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 build a studio that operates on sustainable principles, treats its staff fairly and rewards them directly for the success of the games they create. Shefta brings a wealth of experience from her previous role as CEO and studio head of No Brakes Games Tenerife, where she oversaw the development of Human: Fall Flat. In addition to her industry leadership, she has recently been appointed to the board of directors at TIGA and participates on the BAFTA Games Committee, giving her a broad perspective on the business and cultural side of gaming.
Dudley, a founding member of the original Human: Fall Flat team, adds a deep technical pedigree. His résumé includes stints at Sony Interactive Entertainment, Lionhead Studios, Rare and Marmalade Game Studio, where he contributed to a variety of projects ranging from console blockbusters to mobile experiences. To get the new, fully remote UK operation off the ground, Pretty Cool Games secured an undisclosed investment from Hypergryph, the Chinese developer best known for the popular mobile RPG Arknights: Endfield. Shefta explains that securing capital was challenging in the current climate, but the partnership with Hypergryph proved a perfect fit because the investor not only liked the concept for the studio’s debut game but also shared a similar enthusiasm for experimental, player‑driven design.
“They are developers themselves, which made them stand out. We wanted a partner who understood our creative ambitions and was eager to support them,” she told GamesIndustry.biz. The bulk of the funding is earmarked for the studio’s first title, a game that draws creative inspiration from several distinct sources. Nintendo’s legacy of accessible yet deep gameplay, Hazelight’s narrative‑driven cooperative experiences (most famously Split Reality), the immersive storytelling found in Disney theme‑park attractions, and the physical comedy of classic films such as The Pink Panther all inform the design philosophy.
Shefta emphasizes the desire to craft something that feels timeless: “We want players to look back years later and smile, remembering the joy they felt when they first played.” A core pillar of Pretty Cool Games’ ethos is creativity—not only as a development goal but also as a player‑experience promise. By leveraging the open‑ended nature of physics‑based gameplay, the team plans to give players tools that encourage improvisation, emergent problem‑solving and humorous moments that arise from unexpected interactions. Level design will be built around modular systems that allow for a wide variety of outcomes, ensuring that each playthrough can feel fresh and surprising.
The Hypergryph investment also enables the studio to grow a small, tightly‑focused team that Shefta hopes will remain sustainable over the long term. Currently, four full‑time staff members are on board, with plans to expand to ten as the project progresses. Immediate hires include a lead designer, a level‑design specialist, an environment artist and a concept artist.
Additional contract roles are slated for quality assurance, character art, audio design, user‑interface work and a dedicated composer, allowing the core team to stay lean while still accessing specialist talent when needed. Shefta stresses that keeping the core team small is a deliberate strategy: “We want to be ambitious in our vision but realistic about scope. A compact team can iterate quickly, make decisions without bureaucratic delay, and maintain a strong sense of ownership over the product.” She also highlights the studio’s commitment to employee well‑being, noting recent industry layoffs that have left many skilled developers without jobs despite the commercial success of the titles they helped build.
To counter that trend, Pretty Cool Games intends to implement profit‑sharing schemes and equity options so that when the game succeeds, the entire team benefits together. The overarching goal, according to Shefta, is to blend the best practices of AAA production—rigorous quality standards, polished presentation and strong brand stewardship—with the agility and experimental spirit of indie development. Her experience on large‑scale projects taught her the importance of disciplined quality control, yet she also observed how massive budgets can lead to wasteful decisions and make recouping costs difficult. “Indie studios can move faster, test ideas more freely, and focus on what feels right.
By concentrating on one or two core concepts, you can create something truly special without the overhead of a blockbuster budget,” she says. Working in a smaller environment also means that every team member has a meaningful impact on the final product. Dudley adds that this level of influence is motivating for creatives, as it allows them to see their ideas directly reflected in the game world. The studio’s philosophy therefore centers on empowering both its players and its staff, fostering a culture where creativity is rewarded and collaboration is paramount.
Looking ahead, Pretty Cool Games is actively seeking additional investment and a publishing partner to help bring its debut title to market. While the team remains modest in size, their ambition is anything but. Shefta concludes with a realistic yet optimistic outlook: “Launching a new studio will always come with challenges, but we have decades of combined experience. We’ll stay true to our commitment to build games the right way—by putting the player experience and employee wellbeing at the forefront of everything we do.”