Julian Gollop

Julian Gollop was born in 1965. He came of age in Harlow, England. When he was a child, his father introduced him to many different types of games, including chess, card games, and board games. His family played games regularly, choosing to play games instead of going to see films. When he was about 14 years old, Gollop started playing more complex games like Dungeons & Dragons, SPI board games, and Avalon Hill board games. After home computers became a reality while he was in secondary school, Gollop's fascination for complex strategy games helped him recognise how computers could allow him to make and play games he enjoyed. ==Game development==

Early career (1982 to 1988) In 1982, while he was still in secondary school, Gollop started designing and programming computer games. For £25, Gollop bought his first computer, a ZX81, from a school friend to learn programming. Gollop subsequently upgraded to a ZX Spectrum and began creating video games like Nebula in BASIC. Under the Mythos name, the Gollop brothers designed and developed computer games such as Laser Squad, UFO: Enemy Unknown and X-COM: Apocalypse. Up to this time, Gollop had only made computer games for 8-bit and 16-bit home computers commonly found in Europe. Codo Technologies (2001 to 2006) After closing Mythos Games, Gollops founded Codo Technologies. Ubisoft Sofia (2006 to 2012) After moving to Bulgaria, Gollop began working for Ubisoft in Sofia as a game designer. He then became the co-creative director of ''Assassin's Creed III: Liberation'' for the PlayStation Vita. Snapshot Games (since 2013) As of 2017, Gollop works in Sofia as the CEO and chief designer for Snapshot Games, an independent video game developer he co-founded in 2013 with David Kaye. Chaos Reborn, the studio's first game, was released by Snapshot Games in 2015. He then led his company's development of Phoenix Point, which was released in December 2019. ==Personal life==

Gollop moved to Sofia, Bulgaria in 2005. His wife Raina, who he married in 2003, is Bulgarian, and his two children were born circa 2011. ==Accolades==

IGN included him among the top hundred computer game creators of all time. Jake Solomon, creative lead for this XCOM and its sequel, XCOM 2, credits Gollop for much of his success. ==Games==