Former Ubisoft, Vicious Cycle execs set up new studio

Two former executives from Ubisoft-owned Sinister Games and Vicious Cycle Software have established a new development studio in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Sentinel Studios has been established by Paul Potera, who previously held a leadership role at Sinister, and former VC co-owner Marc Racine. They will oversee a five-member team with combined industry experience of more than 50 years.

Most recently, Potera and Racine produced licensed games for Octagon Entertainment - shipping more than 30 SKUs over the past year for multiple platforms including PC, PS2, DS and GBA.

Sentinel Studios will focus on developing retail games and downloadable content for next-gen consoles and handhelds.

"The value that Marc and I bring to publishers is a deep knowledge of game production as well as strong ties with international partners," said Potera.

"Producing over two-dozen titles within challenging development constraints during the past year compelled us to identify the market segment we deem most attractive. Now we will pursue it aggressively."

Racine added, "Paul and I have a long history of working with licensed properties as well as original IP. Leveraging our in-house development talent in coordination with our overseas partners will be integral to increasing profitability and mitigating risk for our strategic partners."

The studio has yet to announce its first projects.