There’s a cosy co-working cafe in the Shoreditch area, all exposed brick walls and Polaroids, hiding a corridor of offices at the back. At the end is Flavourworks’ tiny, windowless headquarters: somehow, it contains eight people at desks, a whippet named Layla and a sofa. The sofa, in front of a television that feels entirely too big for the space it’s in, is surrounded by an assortment of props from the studio’s first game, Erica. The vibe is distinctly that of a young studio with more potential – and cool junk – than can reasonably fit in one room.
They’re moving soon – just down the road, as staff are keen to stay in the area but also crave some natural light and more space. It’s all thanks to Erica, a bold live-action experiment that has ensured the studio’s security for a good while yet. For now, we have the pleasure of seeing the scale of Jack Attridge and Pavle Mihajlovic’s ambition made manifest, spilling out of the poky office in which it’s grown ever larger.
Before Flavourworks, Attridge and Mihajlovic were working at 22Cans, the Guildford-based studio founded by Peter Molyneux. Attridge was very much Molyneux’s protégé and co-designer – sort of – on god sim Godus. “For me, that was years on Peter’s shoulder,” Attridge says. “It was very much his game and his say. And I thought, ‘What would happen if I was responsible for the decisions, for better or worse?’” Meanwhile, Miha was working on an extra-curricular project of his own, and film graduate Attridge ended up doing sound for it “just for fun”, Mihajlovic says.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
CHANTS OF SENNAAR
How Babel helped a world of stealth become a world of words
MEGHNA JAYANTH
Around the industry in eight games: one writer's journey through indie to triple-A and back again.
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist
Sam Fisher's final outing is also his most enigmatic
Post Script
How low should a boss go?
TWO POINT STUDIOS
How a new studio rose from the ashes of Lionhead success not simulated
RAIDERS OF THE ARCHIVE
Wolfenstein-style shootouts are just a small part of the picture in MachineGames' maximalist Indy game
SPLITGATE 2
If it ain't broke, don't fix Split
KINGDOM COME: DELIVERANCE II
A bigger, better - and funnier Bohemian rhapsody
Narrative Engine
Write it like you stole it
The Outer Limits
Journeys fo the farthest reaches of interactive entertainment