Factor 5 Vets Open Social Game Studio

Several former employees from Factor 5 (Lair, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron series) have formed TouchFactor, a new studio dedicated to building social games and located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Opened last year, TouchFactor is led by Julian Eggebrecht, who co-founded Factor 5 and served as that developer's president and creative director. He is joined at the new studio by at least five artists and designers who once worked at Factor 5's U.S. office and on the popular Star Wars: Rogue Squadron franchise. Factor 5's European division announced the closure of its U.S. arm in San Rafael, California in May 2009 shortly after Brash Entertainment, a movie license-focused publisher that Factor 5 had contracts with, shuttered. It was also reportedly affected by the termination of a key publishing contract with Sony. The studio offers the following company description in its LinkedIn profile: "TouchFactor is committed to building social games that bring people together on all mass market platforms. We make social games that are free to play, accessible to everyone and create memorable long lasting experiences for our fans." TouchFactor has not yet announced any social game projects it currently has in development.