 Personal Software Services was founded in Coventry , England , by Gary Mays and Richard Cockayne in November 1981 . The company was known for creating games that revolved around historic war battles and conflicts , such as Theatre Europe , Bismarck and Falklands ' 82 . The company had a partnership with French video game developer ERE Informatique and published localised versions of their products to the United Kingdom . The Strategic Wargames series was conceptualised by software designer Alan Steel in 1984 . 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 . In 1983 , the company received recognition for being " one of the top software houses " in the United Kingdom , and was a finalist for BBC Radio 4 's New Business Enterprise Award for that year . 
