Michael Simms (software developer)

Michael Simms is the creator of the Tux Games website and the founder of Linux Game Publishing.

Simms began using Linux when he was at university in 1992 and has been writing and contributing to open source software since 1993, having a strong belief that operating systems and file formats need to be open source in order to make computing competitive. Between 2000 and 2001 he also worked at Wcities in London as a Lead product architect. Simms was a beta tester for Loki Software's Linux ports of Civilization: Call to Power and Descent 3, and it was in response to being unable to order versions of Loki's titles from any British reseller that spurred him to create Tux Games, one of the first online Linux game stores. The website went live ten seconds after midnight on 1 January 2000, selling its first title on 3 January. In response to Loki's demise and the effect it would have on Tux Games, Simms invested £350,000 into a company porting Windows game titles to Linux. Linux Game Publishing was founded on 15 October 2001 to port and publish new games for Linux. Simms remained the CEO, as well as the Head of Development for over a decade. He likes to play Majesty and other strategy games.

On 31 January 2012 Simms announced that he was stepping down as CEO and handing over control to Clive Crous.