Personal Software Services was founded in
Coventry, England, by Gary Mays and Richard Cockayne in 1981. The company had a partnership with French video game developer
ERE Informatique, and published localised versions of their products to the United Kingdom. The
Wargamers series was conceptualised by software designer Alan Steel in 1984 with
Battle for Midway. During development of these titles, Steel would often research the topic of the upcoming game and pass on the findings to other associates in Coventry and London. Some games of the series were met with controversy upon release, such as
Theatre Europe. In 1988, Cockayne took a decision to alter their products for release on 16-bit consoles, as he found that smaller 8-bit home computers such as the
ZX Spectrum lacked the processing power for larger strategy games. Cockayne claimed that PSS were not pulling out of the 8-bit market, but no more 8-bit games were released post-1988. Following years of successful sales throughout the mid 1980s, Personal Software Services experienced financial difficulties, in which Cockayne admitted that "he took his eye off the ball." The company was acquired by
Mirrorsoft in February 1987, and was later dispossessed by the company due to strains of debt. ==Games==