Crave Shrinks to Grow

After hearing all the rumors about employees leaving Crave Entertainment a few weeks ago, we spoke to the company's executive vice president of publishing, Holly Newman, and found that although the company has consolidated its staff -- it definitely isn't suffering. Just a short time ago, Newman fronted the public relations effort of New York City-based GT Interactive. She's excited by her new position in a company that has an "outstanding team and exciting lineup," as well as offices in the warmer climes of Southern California.

Recently, Crave decided to simplify the game development process by consolidating its units into one location in Crave's hometown of Los Angeles. Its two internal development units, Craveyard and Lobotomy, became one unit known as Craveyard. After being given the offer to come to LA, some of the Lobotomy staff chose to stay in Seattle, where they were based. This, apparently, is where the rumors began.

The company is firmly focused on developing games for next-generation platforms and for some of the current popular platforms like the Nintendo 64 and the PlayStation. The first heat of games from the company comes courtesy of Japanese developers like Genki and Natsume, but Newman says the company is focused on a "diverse set of consumers." Crave is reaching for the hearts of hard-core gaming audiences by bring Japanese games to US consumers and will deliver US-made games to a more mainstream audience.

The company isn't just going to be a console developer. It has already signed Ed Del Castillo's Liquid Entertainment to help front the company's PC efforts. Gamers will remember Del Castillo for his previous work at Origin, where he was the head of development for Ultima: Ascension.

For now, Crave is looking at the big picture. The company has outgrown its facilities and is looking for a larger location to house its employees. With 15 games expected to ship before year's end, the company is expanding quickly. Its first game, an RPG called Shadow Madness for the Sony PlayStation, was released to gamers today, so we'll have to gauge the company by its first title and the reactions of its players.