Hi, I’m Stephen A. Mitchell. Faran and I launched Lore Lords ‘Gladiators’ at Austin CGF on the 25th..27th of July 2025.
Rather than merely reminisce about video games, I thought I’d travel back in time, in fact further back than any of my currently published titles.
My first console game for Atari was Kung Food for the Lynx, but my first gaming console was the Atari VCS™ * and I’d so wanted to write my own game for one when I was a kid. It is fair to say it was systems like this that inspired me to become a video games programmer, whilst I was still at school.
Thanks to the great tools available today at 8bitworkshop.com I was able to program and test the game just using a web browser. But when wanting to go further and actually test on real hardware I was able to find invaluable help from reading the Pixels Past (creative commons) PCB project that people had been using to make their own physical cartridge releases since the early 2000s. This meant I was able to flash old programmable logic chips and EPROMs to make actual console cartridges that ran my game on the legacy console.
I also discovered that wider scale homebrew and re-releases were originally being done by recycling old game shells. I thought I’d find away to avoid that sacrilege.
Steve Mitchell images to be used in Highlander on Jaguar CD (early to mid 1990s).
Lore Lords ‘Gladiators’
Back in the 1980s, I wrote a computer moderated strategy game called Lore Lords of Britain. Up to 40 people played per game, by using post and laser printed return forms.
This was home computer based, but I recently had the option to write an 8-bit version for legacy reasons, so went with what I thought an arcade style game about ancient armies battling, might be like had I written that for my first console.
The game is an auto-battler inspired one to two player game for Atari 2600™* compatible consoles. 
(New PCB in a freshly injected Polycarbonate shell and screen shot from gameplay.)
Making a new PCB
Using recycled EPROMs and logic chips from the 1980s is no longer deemed good practice, as they are technically ‘used parts’ and do not meet modern standards. Other modern programmable boards exist, but appear to be in short supply or simply not available.
To address this, I spent some of last year writing the high speed ARM Thumb code for a single modern microcontroller to emulate both the EPROM and also the PLD previously required to do the banking.
I then added a DIP switch option so that the cartridge could boot up as one of up to 16 different games. To do this, ROM files with sizes varying from 2KB through to 32KB (using 2K/4K/F8/F6 & F4 banking emulation) totalling up to around 60KB can be uploaded.
The new PCB currently works on legacy Atari 2600™ * hardware, Retron77, plus newer 2600+ / 7800+ consoles.
Although my Beta carts use the old school creative commons boards, I am making some of these new PCBs right now. This could allow a PAL, NTSC & extra Mod of Lore Lords ‘Gladiators’ all in one cartridge.
Contact myself or Faran if you are interested in finding out more.
Testing F6 banking using the microcontroller as a ROM emulation on and an early version of my new 8-bit game.
Moved from ZIF sockets to a hand modified Pixels Past PCB (as more stable in testing). You can see the Game Over mode in my game.
“Getting closer!”
The prototype board, inside a shell case, running as both PLC and EPROM fully being able to draw all power needed just from the console.
Totally new final PCB design, with optional DIP switches, that was submitted for FCC testing. It is capable of containing up to 16 different selectable ROM images using 2K, 4K, F8, F6 & F4 banking (combined to around 60 Kbytes).
Faran, also a Retro Game Guru, is working with me on Love8Bit.
- Showing and making available a range of Atari 2600™* compatible shells to enthusiasts and independent retro-publishers.
- Designing and making the labels and boxes for the limited edition Beta of Lore Lords ‘Gladiators’ game.
- Showing independent retro-publishers the newly made, FCC approved and DIP switch enabled PCB.
Faran’s setup on 7800+
Contact Faran to find out more about the 100 limited edition CGF Beta run of Lore Lords ‘Gladiators’ and how to qualify.
Posters to promote the shells and DIP switch PCB in the Classic Game Fest (Austin 2025).
* Atari™, Atari VCS™ and Atari 2600™ are trademarks of Atari Interactive Inc. These products may be compatible with Atari 2600™ but are not affiliated with, endorsed, or sponsored by Atari Interactive Inc. in any way.