ForthStar Games: The New Venture from Playdemic Founders

Paul Gouge and Alex Rigby have established themselves as seasoned entrepreneurs in the gaming industry. Their first mobile games studio, BattleMail, was founded in 2001 and sold to (M)Forma a year later. They then formed Rockpool Games, developed the J2ME edition of Worms, and sold the developer to Eidos/Square Enix in 2007. Their third studio, Playdemic, was established in 2010 and sold to Electronic Arts for $1.4 billion two years ago. With three successful studios and five sales under their belt, Gouge and Rigby are now unveiling their new venture, ForthStar Games. Based in Manchester, the studio has already assembled a team of 14 Playdemic alumni and secured $10 million in funding from Griffin Games Partners. They plan to launch their first game next year. Gouge attributes his decision to start another studio to his passion for making games. During his time off, he engaged in self-reflection, investing, and non-executive roles, which reinforced his love for the industry. He believes that ForthStar Games will benefit from the experience and practices developed at Playdemic, particularly in recruiting a strong team and adopting a "test and kill" approach to game development. This approach, inspired by Supercell, involves scrapping ideas that do not deliver the best results, regardless of the time and resources invested. Gouge emphasizes the importance of having a high degree of confidence in a product's potential for high retention, engagement, and longevity before bringing it to market. ForthStar Games is targeting the mobile market, with a focus on creating games that are accessible and rewarding for a wide audience. They are looking to serve the "mass market competitive products" audience, which seeks entertaining distractions with a competitive framework. Gouge believes that Golf Clash, with over 150 million installs, has demonstrated the potential for success in this market. Despite the competitive nature of the mobile market, Gouge remains optimistic about the opportunities for the right game. He points to the growth of Royal Match as an example of a successful game in the market. ForthStar Games is committed to investing in finding a hit, and their "test and kill" methodology is designed to increase their chances of success. Gouge envisions building a sustainable and long-term company, using the success of their products to support other endeavors. He draws inspiration from Epic's achievement with Fortnite, which has become a platform for other projects. ForthStar Games aims to create a product with commercial success similar to Golf Clash, which would provide a foundation for building a company with longevity. The top-grossing games on mobile have generated significant revenue, with the top ten products in 2023 earning over $8 billion. Gouge is excited about the potential for ForthStar Games to make a lasting impact in the industry, using their energy and capital to build something with a lasting legacy.