Mobile gaming company MAG Interactive is celebrating its fifth anniversary in Brighton with plans to grow the team on the back of several smash hit games.
The Brighton studio’s game Wordalot surpassed 10m downloads last year and their new game Wordzee looks set to be its most successful game ever.
This builds on the success of Brighton as a hub for the gaming industry, with a strong pool of talent and experience to draw from.
David Bishop, Ideation Lead and Game Designer at MAG Interactive, said: “When our game Wordalot surpassed 10m downloads last year, that was an important milestone for the Brighton studio. More recently, we launched Wordzee, again developed here in Brighton. Wordzee looks like it has the potential to be one of our most popular games ever and the studio here has worked tirelessly to make that happen; exciting times!”
Bishop added: “Brighton’s large and vibrant creative community has, in part, led to the emergence of a thriving digital hub consisting of media, animation, web and game studios. This means there’s always a wealth of relevant talent to tap into when it comes to growing the MAG Brighton studio. Brighton is also one of the most beautiful and culturally rich cities in the UK with a unique look and vibe – it’s a great place to work and live.”
Greg Sue, Project Team Lead, MAG Interactive, said: “We’re looking to strengthen our position with multiple live projects running and we’re growing the team organically as our latest live game Wordzee grows. The products we create have significant reach which means we work incredibly hard to keep our fans happy.”
The Brighton studio was founded in 2014. Then called Delinquent, its game Potion Pop caught the attention of Swedish gaming company MAG Interactive, which acquired the studio in 2015 and MAG Interactive Brighton was born.
Today, the Brighton studio employs 18 people. Boasting a flat hierarchy which gives staff responsibility and a sense of ownership, there is also a beautifully designed and calming office. Staff enjoy regular hackathons where they can learn new techniques, work on passion projects, develop game concepts and even build prototypes for new games.
Bishop, who Co-Founded Delinquent, said: “We won’t develop or publish anything we’d be ashamed to show our mums! No overly violent games, no gambling, nothing offensive or distasteful. We know what we are and what we’re not; that’s important to us.”
Branding itself as The Good Times Factory, the studio believes happy people with the freedom to flex their creativity and make great entertainment will make better games.
Sue adds: “The company culture is a reflection of CEO Daniel Hasselberg’s open and pragmatic personality. There is definitely something definitely Swedish about the company culture – clear, focused on design and transparent.
“We have adopted the no-outdoor-shoes in the office policy, so it’s slippers only please, we’re Swedish! It helps everyone to feel more relaxed. In terms of development, there are a lot of tech and mobile insights that have emerged from the Stockholm tech scene, which has as a digital pedigree with the likes of King, DICE and Spotify, so Sweden has been a big influence on our company.”
For more information visit www.maginteractive.com
