Topic: UPDATED: WayForward Employees Leave to Form Yacht Club Games

[tylerohlew]

The A Boy and His Blob director has made a new home for himself. UPDATE: Studio confirms who made the jump from WayForward. 

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/33499

UPDATE: Sean Velasco has informed us of the employees that compose Yacht Club Games; Ian Flood (lead/gameplay programmer), Lee McDole (lead/gameplay programmer), Erin Pellon  (concept/illustration), Sean Velasco (designer/creative director), Nick Wozniak (technical art, animation) David D'Angelo (gameplay programmer). 

As well, while they cannot confirm their upcoming announcement will release on the Wii U or 3DS, Velasco says the studio is "actively pursuing development on Nintendo Platforms!"

Several WayForward veterans have left the company to form a studio of their own under the name of Yacht Club Games.

The announcement came to us from Sean Velasco, a former-Designer/Director at WayForward. Velasco served as the director of games like A Boy and His Blob and Double Dragon Neon. 

As stated on their website, Yacht Club Games' goal is to make "really awesome original games that fuse modern and retro sensibilities." Collectively, employees of the studio have worked on Contra 4, A Boy and His Blob, Double Dragon Neon, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Mighty Milky Way, Thor: God of Thunder, and Bloodrayne Betrayal.

While we wait for comment from the studio regarding its staff, we can confirm that Lee McDole, a lead programmer at WayForward, is an employee. Also, Ian Flood, Gameplay programmer at WayForward, is on board at Yacht Club Games.

Yacht Club Games will be making a product announcement in the coming days. While only speculation, the companies official Twitter account is following accounts for Android Developers, Steam (a PC video game digital distribution service), Apple iOS, Ouya (an Android-based home console), and Google Developers.

If interested, readers can visit http://yachtclubgames.com, friend them on Facebook, or follow them them on Twitter @YachtClubGames.  Yacht Club Games will be at PAX East to meet fans and press.

[Oblivion]

What's going to happen to WayForward?

[Retro Deckades]

Would you say that they... wait for it... JUMPED SHIP?

[Pixelated Pixies]

What's going to happen to WayForward?

For some reason I read that with this intonation. I don't know why.
 

[Oblivion]

Bahahaha!

[tylerohlew]

What's going to happen to WayForward?

I wouldn't worry. Yacht Club Games has made efforts to point out what games they have produced, and there are notable absences. Just speculation of course, but there's no mention of Mighty Switch Force or Flip Champs, Adventure Time and Aliens Infestation. They may have been deliberate omissions! but WF is likely still a very healthy studio.

[AV]

I guess shantae 3ds game is now vapor ware . 

[joshnickerson]

I guess shantae 3ds game is now vapor ware . 

Uh, Matt Bozon, the creator of Shantae, isn't on that list, so I'm pretty sure the game is still coming.

Reminds me, I still have to finish Risky's Revenge... stupid maze.

[S-U-P-E-R]

I wonder what prompted this.

[Ceric]

I'm more curious if its not just a budding of WayForward.  With ultimately the same people at the top.

[0-Watt]

The site said the company was founded in 2011, so whatever they've been working on has been a ways along.  From the list of games they've worked on, it seems that some left almost immediately after BloodRayne to form this company.

Also considering that Nintendo Force is interviewing and showing off their fist game in the next issue (and it will be shown at PAX East), I imagine the game is for 3DS moreso than Wii U.  Either way, I suspect Nintendo platforms as their focus with deviations to other platforms on occasion.