April 09

New Games Company Smashes Into Futureworks

Smashmouth Games, a Manchester-based independent games studio, is developing its two latest games, to be launched on Nintendo Wii and X-Box Live, at Futureworks.

This new deal will see the Smashmouth Games team based at our city centre facility developing games for the latest next-gen consoles.

The team of ten artists, programmers and designers will be focusing on developing the company’s first two releases over the coming months so that they are ready to launch later in the year.

Aiming to launch in autumn 2009, Ongaku is a music-based game in which the player controls a musical character called Ongaku; Smashmouth have a license in place with Nintendo to launch this game for the Nintendo Wii.

Simultaneously, Smashmouth Games is developing Neon Blaster, a game which takes the premise of a Space Invader style shooter and puts a dynamic new spin on it with the player controlling an energy orb and launcher platform to repel invading neon hordes. The aim is to release this game across multiple platforms, which includes X-Box Live, iPhone and Nintendo DS, by the end of this year.

Futureworks students will benefit from the deal with the Smashmouth Games team as they help develop their skills through guest lectures, mentoring and collaborative work. Students can also gain valuable work experience by working alongside the Smashmouth team on prototype projects and initial concept designs.

Managing Director of Smashmouth Games, Zuby Ahmed commented: "We are all extremely excited about setting up our operation at Futureworks. The facilities are incredible and will allow us to create the professional finish we require so that we can release our games."

Having a working games studio based at Futureworks is a huge honour and a true testament to our dedication to delivering relevant industry-focused education. It is a fantastic opportunity for our students as they will experience first-hand the skills and techniques used in the games industry.

To meet the Smashmouth team and get a sneak preview of their upcoming titles, and to see what else is happening with the games courses at Futureworks, come along to one of our open days.

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