Catalis Splits DoubleSix Into Separate Division From Kuju

Kuju Entertainment parent Catalis said this week that subsidiary studio and Burn Zombie Burn developer DoubleSix is breaking off from Kuju and will form its own business division. DoubleSix, formed in 2007 by Kuju, is a developer of digitally distributed games. The studio's senior game designer Ollie Barder said in a blog post that the move "emphasizes the importance of the self-published digital games segment in line with the Catalis Group strategy." Most recently, DoubleSix launched Top Gun exclusively on PlayStation Network last month. The developer will continue to use digital platforms as a primary means of delivery and self-publishing, and James Brooksby will continue to lead Guildford, UK-based DoubleSix as studio head. Kuju CEO Nigel Robbins explained in a statement, "It's important for us to separate Kuju's more traditional and core work-for-hire business from projects that fall into the digital self-published realm." UK-based Kuju's studios include House of the Dead: Overkill developer Headstrong Games, Vatra, which is working on a new Silent Hill game for Konami, and music and party game studio Zoe Mode. Robbins added, "Kuju's three other studios and the imprints under Doublesix Video Games may share a common goal of creating compelling quality games, but the disciplines are somewhat different and the new structure will bring out the best in both divisions." DoubleSix currently has an unspecified number of digital games in development, based on "original and established IP" that will be revealed in the near future, the company said.