ZX Spectrum revival disowned by two of its owners
ZX Spectrum Vega+ was expected to launch this year
Two owners of a company set to revive the ZX Spectrum home computer have turned their backs on the project amid a legal wrangle.
Retro Computers Limited was behind a crowdfunding campaign with ZX Spectrum founder Sir Clive Sinclair earlier this year to bring back the cult 1982 machine in the form of a handheld games console named ZX Spectrum Vega+.
The campaign raised £417,375 - over three times its target - but doubts were cast over the project's future when two directors of Retro Computers resigned.
Paul Andrews and Christopher Smith quit the company while keeping a joint 50 per cent stake, but have now moved to distance themselves from the project entirely.
A statement released today by Andrews and Smith said: "In recent weeks Andrews and Smith have received increasing numbers of emails addressed to them, from public backers of the Vega+ console, and members of the press with questions relating to the production status of the Vega+.
"As a result of these enquiries received and their concern for the backers of the project, several weeks ago Smith and Andrews (via their solicitors), posed multiple questions to the current directors of Retro Computers Ltd (through their solicitors), including as to the status of the proposed Vega+ project (preparation, software, production, time scales, etc) and also the financial resources of the company to meet the expected costs of development and production, and so on.
"Sadly Retro Computers Ltd has failed to respond at all to these requests (or indeed to earlier similar requests) and have not provided any information or answers to Andrews and Smith.
"Andrews and Smith therefore feel they have no choice but to publicly distance themselves from Retro Computers Ltd, and make it very clear that as they have no knowledge, control, or say in anything that has happened in the company since they resigned on 8 April 2016, they are unable to answer any questions relating to the company or its projects."
Backers of the crowdfunding campaign were expected to receive their consoles in September and Retro Computers confirmed in a Facebook post that it still expects this to be the case.
Some expressed their concern on Twitter when Andrews and Smith resigned as directors in April.
At the time of publication the press enquiries page on the Retro Computers website appeared to be down, as did the Clive Sinclair Research website.
Andrews confirmed to CRN that he and Smith resigned as directors of Retro Computers as a result of "irreconcilable differences" between the pair and the one other active director, David Levy.
Since their departure two new directors have been appointed by Levy.
Clive Sinclair's Sinclair Research Limited has also been a corporate director of the firm since 2014.
The most recent annual report filed with Companies House shows that Andrews, Smith, Levy and Sinclair's company make up the four shareholders of Retro Computers, each with a 25 per cent holding.
The console's precedessor, the Sinclair ZX Spectrum Vega, is still available to purchase.
Update
Since publication Levy has released a statement to address "inaccurate" statements made by Smith and Andrews.
He claims that Retro Computers has "issued legal proceedings to recover company funds that are unaccounted for" from the time that Smith and Andrews were directors.
He added that their actions are part of a "campaign of non-co-operation and attempted destabilisation of the company".
Smith and Andrews have issued a further response claiming "there are no legal proceedings whatsoever" against them and that they see no reason why there will be in the future.