With 40+ million unit sales behind it, the new studios will help Ripstone place games development and work-for-hire at the centre of its business as it continues to build a legacy of success.
The first of the new studios is based in the heart of Birmingham and will be headed up by Mark Williams, who brings a vast wealth of industry experience with him as ex-VooFoo Co-Founder and a Codemasters veteran. The new Birmingham team will broaden Ripstone’s already substantial technological versatility by building new tech for future games development projects, while Ripstone’s Liverpool studio will continue to specialise in working with Unreal Engine. Ripstone’s talented team will also be bolstered by the hire of esteemed Head of Technology, Paulie Hughes (ex-Traveller’s Tales).
This growing team will help strengthen Ripstone as it continues to grow its enviable roster of profitable live games and embarks on the development of exciting new IP, as well as working on select work-for-hire projects for high-profile clients.
“With our successful studio in Liverpool, two new studios in Birmingham and Greece, an influx of great new hires and our recent win of Gamesindustry.biz’s 2021 “Best Places To Work” award, Ripstone is an exciting place to be right now,” said Creative Director & Co-Founder Phil Gaskell. “We’re looking forward to welcoming more great talent to the studios as we move into a new phase that puts games development at the forefront of our operations and continue to build a legacy of success”.
“I’m delighted to be leading Ripstone’s new Birmingham studio,” said Mark Williams, Head of Studio & Principle Programmer. “I can’t wait to welcome new talent to the team to help us take on the opportunities ahead as we build powerful new games development tech to take Ripstone to the next level”.
Headquartered in the Baltic Triangle of Liverpool, with studios in Liverpool and Birmingham, United Kingdom and Marathon, Greece, Ripstone Games is an independent developer and publisher renowned for producing hit titles that include Chess Ultra, Poker Club, Snooker 19 and Pure Pool, as well as publishing third party developed indie hits like The Spectrum Retreat, Achtung Cthulhu! Tactics and Stick it to the Man! With global sales of 40 million + units, Ripstone Games have financed and published 20 games across over 75 SKUs throughout its history.