THQ studio closure spawns new startups - Report

July 14, 2011 10:13AM PDT

Developer of Warhammer 40K Kill Team, Juiced shutting doors, but some former employees have already struck out on their own with three new companies.

Last month, THQ confirmed it would be shutting down its UK-based Digital Warrington studio, developer of the Juiced series of racing games and Warhammer 40K: Kill Team, which debuted on Xbox Live yesterday. While the studio will stay open just long enough to get the PlayStation 3 version of Kill Team out the door, UK trade site Develop is reporting that the impending closure has already spawned no fewer than three startups.

An example of Alien Apple concept art.

Two of the new businesses are game development studios, with the first one a three-man squad going by the name D3T. That shop will be helmed by programmer Jamie Campbell and project manager/designer Stephen Powell. The second developer is being established by Digital Warrington studio director Don Whiteford and lead designer Ric Badger, but it does not have a name as of yet.

The third outfit to spring from Digital Warrington is Alien Apple Studios, a conceptual design studio for various media founded by artists Stu and Donna Jennett. All of the aforementioned developers except Stu Jennett worked at Digital Warrington from the studio's first game, the 2005 racer Juiced, back when the studio was independent and known as Juice Games.

According to Develop, approximately 36 developers at Digital Warrington were made redundant after the release of Kill Team on the Xbox 360, with 10 remaining until the PS3 edition of the game is released.

By Brendan Sinclair, Senior Editor

Brendan Sinclair has been a games journalist since 1999. His tastes are eclectic, though he has a definite affinity for games with arcade roots. He's Canadian, but has also been at home in Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, and San Francisco.

Follow Follow @BrendanSinclair

8 comments

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Kombatchamp

Yeah well look at what happened to midway......and ID software. ID software as we all know merged with bethesda.....and midway got bought out by WB studios. Its becoming far too common now.

majin_lebeau

thq...meh, last thq game I loved was WWF NO Mercy

WoodyAtWar

So if I purchase this game now who gets my money? Do THQ keep all of it or do the original dev team get their share? If THQ keep the lot they can screw off...

SauhlGood

meh...make company of heroes 2 already!!!!

gatsbythepig

Hopefully these start-ups will produce some good software.

perkinsj26 ranger

Well wonder what that means for further updates to this title. Guess my dreams of drop in co-op are crushed.

DarthSithari

Well... this was rather unexpected.

raptures330

Good luck to them. Good to see that most of them are going right back into game dev. The third could still be involved in game dev, just not solely focused. Keep the talent in the industry. It sorely needs it.

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