game designer}}
{{about|the game developer|the co-commentator on the [[United Kingdom|UK]] [[video game]] television show [[GamesMaster]]|Dave Perry|other uses|David Perry (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name        = David Perry
| image       = David Perry.jpg
| image_size  = 200px
| caption     = David Perry, 1996
| birth_date  = {{birth date and age|1967|4|4|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Lisburn]], [[Northern Ireland]]
| known_for   = [[Shiny Entertainment]]<br>[[Gaikai]]
| occupation  = Video game developer, programmer
| nationality = [[Northern Irish]], [[United States|American]]
| children    = [[Emmy Perry]]
| spouse      = {{marriage|Elaine Perry|2001}}
}}

'''David Perry''' (born 4 April 1967) is a [[Northern Irish]] [[video game developer]] and programmer. He became prominent for programming [[platform games]] for 16-bit home consoles in the early to mid 1990s, including ''[[Disney's Aladdin (Sega Genesis video game)|Disney's Aladdin]]'', ''[[Cool Spot]]'', and the ''[[Earthworm Jim (video game)|Earthworm Jim]]'' series. He founded [[Shiny Entertainment]], where he worked from 1993 to 2006. Perry created games for companies such as [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]], [[7 Up]], [[McDonald's]], [[Hemdale Film Corporation|Hemdale]], and [[Warner Bros.]]<ref>{{cite web |title=News |url=http://whatisthematrix.warnerbros.com/html/enternewsindex.html |website=Warnerbros.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060315041430/http://whatisthematrix.warnerbros.com/html/enternewsindex.html |archive-date=March 15, 2006 |date=April 18, 2003}}</ref> In 2008 he was presented with an honorary doctorate from [[Queen's University Belfast]] for his services to computer gaming.<ref>http://www.qub.ac.uk/home/Graduation/HonoraryGraduates2008/DavidPerry/{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-09-15 |title=Gaming legend started his $500 million career in a bedroom in Templepatrick! |url=https://www.antrimguardian.co.uk/news/2023/09/15/gallery/gaming-legend-started-his-500-million-career-in-a-bedroom-in-templepatrick-46522/ |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=www.antrimguardian.co.uk |language=en}}</ref> He was the co-founder & CEO of cloud-based games service [[Gaikai]], which was acquired by [[Sony Computer Entertainment]]. In 2017 Perry became the co-founder & CEO of a [[customer intelligence]] startup called GoVYRL, Inc. developing a new advanced brand dashboard called Carro.<ref name="gamesindustry.biz">{{cite news|url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2017-07-04-sonys-david-perry-departs-for-instagram-influencer-marketing-firm|title=Sony's David Perry departs for Instagram Influencer Marketing Firm|date=2017-04-07}}</ref>

==Biography==
[[File:BAFTA2011 GameDevs.jpg|left|thumb|Perry and other game developers at a [[BAFTA]] event in Los Angeles in July 2011. From left: [[Rod Humble]], [[Louis Castle]], David Perry, [[Brenda Brathwaite]], [[John Romero]], [[Will Wright (game designer)|Will Wright]], [[Tim Schafer]], [[Chris Hecker]].]]
Perry was born in April 1967 in [[Lisburn]], [[Northern Ireland]], growing up in the towns of [[Templepatrick]] and [[Donegore]] in [[County Antrim]], attending Templepatrick Primary School<ref name=BBCsucc/> and then [[Methodist College Belfast]].<ref name="GPro83">{{cite magazine|title=The Game Makers: The Producers|magazine=[[GamePro]]|issue=83|publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]]|date=August 1995|pages=20–24}}</ref>

He began writing computer game programming books in 1982 at the age of 15, creating his own games for the [[Sinclair ZX81]]. In an interview with the [[BBC]], Perry stated that his first game was a driving game, “a black blob avoiding other black blobs”, which he wrote and sent to a magazine, which printed it. He sent them more games, and they sent him a cheque for £450: a bit of a problem for a teenager who did not yet have a bank account.<ref name=BBCsucc>{{cite web |last=McGreevy |first=Neil |title=Top Developer's Code for Success |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/3041572.stm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030706043930/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/3041572.stm |website=[[BBC News]] |access-date=25 November 2018 |date=July 4, 2003 |archive-date=6 July 2003}}</ref> His work continued until he was offered a job for £3,500/year as an apprentice to a veteran programmer who taught him more advanced programming.<ref name="GPro83"/>

