[Industry news] Games Industry Specialists Unite to Launch New Full-Dev Studio ‘Full Spectrum Interactive’

This is a press release posted alongside our usual editorial content.

CodeDev Group today officially announces the launch of its new studio, Full Spectrum
Interactive (FSI). Building off the group’s expert-first ethos, the new studio is steered
by a core team of UK game development veterans, and is set to focus on developing
standout, small-to-AA titles. While CodeDev Group continues its rapid expansion
trajectory (set to hit triple-digit growth by the end of 2026), the formation of Full
Spectrum Interactive marks a major milestone in amplifying the group’s creative
footprint.

Full Spectrum Interactive is directed by an impressive line-up of well-known industry
names who bring decades of combined development experience to the table. The
leadership team features:

● Matt Southern (Head of Studio): Brings 25 years of experience in direction and
studio leadership.
● Christian McKinney (CCO): Creative polymath. Art, design, game design, UI, UX,
video, marketing, you name it.
● Rob Williams (CTO): Exceptional programmer and tech director.
● Rik Alexander (Group Chair): Seasoned entrepreneur who has been building
successful games companies for 30 years.
● Myke Parrott (Group CEO): Nurtures partner relationships as part of his role as
the CodeDev Group CEO.
● Nina Cliff (Group BD Director): Leverages 22 years experience in senior roles,
connecting developers, publishers and everyone in between.

The team’s combined individual portfolios reads like a history of modern gaming, with
credits on massive global franchises and acclaimed indie hits alike, including Sea of
Thieves, MotorStorm, Driveclub, Until Dawn 2, Mafia 4, Fallout ’76, Paleo Pines, Star
Citizen, Fable 3 and LEGO Pokemon: Smart Play.

“The very first studio I joined had extremely high quality standards, but also took great
pleasure in what they did. We’re the same”, says Matt Southern, Head of Studio at FSI.
“Full Spectrum Interactive is a game development studio making games thoughtfully,
with personality, craft, and the utmost care, by people who have spent years learning
what works and what doesn’t, across indie, AA, and AAA in many genres. We keep our
production smart, flexible, and focused, and we never lose sight of the fact that we all
joined this business to enjoy it”.

The studio’s name carries three distinct meanings that reflect its ethos, operations, and
cultural foundation:

1. Full Spectrum Delivery: FSI provides end-to-end full game creation from the
ground up, as well as taking on substantial, full-project co-development work.
2. Cross-Disciplinary: The studio unites proven expertise in engineering, technical
art, and design to build games with sharp commercial hooks, immediate
engagement, and long-term player connection.
3. Pedigree: A nod to the UK’s legendary computing heritage that shaped the
team’s early careers and instills an obsession with technical performance and
innovation.

“From day one, making games has always been a fantastic collaborative mashup of
arts and sciences, driven by experts obsessed with pushing creative boundaries”, Matt
explains.

“At FSI, we bring the full spectrum of that interdisciplinary talent together under one
roof to deliver games that hit with real impact – games crafted thoughtfully, delivered
reliably, and designed to perform.”

Scaling an independent studio up and down often leads to burnout, bottlenecks, or
sudden layoffs. FSI solves this industry-wide challenge by tapping directly into the
CodeDev Group’s specialised talent – including engineers, designers and technical
artists from The Unreal Guys and The Performance Guys.

“Access to the CodeDev team is a great luxury for a small studio like us”, says Rob
Williams, CTO. “We can find and onboard talented senior staff very quickly and easily, and
scale back down after a project without any loss of jobs or institutional knowledge. This
low-risk environment frees us to put together exactly the right team for each project,
without compromise.”

Rob notes that moving away from massive AAA friction allows the agile team to achieve
more:

“I’ve always preferred smaller projects because it’s harder to end up with a good game
when there are too many stakeholders pulling in different directions. A small team made
up of the right people can achieve more than many people realise – not just in terms of
scope, but more importantly, in the level of quality.”

At the core of FSI’s creative ambition is a commitment to playful systems, risk-taking,
and what the studio fondly terms a “dollop of mischief”.

“For me, mischief in games is about simple, playable systems that have hidden depth,
surprise, and a bit of developer cheekiness built into them”, explains Christian McKinney,
CCO. “An example from a classic game? Bubble Bobble springs to mind. On the surface it
is wonderfully simple, but it has astonishing strategic depth, and the arcade version is
full of little secrets… That feels mischievous to me: playful, generous, slightly strange,
and something players want to tell each other about.”

McKinney adds that moving back to tightly scoped, agile projects brings creators back
to the heart of game design:

“With smaller, more agile projects, you can be there from the early spark, through
shaping the idea, visualising it, and finding the details that make it special. That whole
journey is golden… FSI feels like a chance to do that with focus, energy, and a team that
still loves playing games as much as making them.”
FSI is actively developing original prototypes and co-development partnerships.