Five employees from Microsoft-owned Rare, who have worked on more than 20 years of games for the company, have left to form their own studio, Flippin Pixels, for producing games for smartphones and tablets.
Studio director Steve Brand told GIBiz that, “It’s a new challenge, we’ve all been very much in the traditional console space for years. It sounds like a cliché but we all fancied the change. And the opportunities that are there within the space, we thought we could really offer something with all our experience behind us.”
Software director James Ackroyd stated, “We have a lot to learn, but what we do bring is years of console experience and high quality execution. We’ve only just recently been looking at how to monetise through games. The nature of the mobile market is so fast moving you can’t afford to stay on something for months.
“You need to get it out there while it’s still fresh. It’s a little bit like buying a lottery ticket but if you’ve got the quality there hopefully that rises to the top.”
Other team members include art director Steven Hurst, design director Shaun Read and technical director Gary Richards. Currently, the team is working on a number of projects and is confident of making an impact in the market.