Pretty Cool Games was founded by two veterans of the hit title Human: Fall Flat—Sitara Shefta, who now serves as Chief Executive Officer, and Will Dudley, the Chief Creative Officer. Their shared ambition is to create a sustainable development house that treats its staff fairly and shares the financial rewards of success with them. Shefta’s résumé includes a stint as CEO and studio head of No Brakes Games Tenerife, where she oversaw the production of Human: Fall Flat. She has recently been appointed to the Board of Directors at TIGA and sits on the BAFTA Games Committee, giving her a strong voice in the UK gaming community.
Dudley, a founding member of the original Human: Fall Flat team, brings a wealth of experience from previous roles at Sony Interactive Entertainment, Lionhead Studios, Rare, and Marmalade Game Studio. His background spans console, PC, and mobile development, providing a broad perspective on how games are built and marketed.
To get the new, fully remote UK studio off the ground, Pretty Cool Games secured an undisclosed investment from Chinese developer Hypergryph, best known for the popular mobile RPG Arknights: Endfield. Shefta explained to GamesIndustry.biz that while raising capital is challenging in the current climate, the appetite for fresh, innovative games remains strong. “From our very first conversation with Hypergryph, we clicked.
They loved our concept, embraced our long‑term vision, and were excited about our off‑beat ideas. It mattered to us that they are developers themselves, now supporting other studios, and that they share our enthusiasm for what we want to achieve,” she said. According to Shefta, the bulk of the funding will be poured into the studio’s debut title.
The game draws creative inspiration from a mix of sources: Nintendo’s playful design philosophy, Hazelight’s narrative‑driven co‑op experiences (the makers of *It Takes Two*), the immersive storytelling found in Disney theme parks, and the physical comedy of classic films such as *The Pink Panther*. “We want to craft something that feels timeless and delightful, a game you’ll remember fondly years after you first played it,” she emphasized.
Creativity, she added, is a core pillar of the studio’s identity—not just for the developers but for the players as well. The upcoming title will give players a sandbox of physics‑based tools and level‑design systems that encourage wild, unexpected outcomes. “The freedom inherent in a physics game, combined with our own systems, will let players experiment, solve puzzles, and express themselves through playful interaction,” Shefta explained.
The Hypergryph investment also enables Pretty Cool Games to assemble a small, focused team that Shefta hopes to keep stable over the long term. At present the studio employs four full‑time staff members and intends to grow to ten. Immediate hires include a lead designer, a level designer, an environment artist, and a concept artist. Future plans call for contract positions in quality assurance, character art, audio, UI design, and a composer.
“We are keeping the core team lean, ambitious yet realistic about scope,” Shefta noted. “We also want a studio model that rewards success—share schemes, for example—so when a game does well, the whole team benefits together.” Shefta’s overarching goal is to blend the best practices of AAA development—high production values, disciplined quality control, and an understanding of what makes an intellectual property thrive—with the agility and experimental spirit of a small indie team. “Working on AAA projects taught me the importance of quality and the pitfalls of massive budgets that can lead to waste and make recouping costs difficult. Indie development, by contrast, lets you iterate quickly, focus on a few strong ideas, and bring something special to market without the overhead of a blockbuster,” she reflected.
Being part of a compact team, she argues, gives each member a meaningful voice in shaping the final product. “When everyone can influence the game’s direction, it feels more rewarding for creatives,” she said.
Ultimately, Pretty Cool Games aims to put player enjoyment and employee wellbeing at the forefront of its mission. “There will always be challenges when launching a new studio, but we’ll draw on the extensive experience we’ve accumulated over the years and stay committed to building games the right way,” Shefta concluded. The studio is actively seeking additional investment and a publishing partner for its first title, hoping to secure the resources needed to bring its ambitious, humor‑infused vision to life while maintaining a fair, sustainable workplace for its growing team.