Two of the original developers behind the indie hit Human: Fall Flat have founded a new UK studio called Pretty Cool Games, based in Leeds. The studio is currently hiring and is working on an unannounced AA title featuring physics-based gameplay.
Founders and Funding
Co-founder and CEO Sitara Shefta previously worked at Sumo Digital and Dream Reality Interactive on titles including LittleBigPlanet 3, Dead Island 2, Disney Infinity, and Arca's Path. Co-founder and chief creative officer Will Dudley has worked on games including Transformers, Fable The Journey, and Kinect Sports Season Two.
The studio has secured financing from Coreblazer, a Chinese investment initiative making its first move in Europe. Shefta noted that the team had to bootstrap and received grant support from the UK Games fund to develop a prototype before securing the partnership.
Industry Challenges and Opportunities
In an email Q&A, Shefta discussed the difficulties of setting up the company amid ongoing industry layoffs and rising costs. She described the current climate as worrying, attributing layoffs and closures partly to over-hiring during the pandemic and to investors becoming more risk-averse.
Shefta said: “Expectation has increased, particularly within the industry – you need to make a game that’s going to perform well to a good quality level, but you also have to do it in less time with less money. Instead of a pitch deck alone, publishers, investors, and funds now want to see the idea proven out before they’re willing to back it.”
She expressed hope that more small studios will emerge, saying: “I think the industry benefits when players can find a small game perfectly suited to them, rather than everyone playing the latest AAA colossus.”
UK Development Community and Diversity
Shefta noted that UK video game development studios have had an outsized impact on the industry, but consolidation has reduced reach. She called for improved education at school level, citing initiatives like BAFTA’s Young Game Designer, and for more long-term government support and investment in studios that develop their own IP.
On diversity, Shefta said: “Even when at the very top of my career, it’s funny how some things never change – you’re still the only woman in a room sometimes, and coincidentally the only person whose ideas are repeated by someone else.” She added that being independent allows the studio to choose collaborators who share similar values, and noted that the two directors who championed them from their investors were both women of colour.
First Game Plans
Pretty Cool Games has not yet announced its first title. Shefta said: “We aren’t ready to share details of our project, but our games focus on playfulness, creativity and imagination – we want to be different, unique so that it makes our IP memorable.” She added that the team looks at trends but does not follow them, aiming to create new experiences that set trends.
