Nikitova launches games division

Nikitova LLC, until now better known for outsourcing artists and programmers to other developers, has launched a games division of its own.

Nikitova Games will develop a number of accessible Wii and DS titles initially, with a potential move onto other platforms possible next year.

In an exclusive interview Jon Hare, director of development for the company, told GamesIndustry.biz that the first title would be a licensed tie-in with a US sports channel, to be released before the end of this year.

The company, which has a strong staff base in Ukraine, will benefit from Western management techniques according to Hare.

"There's a strong romantic, artistic side to Eastern European society in general, and what's been interesting for me is that all that really needs to succeed is a little bit of Western realism about how you sell your creative desires into the market."

He also pointed to high wages in the UK as being one potential problem for studios looking to set up.

"This kind of market, which is quite volatile in terms of stability of business, it's quite hard in the UK to keep a company going, that's one of the reasons we've seen lots of companies hitting the wall, or selling up."

In the interview Hare goes on to talk more about the way that Nikitova Games is set up as a business, and add more detail on a number of other titles currently in development.