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\\ oO // Teknamic Interview by ps / \__/
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\/ \__/Hi Filipe, thanks for your time in answering some of these questions, getting straight into it, for those not knowing Teknamic, you been publishing games and books for the ZX Spectrum in Portugal and Brazil for how long now? Can you tell us a little more on how the idea came to be and your motivation behind it?
Thank you, Filipe. We are a small independent publisher that releases new games or re-releases for microcomputers or classic consoles. We started in 2019 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, under the brand Bitnamic, and the following year, from this side of the "pond" in Porto, Teknamic emerged. However, apart from the two brands and distinct geography, we act as one entity.
In addition to games, we edit and publish books and magazines covering topics such as computer history, game dev, and retro computing. For example, we recently revived the MicroSistemas brand from an old Brazilian magazine, one of the most popular in the 1980s and 1990s, to produce special editions to honour that era. We can say that our mission is to foster the creativity of programmers and honour our authors and producers.
It all started a few years earlier (I believe in 2017?) when I met Marcus Garrett, a well-known Brazilian figure in the field, known for his books and documentaries about the early days of video games in Brazil. We began collaborating on the Espectro - Luso-Brazilian ZX Spectrum Magazine. This project brought together people from the community, like Joao Diogo Ramos (who later founded the LOAD ZX Museum), Mario Viegas (collector), Andre Leao (from Planeta Sinclair), Ivan Barroso (historian), Pedro Pimenta (who would become a composer for Bit/Tek), among others.
I joined after a few editions through the Planeta Sinclair blog, with the proposal to write more technical articles and include code listings in the magazine as a tribute to the time when programs were distributed in this way. Almost simultaneously, I discovered cassette tapes were still being manufactured in Portugal (by the company Edisco), and the "crazy" idea came to me to publish a cover-tape for the magazine to gather code snippets and some games.
In conversation with Marcus, I noticed many affinities in our past, our tastes, the history of video games, the piracy that occurred at the time, and the cover-tape scene still fresh. One thing led to another, and we came up with the idea of creating a publisher precisely to publish games from Portugal and Brazil that never had the opportunity to be officially released.
We began to move to create what would become Bitnamic, with our first official release for the ZX81: "In Search of Treasures", a Brazilian game inspired by Pitfall! that had been lost for decades and only partially published in listings in Micro Sistemas. Thanks to the work of several people, we produced the physical edition on cassette in Brazil, organised the launch party with the author's presence, and finally gave the game the attention it deserved. After that, we officially relaunched "Amazonia", one of the Brazilian classics, and released an unpublished game, "Laserbirds", programmed in multicolour for the ZX Spectrum, marking the first release here in Portugal.
One of your most recent releases is a remaster of the classic Saboteur including it's version for the Next and even a book about it's story, how was it working with Clive Townsend on this project? Did you notice any change on the way people perceive your publishing house, having this legendary ZX Spectrum developer name now associated with it?
I won't deny that collaborating with Clive brings credibility that we wouldn't otherwise have because we are located on the "periphery" of Europe (PT) and the world (BR). But I consider it a consequence of several selfless collaborations with Clive long before this remaster. We can say that we have a share in bringing Clive back into the spotlight, consolidated with his visit to Portugal on the 40th anniversary of the ZX Spectrum, celebrated at the LOAD ZX Museum in Cantanhede (Portugal).
This meeting was essential for Marcus Garrett and me to show our vision. From there, several collaborations arose, such as the release of the text adventure "Saboteur: Deep Cover", the puzzle game "Jam!" or the editing of Clive's autobiographical book: "The Saboteur! Story." It's worth mentioning that Marcus and I significantly pressured Clive to write this book. It was a very intense project that finally made many of Clive's memories persist in written format for the first time. If it weren't for us, there would be no Clive's book, as no one else had convinced him to write his memories.
Well, that book opened doors to new projects, such as this remaster for the ZX Spectrum or the version of Saboteur! for the Mega Drive, also physically edited by Bitnamic. And still this year, there will be a great novelty from Clive, demonstrating his appreciation for Portugal.
In short, I'm a fan of this man, and so is Marcus! Many of my best memories of my youth come from playing on the ZX Spectrum with Saboteur! being one of the games that marked me the most.
