This venture sees the trio build upon their previous successes at companies such as Epic Games, Microsoft, Sony and Electronic Arts, where they spearheaded the development on game franchises including Gears of War, Assassin’s Creed, FIFA, The Sims, Need for Speed and more.
Arctic7 was founded with the commitment to provide an environment where talent can enjoy peak career experiences, and partners will gain from personal relationships. Through their combined decades of experience working in games, Efremov, Rizzo and Van Slyke know that every project is only as good as the people behind it. The company is committed to hiring and inspiring the best talent and is proud of the ever-growing team it has assembled since its inception.
Igor Efremov, co-founder of Arctic7 comments, “We’re delighted to announce Arctic7 to our friends, partners and peers. In true game industry style, we have been operating in stealth mode for the past couple of months, assembling the best talent in anticipation of delivering AAA quality experiences to our partners. We are incredibly fortunate to have hired a team of stars who are recognized as the best in their fields, and have helped build and grow multiple billion-dollar AAA franchises.”
The company’s bigger picture is to look beyond the perceived confinements of traditional games development, and include explorations of creative and technical intersections.
Mark Rizzo, co-founder of Arctic7 adds, “The industry has seen a seismic shift in recent years as the world of gaming and game-based technologies has opened up to new audiences and industries. It has always been exciting to work in games and right now, with the help of the tech and talent available to us, Arctic7 is looking forward to becoming a key player in the evolution of the industry.”
Alan Van Slyke, co-founder of Arctic7 continues, “Arctic7 gives us the platform to use our combined years of game development to create the most compelling new worlds, new adventures and new experiences for our partners and their players. The opportunities are endless and we’re thrilled to be working with some of the best talent in the industry.”
Igor Efremov began his games career at Electronic Arts before co-founding Sperasoft with Mark Rizzo; a games development studio that was acquired by Keyword Studios in 2017. The acquisition resulted in Efremov becoming Keyword Studios’ Chief Commercial Officer, responsible for sales and services across the company.
Mark Rizzo has also held a number of senior leadership technical and operations roles at companies including Sony, Electronic Arts and most recently Keyword Studios, where he held the role of Global Operations Director.
Alan Van Slyke has over two decades of game development experience, working in senior production roles at Epic Games, Electronic Arts, Sony Computer Entertainment, and most recently served as Chief Operating Officer at Microsoft Studio, Undead Labs.
Arctic7, headquartered in Austin Texas, has development teams around the world, and is currently working on an unannounced project for an international publisher, with a number of additional partner projects planned for 2022 and beyond.