Codemasters Co-Founder Reveals New Smartphone Studio

David Darling, one of the co-founders of UK-based developer Codemasters, has founded a new studio that will focus on producing smartphones games and apps. Darling set up Codemasters in 1986 with his brother Richard Darling, and went on to bring such franchises as Dizzy, Micro Machines and Colin McRae Rally to the gaming space. In 2007, the Darling brothers sold their remaining stake in the company to venture capital firm Balderton Capital. They went on to receive OBEs in the Queen’s Birthday Honours, for "services to the computer games industry." Darling's new Leamington Spa-based start-up studio Kwalee is currently in the process of recruiting staff members, and is aiming to develop "unique and rewarding" apps for mobile devices. "Kwalee is different," the company said in a statement. "We seek to excite and entertain our customers with innovative new products that provide special experiences." "Our ethos is based around a set of core values that put the customer first and which harness the creative skills of our staff to the maximum in order to do so." Codemasters released the latest in the Dirt racing series earlier this year to high praise from the gaming press. Last week, hundreds of thousands of Steam activation codes for the title were leaked through a promotion with computer hardware manufacturer AMD.