Ex-Supercell developers open new studio Antihero
Finnish development startup will focus on multiplayer games, also has offices in Barcelona
A group of former Supercell developers have set up a new company, Antihero Studios, drawing on their experience of making multiplayer games.
MobileGamer.biz reported the studio was co-founded by CEO and former Supercell creative director Brice Laville Saint-Martin, chief product officer and former Brawl Stars senior game designer Frank Yan, and CTO and former King technical director Andre Parodi.
Also on board is Scopely and Ubisoft game designer Hadrian Semroud, and former Socialpoint developer Gonzalo Martinez.
Laville Saint-Martin, who left Supercell ten months ago to set up this studio, said on LinkedIn that Antihero is already gearing up for its seed funding round, having already secured support from Sisu Game Ventures.
MobileGamer.biz reported the studio has also received funding from the Finnish government; while the studio is primarily based in Finland, it also has offices in Barcelona.
Antihero Studios will focus on multiplayer games – or "games worth sharing," as its slogan says – with Laville Saint-Martin saying in another LinkedIn post that he wants to build games that grow organically after being disappointed in how some companies responded to Apple's IDFA changes.
"Many companies responded to the IDFA changes by doubling down on performance marketing," he wrote. "While it’s an essential tool, I believe that companies overly reliant on it will likely fail to build sustainable businesses and inspire both developers and players. Developers want to create great games, not just ones that work as ads. Marketers aim to craft memorable campaigns, not questionable ads. Ultimately, players crave games that are truly worth playing and remembering.
"As I observed VCs backing more and more performance marketing-driven mobile gaming startups, I realized that we were failing to build an inspiring future for our industry… I couldn’t stop thinking about what a gaming studio with company branding that resonates with the values of the modern gamer could look like.
"At Antihero Studios, this is the future we’re building."