Pretty Cool Games has been launched by two veterans of the hit title Human : Fall Flat – Sitara Shefta, who now serves as Chief Executive Officer, and Will Dudley, the company’s Chief Creative Officer. Their shared ambition is to build a studio that not only delivers fresh, inventive games but also treats its staff fairly and shares the fruits of success with them. Shefta brings extensive leadership experience to the venture. She previously ran No Brakes Games Tenerife as CEO and studio head, where she oversaw the development of Human : Fall Flat from concept to launch.
In addition to her industry résumé, Shefta was recently appointed to the Board of Directors at TIGA and sits on the BAFTA Games Committee, giving her a strong voice in the broader UK games ecosystem. Dudley’s résumé is equally impressive.
He was part of the original Human : Fall Flat team and has held positions at several high‑profile developers, including Sony Interactive Entertainment, Lionhead Studios, Rare, and Marmalade Game Studio. His background spans both indie and AAA environments, providing a balanced perspective on how to blend creativity with production discipline. To get the fully remote, UK‑based studio off the ground, Pretty Cool Games secured undisclosed investment from Chinese developer Hypergryph, best known for the popular mobile RPG Arknights: Endfield. Shefta explains that securing capital in today’s climate is challenging, but the appetite for new, original games remains strong.
“From our very first conversation with Hypergryph, we clicked. They loved the concept for our debut game, they embraced our quirky ideas, and they share our long‑term vision for a sustainable studio.
It was refreshing to work with a fellow developer that wants to support other creators,” she told GamesIndustry.biz. The bulk of the funding will be poured into the studio’s first title, a project that draws inspiration from a diverse set of sources: Nintendo’s playful design philosophy, Hazelight’s narrative‑driven cooperative 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*. Shefta says the goal is to craft an experience that sticks with players for years: “We want to make something memorable, timeless and so much fun that you look back on it with delight long after you first played it.” Creativity is positioned as a core pillar of the studio’s identity, both for the developers and the players. The upcoming game will give players a high degree of freedom, leveraging physics‑based mechanics and open‑ended level design to encourage wild, unexpected solutions.
“We’re building a world where players can express themselves through play, experimenting with objects and environments in ways that feel both goofy and rewarding,” Shefta added. The investment also allows Pretty Cool Games to assemble a small, focused team that can be sustained over the long term. Currently four full‑time staff members are on board, and the studio plans to grow to ten.
Immediate hires include a lead designer, a level designer, an environment artist, and a concept artist. Future contracts will bring in specialists for character art, audio, UI, and a composer, as well as quality‑assurance personnel. Shefta emphasizes that keeping the core team lean is a deliberate choice.
“We’re being ambitious but realistic about scope. By staying small we can iterate quickly, make decisions fast, and keep the studio financially healthy.” She also highlights the intention to reward staff through equity or share‑scheme arrangements, a response to recent industry layoffs that left many developers without compensation despite the commercial success of the games they built.
“If our games succeed, everyone shares in that success,” she says. The studio’s philosophy is to blend the best practices of AAA development—high standards for quality, disciplined production pipelines, and an understanding of what makes an IP thrive—with the agility and experimental spirit of indie studios. Shefta reflects on her AAA experience: “Large budgets can lead to wasteful decisions and make recouping costs a nightmare.
Indie development lets you move faster, focus on a few strong ideas, and iterate based on what feels right.” Working in a smaller team also means each individual has a larger impact on the final product, a factor that Shefta finds creatively fulfilling. “When everyone’s voice matters, the work feels more meaningful,” she notes. Ultimately, Pretty Cool Games aims to put both player enjoyment and employee wellbeing at the forefront of its mission.
“There will always be challenges when you launch a new studio, but we’re leaning on the deep experience we’ve accumulated over the years and staying committed to building games the right way,” Shefta concludes. The studio is actively seeking additional investment and a publishing partner for its debut title, hoping to secure the resources needed to bring their ambitious, physics‑driven, comedy‑infused game to market while maintaining the ethical, sustainable workplace they envision.