At the age of 17, he moved to [[London]], where he developed games with [[Mikro-Gen]] and [[Probe Software]] for publishers such as [[Elite Systems]] and [[Mirrorsoft]], working on titles such as the [[ZX Spectrum]] conversion of ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES video game)|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' (1991) for [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]] and the [[Sega Genesis]] version of ''[[The Terminator (Sega video game)|The Terminator]]'' (1992). Perry's work on ''The Terminator'' caught the attention of [[Virgin Mastertronic]], which was expanding into the [[United States]] and had entered a deal with [[McDonald's]] to publish a video game themed around its restaurants within six months. Perry responded to Virgin's generous employment offer into their American development branch in [[Irvine, California]], and was granted an apartment overlooking [[Laguna Beach, California|Laguna Beach]], which he remarked was “like living in ''[[Baywatch]]''”. Although Perry had planned to return to the United Kingdom upon the game's completion, the unexpected critical success of ''[[Global Gladiators]]'' (1992) convinced him to stay in California; as he recalled, “it suddenly made people appreciate me”.<ref name=Magnus>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/grandthievestomb0000ande/page/212/mode/2up |title=Grand Thieves & Tomb Raiders: How British Video Games Conquered the World |last1=Anderson |first1=Magnus |last2=Levene |first2=Rebecca |publisher=Aurum Entertainment |date=2012 |pages=213–214 |isbn=978-1845137045}}</ref>

While at Virgin, Perry led the development duties for several award-winning games for the Genesis, including ''[[Cool Spot]]'' (1993) and ''[[Disney's Aladdin (Sega Genesis video game)|Aladdin]]'' (1993). His work within ''Virgin Games'' also served as a basis for the development of other games such as the [[Sega CD]] version of ''[[The Terminator (Sega CD video game)|The Terminator]]'' (1993) and the Genesis versions of ''[[RoboCop Versus The Terminator]]'' (1994) and ''[[The Jungle Book (video game)|Walt Disney's The Jungle Book]]'' (1994), all of them developed after David Perry had left the studio.

On 1 October 1993, Perry formed his own company in [[Laguna Beach, California]], [[Shiny Entertainment]], naming the company after the song “[[Shiny Happy People]]” by [[R.E.M.]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gamespy.com/articles/697/697083p10.html|title=GameSpy Retro: Developer Origins, Page 10 of 19|last=Keefer|first=John|date=2006-03-31|website=GameSpy|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070609133224/http://www.gamespy.com/articles/697/697083p10.html|archive-date=2007-06-09|access-date=2019-05-07}}</ref> The company's first game ''[[Earthworm Jim (video game)|Earthworm Jim]]'' (1994) was a hit, selling millions of copies on multiple platforms, including Sega Genesis, [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|Super NES]] and PC. The title character, an “average worm” who stumbles upon a space suit which turns him into a superhero, became immensely popular, and spawned a variety of other types of merchandise: [[action figure]]s, [[comic book]]s, and a syndicated television [[cartoon series]].

Listing Perry in their "75 Most Important People in the Games Industry of 1995”, ''[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]'' argued that his success had as much to do with his exceptional knack for [[public relations]] as his talent as a developer: “Perry often seems to benefit and suffer from a game press who seemingly can't hype him or his products enough. Is all the hype justified? Well, probably not. But that's not the point, the fact is that the press and gamers love him. ''Next Generation''{{'}}s opinion as to Perry's PR secrets? Always return phone calls, don't make promises you can't keep, and show a genuine interest in whomever you're talking to. Sounds easy? So how come hardly any actual PR people (let alone presidents and lead programmers) in the industry do the same?”<ref>{{cite journal |title=75 Power Players|journal=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=11|publisher=[[Imagine Media]]|date=November 1995|page=52}}</ref>

In 2002, Shiny Entertainment was acquired by [[Atari, Inc.]] for [[United States dollar|US]]$47 million, with Perry signed to a long-term contract to continue on as president. Also in 2002, Perry collaborated with [[The Wachowskis]] on games in coordination with their ''[[The Matrix (franchise)|Matrix]]'' series of movies.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/fun.games/05/15/cnna.matrix.game/index.html|title=CNN article about Matrix game|date=May 15, 2003}}</ref>

In 2006, he resigned from Shiny,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=62975|publisher=Eurogamer.net|title=Dave Perry resigns from Shiny|date=2006-02-20|access-date=17 March 2006|archive-date=21 October 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071021111646/http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=62975|url-status=dead}}</ref> and  formed GameConsultants.com, a consultancy firm planning to offer executive level video game industry advice,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=12690|title=GameDaily article|access-date=18 May 2006|archive-date=21 October 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071021130534/http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=12690|url-status=dead}}</ref> followed by GameInvestors.com, a business-to-business company to help video game development teams get funded. He recounted, “I was working on a new game design for [[Atari SA|Infogrames]] (Atari) called Plague and was incredibly excited about it. Atari called and told me they had run out of money, and so I offered to find a buyer for my team, they said they’d handle it and I moved on. The first phone call I had after leaving was with The Collective, and they ended up buying Shiny.”<ref name=AAttInt>{{cite web |title=David Perry (Virgin Games) – Interview |url=https://www.arcadeattack.co.uk/david-perry/ |website=Arcade Attack |access-date=25 November 2018 |date=January 10, 2016}}</ref>

