studios
Studio News
Atomic Planet
01642 871100
www.atomic-planet.com
Blitz Games
01926 880000
www.BlitzGames.com
This month: Gusto gears up and Red Badlam grows… Gusto’s Derby studio has this month welcomed eight fresh-faced recruits into its fold, continuing expansion as its first project gears up. First up is programmer Tom Papados (far left), who joins the studio after a four-and-a-half year stint at nearby Free Radical Design where he most recently focused on game engine work. Next up is Max Fanning (second from left), who joins Gusto as a character artist. His most recent tenure was a three-year stint at Rebellion Derby, where he worked on Shellshock 2 and other titles. Ezra Allen (third from left) enters the company as an artist, having most recently worked as a modeller and senior animator at Brighton-based party funsters Zoe Mode, while Andy Catlender (fourth from left) hops aboard the Gusto train as a senior programmer, having got off the Rebellion Derby bus just after The Simpsons Game stop. Nick Ruddock (fourth from right) takes his first dip in the games industry pool after spending his education at University of Teeside, while Doug Holmes (third from right) joins the company from Monumental Games. Dave Reed (second from right) joins the company as a programmer and is another recruit from Rebellion Derby where he’d been responsible for rendering code, and before that worked at Codemasters on the Colin McRae series. Last but not least is Dan Haslop, a graduate of the University of Lincoln’s BSc (Hons) games computing programme, who brings with him three years experience of freelance graphic design work to his role as junior artist. Taking stock of the bumper crop of new talent, Gusto Games development director Steve Archer said: “The development of the studio’s first project is going extremely well; we are all very pleased with how it’s progressing. The addition of the new staff will ensure that the game will meet everyone’s expectations when it’s released at the end of the year.” www.gustogames.com Fred Hasson, founder and former CEO of UK developer trade body Tiga, has joined virtual world company RedBedlam as executive director. RedBedlam was established in 2001 and develops virtual world and virtual economic technologies. It launched its first title Roma Victor, a MMORPG set in Roman-occupied Britannia, in 2006. “I am absolutely delighted to be joining RedBedlam,” said Hasson. “It’s not often that you encounter such a talented and devoted group of individuals with real skills, a knack for innovation and an in-depth understanding of virtual world development. I believe strongly that virtual worlds are an exciting new medium with a great deal of untapped potential. “RedBedlam’s proposition is a particularly rare combination of real world experience and some extremely specialist know-how, which has a profoundly strong commercial potential – particularly in today’s marketplace,” he commented. Kerry Fraser-Robinson, president and managing director of RedBedlam, added: “Fred brings an immense amount of practical experience, skills, knowledge and indeed contacts within a diverse and broad range of media sectors.” www.redbedlam.com
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