Gamecock Kicks Off Euro Expansion

Austin-based publisher Gamecock has taken the first steps towards establishing a base in Europe, with the appointment of three industry veterans in the UK to oversee the start-up of a London based headquarters. According to UK trade paper MCV, the initial team will be lead by Virgin, Take-Two and Atari veteran Graeme Struthers, with former Virgin, Interplay and Take-Two executive Sarah Seaby overseeing European marketing operations. Former RedOctane sales manager David Noble will also join the team. Gamecock CEO Mike Wilson first mentioned plans for a European operation last year, with the London base expected to precede a move into continental Europe, in terms of both publishing and distribution deals and local developer support. Yesterday the company announced its second annual Expo For Interactive Entertainment, Independent and Original (EIEIO), which is scheduled to take place in Austin, Texas on March 6th. The event is planned to showcase the work of independent developers including Wideload, Red Fly Studio, Spark Unlimited, Replay Studios, Firefly Studios and TimeGate Studios. “The major publishers have been focusing on safe bets – large budget games often attached to major licenses or sequels,” said Wilson. “This insufficient emphasis on the creation of original game properties has created major dissatisfaction among the industry’s most talented game designers and has made the current system unpalatable," he continued. "In other words, things are getting stale. We aim to change that.”