Ste was born in Stockport, near Manchester, UK, in 1969, and drew the graphics for his first game (Ghosts 'n' Goblins on the Amstrad CPC) whilst still at High School, aged 15. Ste became Art Directory at proto developer Binary Design just a year later, working on dozens of hit computer games including Glider Rider, 180, Zub, and Feud.

Forming Zippo Games with his brother John Pickford in the late 1980s, Ste helped create NES classics such as Solar Jetman and Ironsword for Rare and Nintendo, before selling up and turning the studio into Rare Manchester.

Ste joined Software Creations in the early 1990s, becoming Art Director and designing SNES classics such as Equinox, Plok and Maximum Carnage, before leaving to form the studio Zed Two in 1996, where he co-created Wetrix, Aqua Aqua and Future Tactics.

In October 2006, he founded The Pickford Brothers along with his brother John. The company is more like a laboratory than a studio, and they create original game concepts and new video game IP. Their first self-funded indie video game is Naked War. They also work with established developers on new game concepts based on existing IP. At the same time, the two founded the licensing and publishing venture, Zee-3, a virtual company to exclusively publish and distribute all new Pickford Brothers games over the internet, as well as license their IP for other video game platforms and other media.

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