A group of former Fall Guys developers have established Panic Stations, a new UK studio that will focus on building co-op multiplayer titles.
The nascent studio wants to craft games that “bring friends closer through chaos, laughter, and shared moments.”
Panic Stations is part of Skeleton Crew, a new cohort of video game companies united by shared values.
Skeleton Crew broke cover earlier this year and is the brainchild of Mediatonic co-founder Paul Croft. The collective intends to build and empower small teams with a penchant for “creativity and kindness.”
Panic Stations is the first member of Skeleton Crew to officially take flight. The founding team includes Paul Croft (founding partner), Josh Tarrant (founding partner), Steve Taylor (engineering director), Dan Huang (art and music director), Joe Walsh (design director), and Oliver Hindle (social and community).
Each member of the founding team worked on Fall Guys, the comical battle royale title launched by Mediatonic in 2020. After hitting the ground running, Fall Guys and Mediatonic were acquired by Epic Games in 2021. The game was subsequently made free-to-play and surpassed 50 million players.
Around two years later, Epic Games laid off 18 percent of its workforce. It pledged to continue supporting Fall Guys at the time, but testimonials shared online by Mediatonic workers indicated the studio had been decimated by the cuts.