Gremlin takes on giants of US computer games market

Computer games developer Gremlin Group, which floated on the London stock market in July, is brushing up its corporate martial…

Computer games developer Gremlin Group, which floated on the London stock market in July, is brushing up its corporate martial arts in an attempt to unseat world leader Electronic Arts from its throne in the lucrative US market. The company this week joined forces with American group Fox Interactive, a subsidiary of 20th Century Fox, to challenge Electronic Arts for top slot in the £1.8 billion computer sports games market. This Christmas Gremlin is determined to entrance children and irritate parents with its CDROM version of Tamogotchi, the pocked-sized electronic pet toy. The game, now being distributed to the trade, include ghastly new features such as a baby-sitting care centre and a family tree. Tamagotchi, of course, should not be confused with the similar sounding Yamaichi, the failed Japanese brokerage house. There are similarities. Both inhabit an unreal world, cost a lot of money and require constant attention. Left alone and unregulated they fail to thrive, creating havoc by testing the boundaries with increasingly frenetic activity. It's all virtual certainty to end in tears, leaving a large mess of do-do for others to clean up.