Activision bolsters UK development with new studio

Publishing powerhouse Activision is set to establish a brand new mobile-focused studio in the UK.

Develop reports that UK games veteran and former Team 17 man Martyn Brown has been hired to handle the recruitment process.

Activision’s last major UK dev interest ended in January 2011 when it closed the doors on owned studio Bizarre Creations of Project Gotham and Geometry Wars fame, leading to the loss of 200 jobs in the process.

It also owns UK outfit FreeStyleGames.

Develop also reports that Activision aggressively lobbied for games development tax breaks earlier this year – months before the Treasury reversed its position and approved the policy – and had indicated to civil servants that it wanted to hire British talent”.