Plucked from the advert pages of Computer and Video Games comes this intriguing racing game entitled 3D Formula One by Knightsoft.
We do not know much about the game, but it seems that all that was ever mentioned was the advert for the game itself. Knightsoft seem to be an obscure company which didn’t last very long, and could therefore be the reason for this game’s demise.
As a result, we are unsure what the game would have looked or played like, and we do not know how far the game reached. It may well have been completed. All we know is that the game apparently did feature full 3D graphics (Wireframe?) which apparently ran at high speed and had superb sounds. There was to be multiple gear change, engine conditions, actual qualifying position, pit stop and much more.
Thanks to Anonymous Contributor, they noticed that the full advert seems to suggest that the UK Gold games were not yet ready for release at the time of the adverts. Then the March 14 1985 issue, page 5, of Popular Computing Weekly (see scans) mentions that Knightsoft got into legal trouble with US GOLD over the label:
“US Gold previously won a dispute with Knightsoft which introduced a UK Gold series of software, US Gold had registered both the names UK Gold and also Euro Gold. That time the dispute was settled out of court.”
It seems that 3D Formula One never made it out before the injunction, even if printed and ready for release. The other games though in the advert all saw release, but under a “Knightsoft” banner – with no sign of the “UK Gold” logo.
We don’t think the brand dispute was a cause for the game to not see a release, especially considering the release of the other titles. There must be another reason why it never made it out. Perhaps there were issues with the actual development?
We are currently lacking any credits also, so we await anyone to come forward and lay claim to this game. Who worked on it, how far did it get, and can anything of it be found?
Contributions: Peter Weighill, Mort, Anonymous Contributor
