PopCap expats launch new studio - and it has an experimental staff system

Former PopCap developers Eric Olson, Christopher Langmuir and Avery Alix have formed Fixer Studios, a new Seattle-based company with a protean approach to mobile game development inspired by the collaborative philosophy of game jams. The company published a press release today that describes the studio's staff as a "constantly fluctuating workforce of veteran volunteers" led by former PopCap Games manager Alix. Team members may join, leave or adjust how much time they're spending on a project at their discretion, and it's up to the studio's leads to manage available staff to ensure development isn't derailed. The studio doesn't address how developers in such a protean work environment are paid, except to note that Fixer Studios is "project-driven instead of profit-driven" and at least partially self-funded, with a technical infrastructure that allows the lion's share of the development process to be done remotely. Fixer Studios' first announced project is Sinister Dexter, a wizard-dueling game for iOS and Android devices that draws its inspiration from Dr. Richard Bartle's 1977 pen-and-paper game Spellbinder. Dr. Bartle is contributing to the game's development in an advisory role, and more information on the game can be found on Fixer Studios' website. Gamasutra has reached out to Fixer Studios for more information on its unique approach to development.