Too often in our incredible games industry, our brightest and biggest stars degenerate as they grow, eventually collapsing under the complexity of their own mass, disappointing investors, staff, and fans alike. Despite this all-too-normal fate, Paul Wedgwood and his team transformed Splash Damage from near-bankruptcy and high staff turnover, into one of the UK’s happiest and most profitable developers, contributing multiplayer development to eight #1 hits, across the Wolfenstein, Quake, Doom, Batman and Gears of War universes, eventually winning the Sunday Times Top 100 Best Companies award for incredibly high staff morale.
In 2017, Paul Wedgwood sold Splash Damage in a deal worth up to $160m to Hong Kong listed company Leyou. In 2018, after 17 years at the helm, Paul stepped down as CEO of Splash Damage and founded Supernova Capital LLP.
Paul Wedgwood noted, ”this is a completely new venture, built on the premise of solving one simple problem: founders and CEOs face a significant amount of stress and pressure as the years pass, ultimately trickling down to their staff and fans. We designed Supernova to reignite the passion in struggling star developers by simply caring for them; reducing confusion, decreasing politics, raising productivity, profitability, and dramatically improving morale - essentially fusing their talents with Supernova’s proven leadership, so that together, we can create the happiest and healthiest and most profitable studios in our solar system.”
To celebrate its launch, Supernova is excited to announce its debut partnership: acclaimed studio Flying Wild Hog, known for its original, fast-paced action titles such as the Shadow Warrior series.
Over nearly a decade of operation, Flying Wild Hog has earned an impressive reputation for itself, not only for its proven seal of quality but for its experienced team’s drive to constantly push boundaries and craft original games that turn heads, feeling wholly unique and unexpected. Drawing upon the capital, development experience, and knowledge of the AAA space that Supernova brings to the table, Flying Wild Hog has continued to grow to over 180 staff, opening a third office in Rzeszów, Poland, hiring senior hit-maker talent across the board, and expanding its game portfolio.
According to Flying Wild Hog CEO, Michał Szustak, “we don’t chase every opportunity. We are looking only for partnerships that ensure further growth and help to realize our ambitions. With Supernova, it feels like we have reconnected with our older, more experienced siblings. They share the same values as us - passion for players, employee happiness, and boundary-pushing creativity. The last 10 years of Hogs’ history wasn't always easy but I feel that with Supernova, we can finally focus on the thing we love the most: making awesome games. New owners or not, the Flying Wild Hog you know won’t be changing its culture, and we’ve got some exciting new game announcements to share with you soon!”