The Journey to the Savage Planet dev Typhoon Studios reforms as new studio Raccoon Logic, the company announced today.
Typhoon Studios reforms as new studio Raccoon Logic following the closure of Google’s internal Stadia Games & Entertainment studios about six months ago.
The Montreal-based studio made this possible via a “pivotal investment” from Chinese giant Tencent, which also allowed them to regain the intellectual property for Journey to the Savage Planet from Google. The company is working on a currently unannounced debut game.
The founders behind Raccoon Logic include:
- Alex Hutchinson, Creative Director and Co-Founder. Previously Co-Founder and Creative Director, Typhoon Studios/Google. Prior to that a creative director at Ubisoft Montreal, where he directed Far Cry 4 and Assassin’s Creed 3. Other past work includes Spore, The Sims 2, and Army of Two: The 40th Day for EA.
- Reid Schneider, Studio Head, Executive Producer and Co-Founder. Previously Co-Founder and Studio Head/EP, Typhoon Studios/Google. Prior to that, a co-founder of WB Games Montreal where he served as the Executive Producer on Batman: Arkham Origins and Batman: Arkham Knight, Schneider’s other past work includes EA’s Army of Two and Army of Two: 40th Day, Battlefield Vietnam, and the original Splinter Cell.
- Yannick Simard, CTO and Co-Founder. Previously Technical Director/Software Development Manager at Typhoon Studios/Google. Prior to that, worked at Ubisoft in different Lead Programmer and Technical Lead roles on Watch Dogs 1 & Watch Dogs 2. Other past work includes Army of Two, Army of Two: The 40th Day, and Spore Hero at EA, and Lead Engine Programmer at Eidos.
- Erick Bilodeau, Art Director and Co-Founder.Previously Head of Art of Typhoon Studios/Google. Prior to that he worked at WB Games Montreal as a Lead Technical Artist on Batman: Arkham Origins. Other work includes Shawn White Skate, Far Cry 2, and Mighty Quest for Epic Loot.
- Marc-Antoine Lussier, Technical Design Director and Co-Founder. Previously Principal Technical Designer at Typhoon Studios/Google. Prior to that he worked at Ubisoft Montréal as Technical Design Director on the original Assassin’s Creed, Assassins Creed 2, Assassin’s Creed 3, and Assassin’s Creed Unity. Other previous work includes Syberia and Myst 4.
“We’re excited to be back in the indie space, making the games we truly believe in with an amazing new team,” said Alex Hutchinson, Creative Director at Raccoon Logic. “The early investment from Tencent is a huge boost, meaning we can do significant work on our own before we start talking to publishers. We love systemic games, games with a sense of humor and a big heart, and games with strong flavours that get reactions from players. We’re going to keep pushing on those ideas and we’ll have something to show soon!”
“We’re super excited to continue the work we started at Typhoon Studios, and build upon the Journey to the Savage Planet franchise in the future. We would like to thank our partners at Tencent, Google, and 505 for their support,” added Reid Schneider, Studio Head at Raccoon Logic. “We’re fortunate to have put together an amazing team, many of whom helped build Savage Planet, and we’ve added some great new talent as well.”
