The London-based digital entertainment studio, Maze Theory, has expanded its leadership team as it breaks into the US and continues to grow operations on a global scale. The firm, the name behind the development of the Peaky Blinders and Doctor Who VR titles, has grown by 30 per cent since March this year.
The digital entertainment industry veteran Phil Greenspan will lead the studio’s US venture, while in the UK, the outfit has welcomed Mark Ripley and Steven Huckle to leadership roles, as well as made an additional 11 new hires across the global business.
New hires come from a range of disciplines and backgrounds with a combined experience across the worlds of gaming, TV and film, further strengthening the company’s commitment ‘to deliver innovative, immersive and exciting storytelling across multiple platforms and devices.’
Greenspan has been named Maze Theory’s executive producer and will be based in Los Angeles, where he will use his expertise in VR and game development to oversee the development of Peaky Blinders: The King’s Ransom, Engram, and Maze Theory’s new multi-tech Doctor Who titles.
HE will work to grow the presence of Maze Theory within the US, developing new strategic alliances and representing Maze Theory’s growing portfolio.
Greenspan has produced AAA and indie video games for more than a decade. Beginning at Activision on the Guitar Hero franchise, he assisted CEO Bobby Kotick through the Activision Blizzard merger. After a stint making indie games, he founded the Oculus Kickstarter and joined the company to develop and manage the Oculus Store. Following this, Greenspan set up to support developers directly and subsequently met Maze Theory.
Meanwhile, Mark Ripley has been appointed as technical director having been at the forefront of game development for 40 years. A veteran gaming consultant, he has developed or produced more than 150 games; including brands such as Harry Potter, The Sims, Pirates of the Caribbean, Final Fantasy and Crash Bandicoot, for clients including BMW, Sony, EA, Disney, BBC, Channel 4, Samsung and Vodafone, as well as many original and self-published games.
Dr Steven Huckle has been appointed as art director. He is an award winning expert and Creative England Top 10 Future Leader. After making games in the late ’80s, Huckle began his career working on the cult classic TV show Knightmare before joining companies such as Sensible Software, Core Design and Jagex on numerous titles including Sensible Soccer, Tomb Raider, FIFA, Need for Speed, BAFTA nominated The Sims and the Transformers franchise.
They join Maze Theory’s Russ Harding, who has recently been promoted to Studio Director and Joey To as Design Director.
Ian Hambleton, Maze Theory CEO said: “At Maze Theory, our ambition is to create a hybrid of creativity that goes way beyond traditional gaming.
“We are committed to pushing the boundaries of storytelling to create groundbreaking and compelling experiences for fans, gamers and entertainment lovers. All of these hires, with their diversity of backgrounds, experience, talent and outlook will help us do just that.”
Studio director, Russ Harding, added: “Our new leadership team possess a pedigree in gaming which speaks for itself. Our wider team hires bring a range of talent and expertise to provoke fresh thinking, new ideas and help us redefine the future of entertainment across multiple windows and devices.”