Collaborating with Clive is priceless and something we will carry until the end of our days.
You also have some other media outlets, which makes you a recognized household name on the retrocomputing scene in Portugal, for our foreigner readers can you tell us a bit more about your other involvements in magazines and blogs and the Load ZX Museum?
The community in Portugal is small, so it's natural to see overlap between projects. We can see the same faces in very different projects. In addition to the Espectro Magazine, of which I am an editor and which has been simmering (my fault), I am a member (more discreet) of the Planeta Sinclair blog, and of course, I am a volunteer at the LOAD ZX Museum. Through it, I have advocated for the approach of various communities, from game dev to the demoscene itself. Each community has its characteristics and dynamics, but there is always something that can connect them, namely the ZX Spectrum. An example of this exchange was the presence of elements from the Portuguese demoscene ;) at the Retro Game Jam of the Bibliogamers event, which I collaborated on organising.
In terms of publications, I edited the new Micro Sistemas, already mentioned, which has sought to build this bridge between communities, and that's why we even had the opportunity to publish some small articles about the demoscene. As always, we can show a little of the demoscene in PT.
You also develop some ZX Spectrum games yourself, how do you find the time for all these hobbies? Do you alternate in phases of personal interest or just try to push it all following what new opportunities pop up?
I would like to program more for the ZX Spectrum as a hobby. But the work of producing physical editions and publications for Bit/Tek, along with everything else related, dialogue with the authors, marketing, travel to events in Brazil and Spain (for example), even more, the shipment of orders, after-sales, etc., all this leaves me no possibility to program for a hobby. Moreover, all this is part-time, as I still have my main consulting job. My luck is that I have the flexibility and some experience to juggle, perhaps because I have been working remotely since 2009.
But going back to games, the last one I made for the ZX was "Depth Charge", which served to feed one of the articles in Micro Sistemas. I enjoyed this mini-project that brought together two mechanics from late 70s arcades: Destroyer and Depth Charge (btw, Clive made the loading screen for this little game ;)).
And before that, I created a platform game to commemorate the 18 years of a Brazilian magazine, Jogos 80. In other words, game programming only happens when an opportunity associated with something from Bit/Teknamic arises. This is the case with the conversion of "Depth Charge" for the Atari 2600, a project that I want to present in Brazil through Bitnamic for the last quarter of 2024, and I am enjoying it.
Do I see all this as a hobby? I can't answer that. The way I do things is certainly not a hobby, but it is undeniable that I derive pleasure and fulfillment that I have never experienced in over 20 years of professional activity. So yes, Bit/Tek results from opportunities, striking a precarious balance between personal and professional life. I'm not materially richer because of it! But I have met fantastic people in these circles!
Last I wanted to ask you about the GOTY awards, since you were one of the members of the jury and part of the organization team, how has the GOTY experience been since it's conception in 2020? Particularly this 2024 edition. Seems there is quite some international ZX Spectrum gamedev community interest in it!
Seeing how the GOTY from Planeta Sinclair has grown organically is gratifying. From a vote among the core of Planeta Sinclair, published in a post, to open it to an external jury from various countries, to the gala edited in video format, and then to a face-to-face event at the LOAD ZX Museum broadcasted via live stream.
I believe it has taken a shape that transcends the initial objective of Planeta Sinclair to the point that it is seen outside of Portugal as the "Oscars" of the ZX Spectrum by programmers and members of various international communities. The debates, the analyses, the post-GOTY criticisms, the creators proudly showing off their badges, or those who were upset because their favourite games didn't win, there is no doubt that the GOTY causes sensation and commotion! It's something that genuinely was never our intention; Planeta Sinclair primarily focuses on preserving software and, secondarily, on reviews. The GOTY was conceived (by Mario Viegas, a blog member) as a symbolic award to encourage new producers. I believe it fully achieved that goal.
Can I confess that from a more selfish point of view, it's the opportunity (or the excuse) that I have to play the best games made for the ZX Spectrum during the year? LOL
Thanks again for your time, anything you would like to add to this interview? Otherwise, see you at Synergy 2024 ;)
Again, thank you for the opportunity to showcase Teknamic's work in this interview. I'll add that Synergy is a fantastic name and perfectly represents the event and this dynamic between communities and people from different backgrounds and experiences! See you there!
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