Mike Laidlaw, the former creative director of Dragon Age
, has established a new development studio alongside other industry veterans. Called Yellow Brick Games, the independent studio is located in Quebec City and aims to create “original, new games of high quality”.Laidlaw is joined by Thomas Giroux, Jeff Skalski, and Frédéric St-Laurent B., meaning the studio is comprised of EA, BioWare, and Ubisoft veterans, with a body of work covering Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Watch Dogs, and Assassin’s Creed.
Laidlaw takes on the role of Chief Creative Officer, while Skalski acts as Chief Operating Officer, and Giroux as Chief Executive Officer. Frédéric St-Laurent B., meanwhile, will take on the position of Game Director for the studio’s first project. St-Laurent B. was previously Lead Game Designer for Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate at Ubisoft Quebec.
The studio currently numbers 15 staff, but is expected to grow in the coming months and years. The goal is to create an original game that will “leverage the capabilities of the next generation gaming platforms”, done so with a “craftsmanship approach”.
“The market for independently produced games is growing rapidly and the technology is keeping pace,” said Laidlaw in a press release announcing the studio. “Small, diverse teams can now create high-quality experiences. For veterans of big-studio productions like myself and much of our team, this is the perfect time to get back to a small, agile, and highly motivated group. We want our games here at Yellow Brick to take potentially millions of players on wonderous journeys, and we want every member of our team to have a direct impact on the new worlds we’re creating.”To look back at Laidlaw’s credentials, he was Lead Designer on Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age 2, and Creative Director of Dragon Age: Inquisition. He was at BioWare for 14 years, where he also worked on Jade Empire and Mass Effect.
Matt Purslow is IGN’s UK News and Entertainment Writer. Source