Cohort Studios signing

July 31, 2009

TIGA, the trade association representing the UK’s games industry, today announced Cohort Studios as its newest member.

Founded in Dundee in 2006 by Lol Scragg CEO, Darran Thomas CCO and Bruce McNeish CTO, Cohort Studios has enjoyed continued success and measured expansion over the last three years and is now Scotland’s third largest game developer.

Cohort Studios specialise in experiences that appeal to a wide audience and that are accessible to players of different skill levels. To date the studio has worked on titles for PS3, PSP, PC, PS2 and PSN including Buzz!™ Junior: RoboJam, Buzz!™ Junior: Ace Racers, Buzz!™ Junior: Dino Den, as well as Journeys Through Sound, an advergame project released on PC to support the relaunch of the Audi TT motor vehicle.

Lol Scragg CEO stated: “The company’s success is largely due to a unique company culture and ethos, which promotes strong teamwork, professionalism, creativity and positivity. Another key element is our business strategy ‘Partners in Development’ where we look to partner and collaborate with other companies and studios rather than staff up internally, which increases overheads and depersonalises the company culture”.

On joining TIGA Scragg stated: “We have always felt that TIGA’s agenda makes complete sense for the industry, however recent achievements in terms of Government lobbying and TIGA’s efforts to engage Holyrood have convinced us that now is the right time for us to join.”

Richard Wilson, CEO TIGA, stated: “Cohort Studios is an exciting company with a fresh approach to issues such as skills shortages and education, something which is also very much at the heart of the TIGA agenda. We will be working closely with Cohort Studios to achieve key objectives for the gaming industry both in Scotland and throughout the UK.”

Ends

Notes to editors:

About TIGA:

TIGA is the trade association representing the UK’s games industry. The majority of our members are either independent games developers or in-house publisher owned developers. We also have outsourcing companies, technology businesses and universities amongst our membership.

TIGA's vision is to make the UK the best place in the world to do games business. We focus on three sets of activities: political representation, generating media coverage and developing services that enhance the competitiveness of our members. This means that TIGA members are effectively represented in the corridors of power, their voice is heard in the media and they receive benefits that make a material difference to their businesses, including a reduction in costs and improved commercial opportunities.

About Cohort Studios:

Cohort Studios is a games development and interactive entertainment studio in Dundee, Scotland that specialises in next-generation development partnerships. With a staff of just under fifty, the company offers a wealth of experience in all aspects of the game development process from concept to shipping. Team members have during their careers, worked on some of the biggest franchises within the industry, including GTA, Battlefield, Medal of Honor, Harry Potter, F1, Wipeout, Theme Park World, Syndicate, Crash, Goldeneye, Populous, Dungeon Keeper, Serious Sam and FIFA.

Formed in 2006 by three Directors with forty years combined industry experience, Cohort’s first project involved being contracted by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe to provide insourcing services on the excellent Motorstorm title for Playstation 3. They followed this up by working on Go! Puzzle, for Playstation Network on both Playstation 3 and Playstation Portable . In addition, the company developed a small downloadable driving title which was used on the website of the Audi TT.

Early in 2008, Cohort Studios released Buzz!™ Junior: Dino Den followed later in the year with Buzz!™ Junior: Ace Racers for SCEE. They have recently completed work on Buzz!™ Junior: RoboJam for Playstation 3 (PSN) and are currently working on a major PlayStation 3 title and a number of PlayStation Network titles for a major client.

Recent continued growth has led to the company moving to new offices overlooking the River Tay in Dundee within the cities Digital Media Park where they continue to use their proprietary technology to create high production value products.

For further information, please contact: Dr Richard Wilson, TIGA CEO on: 0845 0941095; Mob: 07875 939643; or Email: richard.wilson@tiga.org, or, Eva Whitlow, TIGA PR Manager on: 07814 039 983, or email eva@tiga.org.