G2A developer studio spins out as Monrad Rock
Team goes independent and launching first title this month, will work with G2A on future projects
The team that previously made games in-house for controversial retailer G2A has branched out and formed a new independent studio.
Monrad Rock is staffed by former G2A employees and will be creating a variety of new IP going forwards. It currently specialises in virtual reality titles, but plans to develop games for PC and console in future.
The new studio has also signified that it is "amid advanced negotiations with investors" and currently "open to strategic partnerships."
The split with G2A seems to be more than amicable - in fact G2A itself has announced the formation the new studio via an official statement. In it, head of PR Maciej Kuc said the retailer is "confident that Monrad Rock will achieve great success."
The two companies are currently finishing a collaboration on a VR application teaching doctors how to detect heart defects in unborn children, and there are plans to work on future projects together.
In the meantime, Monrad Rock's independence begins with the imminent release of Summer Funland, a virtual reality theme park simulator due on HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR before the end of the month. Any G2A Land owners will receive this title for free.
The new studio is also working on World War II shooter FPS Blunt Force.
Kuc claims the split allows G2A to focus on its Marketplace and Pay products. This is no doubt part of its efforts to restore its reputation as a retailer following years of controversy over its grey marketplace that allows users to buy digital game keys in one region and sell them for a much higher price in another.
It's a model that has provoked the ire of publishers and developers ranging from indie firm TinyBuild to Borderlands studio Gearbox Software, demanding that G2A change its practices.
In an on-stage Q&A hosted by GamesIndustry.biz last year, G2A insisted it's not a grey marketplace and that "people just don't understand our business model."
Determined to allay concerns about key reselling, the firm made several changes to its marketplace last summer and promised to become more transparent.