Surfchamp

Game Intentions

New Concept had bold plans for Surfchamp and beyond. They were working on recreating skiing, water-skiing and sailing using the same concept. Force-feedback was being developed, four years before the cancelled Konix Multisystem console attempted the same thing, and 20 years before the Nintendo Wii made it to market.

They also staged what is believed to be the world's earliest eSports contest, the 1985 World Computer Surfing Championship using the Spectrum version, which was staged when the real-life European Surfing Championship of that year was hampered by excessively calm waters. Each nation put forward four of its real-world competitors, and reigning English champion Jed Stone was victorious.

The project ultimately collapsed in a similar way to the Multisystem - when a huge order of 200,000 copies could not be manufactured in time for Christmas 1985, as Ireland's Industrial Development Authority refused to give them the advance funding required. Ultimately they sold 3000 copies of the Spectrum version and around 600 of the Commodore 64 one before going bankrupt.