studio culture Archives

AppWizard

July 2, 2026

Former Call of Duty frontman launches new studio with a ‘Stop Killing Games’-style mission statement: If the game bombs, it goes open source

Robert Bowling, former strategist of the Call of Duty franchise, has co-founded a new studio called //18.bravo after the closure of his previous venture, Midnight Society, in 2025. The studio aims to foster a collaborative environment by aligning leadership compensation with employee success and introducing a royalty program for employees and profit-sharing with external talents. //18.bravo's debut project will not support live service models, focusing instead on creating a sustainable gaming experience with dedicated servers and optimized peer-to-peer architecture. This approach prioritizes longevity over immediate financial success, addressing gamer concerns about game shutdowns.

AppWizard

August 14, 2025

Coatsink’s founders are leaving the company

Coatsink, an indie game development studio, is undergoing a leadership change as its founding trio—CEO Tom Beardsmore, CDO Paul Crabb, and COO Eddie Beardsmore—will step down from their roles by the end of the year after 14 years. Richard Snowdon, who has been with Coatsink since 2015 and served as head of studio since 2022, will become the new CEO. Snowdon has prior experience at Eutechnyx, Double Eleven, and Accenture.