Gears, F.E.A.R., Condemned devs form new studio

Six developers with experience on Gears of War, F.E.A.R. 2, Condemned 2 and Spec Ops: The Line have started a new studio, Strange Games.

Strange Games' individual members are mostly still working on AAA projects, but they intend to work full-time on the new studio after the launch of its first game, Demolicious, which will be released on iOS and Android later this year.

"It's all after hours, but it's a lot of hours," technical director Ken Mayfield told Eurogamer. "We do our eight [hours] at one company, then we turn around and do our eight at another."

Mayfield is a veteran from Gears of War, and is currently working on 2K Games' oft-delayed Spec Ops: The Line. However, while AAA blockbuster development is a dream for many developers, Mayfield is less enthusiastic.

"It's fun up to a point, but the real fun is sitting down with your buddies, making a game that's not all that serious and utilising the knowledge we've picked up from AAA development. Putting those together I think is where the real money is at."

Mayfield and the other five co-founders have known each other since their college days at the University of Advancing Technology in Arizona. They went on to make the IGF-nominated Dodgeball Source mod, which was downloaded more than a million times.

The identities of the other team members will be announced when their current AAA commitments have finished.