Founders of closed Microsoft studio Press Play form Lightbulb

Three of the founders of deceased Danish outlet Press Play have reformed to open a new venture.

Ole Teglbjærg, Rune Dittmer, and Mikkel Thorsted have teamed up with a number of the staff affected when Microsoft closed the Max: Curse of Brotherhood creator after a decade of service earlier this year – although the developer’s demise was overshadowed somewhat in the UK by the simultaneous news that Lionhead was closing.

The new studio is called Lightbulb, and has been confirmed to be working on its debut PC title, Pioneers, set for release next year.

Pioneers is a construction game with a heavy focus on physics, with players using block-like components to create machines. Lightbulb added: “We want make the construction game genre social on a new level.”

“We are excited to be back and to embark on this new challenge as Lightbulb Games,” said Dittmer. “We’re a bunch of battle-proven veterans from Press Play, who together cover all the bases needed to create Pioneers.

“We have been very lucky to secure the team we have and we look forward to scaling up over the next year, continuing to raise the bar for what construction games can be."