Former THQ and Warner Bros. designer Matt Cox announced the launch of his new studio Echohead Games in Lawrence, Kansas earlier this week.
Cox has been working in the games industry for many years, acting as game designer for franchises such as Destroy All Humans! He was the lead designer of Scribblenauts for Nintendo DS. After leaving the game industry in 2009 to pursue other opportunities, he continued to develop small games for iOS and Android — such as Sticky Bees and Phantom Flower.
Just this week, however, he announced he’s returning to the fold with the formation of Echohead Games.
Echohead Games is dedicated to producing novel, genre-bending titles for consoles and PC alike. Cox, the Creative Director at Echohead, had this to say:
“I love to take calculated risks with twists that appeal to both my mainstream nerves as well as my indie instincts. I love designing core gameplay that can be fun in its simplicity, but has the depth to hook my hardcore side.”
Echohead plans to release at least one title per year in order to consistently generate revenue, as well as to provide stability for internal teams. These will vary from smaller, indie-type titles to full-fledged AAA games. Cox stated that he wants Echohead to be known for switching up the landscape of AAA games, as well as pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in terms of game design — be it smaller games for mobile devices, or large-scale products for next-gen consoles like Xbox One or PlayStation 4.
Echohead will be taking advantage of the strengths and freedoms that smaller teams can afford, and the pure production horsepower that larger teams have at their disposal.
According to Cox, gameplay is king at Echohead.
“No matter if the game is big or small, production value doesn’t even apply if the core experience isn’t fun.”
The company’s first title — as of now unannounced — will be bringing back a familiar franchise in an unexpected way.
Echohead will be releasing more information about this new project in the near future. It can be found on their website, as well as on their Facebook and Twitter pages.