Perry is on the advisory board for the [[Game Developers Conference]], and has spoken at industry venues such as [[E3]], [[Consumer Electronics Show|CES]], Hollywood and Games, Digital Hollywood, iHollywood, [[SIGGRAPH]], Entertainment in the Interactive Age, What Teens Want, The Banff Summit, as well as at major universities such as [[University of Southern California|USC]], and [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.mit.edu/cms/games/speakers.html|title=MIT Speakers List|access-date=17 March 2006|archive-date=6 January 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060106190944/http://web.mit.edu/cms/games/speakers.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2006, he co-hosted the annual [[Game Developers Choice Awards]] with [[Tommy Tallarico]].

In November 2008, Perry co-founded [[Gaikai]] in the Netherlands, a company that released game streaming technology in late 2009.<ref>{{cite web |title=OnLive and Gaikai - How to Stop a Gaming Revolution |url=http://ablegamers.com/general-game-news/626-onlive-and-gaikai-how-to-stop-a-gaming-revolution.html |author=Lifshitz, Jesse |date=2009-08-08 |access-date=2009-08-15 |publisher=ablegamers.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090812015404/http://www.ablegamers.com/general-game-news/626-onlive-and-gaikai-how-to-stop-a-gaming-revolution.html |archive-date=2009-08-12}}</ref> In July 2012, Gaikai was sold to [[Sony Computer Entertainment]] for $380 million.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.edge-online.com/news/sony-acquires-gaikai |title=Sony acquires Gaikai |access-date=2012-02-07 |work=[[edge.com]] |date=2012-02-07 |author=Brown, Nathan |archive-date=5 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120805121120/http://www.edge-online.com/news/sony-acquires-gaikai |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In January 2016, Perry confirmed that he and [[Michael Jackson]] had been discussing making a video game together prior to the singer's death.<ref name=AAttInt/>

In July 2017 Perry left [[Gaikai]], joining startup GoVYRL, Inc.<ref name="gamesindustry.biz"/><ref>{{cite web |title=GoVYRL, Inc. aka VYRL Main Website |url=https://vyrl.co/}}</ref> to build new technology for brands to work with influencers;<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chapple |first=Craig |date=2017-07-03 |title=Former Gaikai boss David Perry named CEO of Instagram influencer marketing start-up |url=https://www.pocketgamer.biz/david-perry-heads-up-instagram-influencer-start-up/ |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=www.pocketgamer.biz |language=en}}</ref> the technology is called Carro. GoVYRL, Inc. has seed investments from entities including The Cove Fund,<ref>{{cite web |title=The Cove Fund Invests in VYRL |url=https://www.covefund.com/investments-1/}}</ref> [[Brendan Iribe]] and Alpha Edison.<ref>{{cite web |title=Alpha Edison Invests in VYRL |url=https://www.alphaedison.com/companies/vyrl}}</ref>

