Former Gearbox, Id and Warner veterans form new publisher Cooldown Games
A group of industry veterans have formed a new publisher, Cooldown Games, which will bring premium games to PC and consoles.
The company was formed by seven experienced publishing execs, who have previously worked at Gearbox Publishing, Id Software, Warner Bros and others.
The co-founders include: chief product officer Matt Charles, chief business officer Erick Cobbs, chief operations officer Jackson Hardesty, chief revenue officer Brad Schliesser, chief technology officer Jimmy Sieben, and chief marketing officer Jeff Skal.
They will be led by CEO Steve Gibson, formerly president of Gearbox Publishing. Between them, the team has worked in games publishing for decades and produced eight games that have sold more than one million copies.
Cooldown Games will have a specific focus on titles that can "seamlessless fit into the hectic work-and-game-life balance of modern games," according to the announcement, ones that players can "enjoy at their own pace without the need of large time investments to join in or keep up."
"Our team is confident rational business models will be a long-term strength of Cooldown Games and that just might be a refreshing contrast from many recent industry trends," said Gibson.
"My passion of helping game makers reach as many game players as possible while making sure that it's a rewarding experience for everyone involved is at the center of all of this. Let's make some great games together."
Gearbox Publishing suffered a round of layoffs last year as part of Embracer's restructuring program. There were further staff let go from Gearbox Entertainment after Embracer sold that company to Take-Two.
In April, Gearbox Publishing's San Francisco office was rebranded as Arc Games. It had previously been known as Perfect World Entertainment, before being acquired by Embracer and rebranded as part of Gearbox.
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