Rob Fahey
15:23 (BST)
09/12/2004
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Climax announces major expansion at LA studio
Britsoft developer is a hit in the USA, with 80 new staff being hired
British development group Climax has announced that it is to initiate a major expansion programme at its US offices in Los Angeles, with a move into new premises and 80 new jobs to be created.
The company's new offices in Santa Monica will cover 16,000 square feet and will house the existing studio, which just finished work on Tron 2.0 Killer Application for Buena Vista Games, along with 80 new staff.
The studio will work on titles for both current generation and next generation consoles, as well as on handheld titles - with at least one game for the PlayStation Portable known to be in the works.
"The expansion is crucial to the studio's on-going development," according to Climax LA president David Schwartz. "By moving to larger premises and hiring additional staff we can deliver cutting-edge action adventure games for all the major platforms. We're particularly excited by the opportunities this move gives us to create the next generation of hit games for Xbox2 and PlayStation 3."
"We're working closely with SCEA on a high profile title for 2005 too," he revealed, "and this exciting move will allow us to explore other opportunities to work with some of the industry's biggest names."
The news comes shortly after Climax announced that it was creating the UK's biggest development studio, Climax Action, by "virtually" merging its offices in London and Solent - although it denied industry reports that a number of job losses would be involved in the change.
"With more Climax-developed games hitting the store shelves than ever before, 2004 has been a fantastic year for the whole Climax group," commented CEO Karl Jeffery. "In particular, the success of the US operation has been a major plus for the company. We expected a few teething problems, but it's integrated exceptionally well with the UK studios and complemented the work we've been doing over here. Its location is also critical to the entire company, as it allows us to work closely with the biggest names from both the video game and movie industries."
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