==Games==
{| class="wikitable"
!Description
!Year
!Publisher
|-
|National ZX80/ZX81 Users Club Magazine ||1982
|Interface Publications
|-
|Tim Hartnell's Giant Book of Spectrum Games
|1983
|Interface Publications
|-
|49 Explosive Games for the ZX Spectrum
|1983
|Interface Publications
|-
|Astounding Arcade Games for your Spectrum + & Spectrum
|1984
|Interface Publications
|-
|Sord M5 Graphics Demos [written in BASIC]
|1982
|Sord
|-
|''Drakmaze''
|
|Mikro-Gen
|-
|''Herbert's Dummy Run''
|
|Mikro-Gen
|-
|''Great Gurianos'' ZX Spectrum version
|1987
|Elite Systems
|-
|''[[Three Weeks in Paradise]]''
|1986
|Mikro-Gen
|-
|''Stainless Steel''
|
|Mikro-Gen
|-
|''[[Beyond the Ice Palace]]''
|1988
|Elite Systems
|-
|''[[Savage (video game)|Savage]]''
|
|via Probe Software -> Go / US Gold
|-
|''[[Tintin on the Moon]]''
|
|via Probe Software -> Infogrames
|-
|''[[Trantor: The Last Stormtrooper]]''
|
|Probe Software
|-
|''[[Paperboy 2]]'' (conversion)
|
|Mindscape
|-
|''[[Captain Planet and the Planeteers (video game)|Captain Planet]]''
|
|Mindscape
|-
|''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES game)|Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles]]''
|1990
|via Probe Software -> Mirrorsoft / Konami
|-
|''[[Smash TV]]'' (arcade conversion)
|1990
|via Probe Software -> Ocean Software
|-
|''Dan Dare III - The Escape''
|
|via Probe Software -> Virgin Games
|-
|''Extreme''
|
|Digital Integration
|-
|[[Supremacy: Your Will Be Done|''Supremacy'' (UK) / ''Overlord'' (US)]]
|1990
|via Probe Software -> Virgin Games
|-
|''[[The Terminator (Sega video game)|The Terminator]]''
|1992
|via Probe Software -> Virgin Games
|-
|''[[Global Gladiators|McDonald's Global Gladiators]]''
|1992
|Virgin Games
|-
|''[[Cool Spot|7-UP's Cool Spot]]''
|1993
|Virgin Games
|-
|''[[Disney's Aladdin (Sega Genesis video game)|Disney's Aladdin]]''
|1993
|Virgin Games
|-
|''[[Earthworm Jim (video game)|Earthworm Jim]]''
|1994
|Playmates Interactive
|-
|''[[Earthworm Jim 2]]''
|1995
|Playmates Interactive
|-
|''[[MDK (video game)|MDK]]''
|1997
|Playmates Interactive / Interplay
|-
|''[[Wild 9]]''
|1998
|Interplay
|-
|''[[RC Stunt Copter]]''
|1999
|Titus Interactive
|-
|''[[Messiah (video game)|Messiah]]''
|2000
|Interplay
|-
|''[[Sacrifice (video game)|Sacrifice]]''
|2000
|Interplay
|-
|''[[Enter the Matrix]]''
|2003
|Atari
|-
|''[[The Matrix: Path of Neo]]''
|2005
|Atari
|-
|''2Moons''
|
|Acclaim
|-
|''9 Dragons''
|
|Acclaim
|-
|''Dance Online''
|
|Acclaim
|-
|''Ponystars''
|
|Acclaim
|-
|''Kogamu''
|
|Acclaim
|-
|''Rockfree''
|
|Acclaim
|-
|''Prize Potato''
|
|Acclaim
|-
|''Spellborn''
|
|Acclaim
|}

=== Books ===
* ''David Perry on Game Design.'' Delmar, 2009 {{ISBN|978-1584506683}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite news|publisher=[[BBC]]|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/3041572.stm|title=Top developer's code for success|date=July 4, 2003}}
* {{IMDb name|0675024|David Perry}}
* [http://www.smartcomputing.com/editorial/article.asp?article=articles/archive/g0810/154g10/154g10.asp&guid= Smart computing, "The Emerald Isle’s ‘Shiny,’ Happy Game Developer"], October 2000 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204044637/http://www.smartcomputing.com/editorial/article.asp?article=articles%2Farchive%2Fg0810%2F154g10%2F154g10.asp&guid= |date=4 February 2012 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20051224060019/http://www.gamedev.net/columns/events/gdc2004/view.asp?SectionID=48 Gamedev.net Interview]
* [http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=58 Eurogamer.net Interview] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071021111636/http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=58 |date=21 October 2007 }}
* [https://www.disposablemedia.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Disposable_Media-Issue-8.pdf Disposable Media Interview, part 1]
* [https://www.disposablemedia.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Disposable_Media-Issue-9.pdf Disposable Media Interview, part 2]
* [http://www.qub.ac.uk/News/Archive/2008PressReleases/02-2008PressReleases/#d.en.90949 Queens Honorary Doctorate Press Release] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201035612/http://www.qub.ac.uk/News/Archive/2008PressReleases/02-2008PressReleases/#d.en.90949 |date=1 December 2017 }}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
<!-- Per [[WP:ELMINOFFICIAL]], choose one official website only -->
{{Commons category|David Perry (game designer)|David Perry}}
* {{Official website|http://www.dperry.com}}
* {{TED speaker|david_perry|David Perry}}
* {{MobyGames developer|812|David Perry}}
* {{LinkedIn URL|https://www.linkedin.com/in/dperry|David Perry}}
* [https://getcarro.com/ Perry is the CEO of GoVYRL, Inc. - Creator of Carro]
* [https://www.theinfluencernews.com/ Perry is the CEO of GoVYRL, Inc. - Creator of TheInfluencerNews]
* [https://www.davidperryphotography.com/ Perry's Personal Photography Site]
* {{Instagram|davidperryphotography}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perry, David}}
[[Category:1967 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:British video game designers]]
[[Category:Inventors from Northern Ireland]]
[[Category:People from Newport Beach, California]]
[[Category:People from Lisburn]]
[[Category:People educated at Methodist College Belfast]]
[[Category:Video game developers]]
[[Category:21st-century British inventors]]
[[Category:People from Templepatrick]]