Nifty Games opens new Chicago development studio

Mobile publisher and developer Nifty Games has announced it is opening its first internal development studio in Chicago, Illinois.

The office will be headed up by David Michicich, who brings 25 years of industry experience to the studio -- including co-founding sports game developer Robomodo and various leadership positions at EA, Studio Gigante, and Reliance Entertainment.

Recently, Nifty Games raised $15 million in funding toward developing and publishing a new mobile title: NFL Clash, which is licensed with the NFL and the National Football League Players Association.

Also, Nifty has formed a partnership with the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association for a licensed NBA mobile game.

With its new Chicago location, Nifty hopes to draw from the city's existing development talent pool, while drawing on local enthusiasm for Chicago's professional sports teams such as the Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, and Blackhawks.

"There is a deep pool of talented developers residing in Chicago who are truly passionate about sports," said Michicich.

"We aim to build the best sports-focused mobile studio to bring fun and competitive, mobile-first games to sports fans globally."