From a recent press release on Wired Sussex and GamesIndustry.biz:
Following the success of its entrance into the console games business in 2010, FuturLab announced today that a separate division, comprising veteran games industry professionals and junior hires, is to focus solely on developing new IP for current and emerging entertainment platforms.
From James Marsden, FuturLab’s Managing Director:
“We sit in a unique place in the entertainment industry, bridging the ever-closing gap between online, mobile and traditional console entertainment.After years of experience building games quickly and efficiently for the relatively short timescales and small budgets available for advergaming, we have learned to focus on creating great core mechanics as the first priority.
With our new hires and recent successes, we also benefit from experience in the console game space, where games are built as products in their own right, and not just as marketing devices. We therefore know how to build addictive games that stand alone, irrespective of any campaign they might sit within.
We believe this combination sets us apart from the competition, bringing our expertise and knowledge from ‘proper’ game development, to the quick turnaround schedules and budgets of online Flash development.”
FuturLab entered the console space in 2010 with Coconut Dodge. The game was a cult hit, earning a Metacritic rating of 81, and named PSN Game of the Year by PSNStores.com, subsequently being picked up by EA and published for iOS platforms in 2011.