Futurlab to expand its Brighton studio as it announces a new PSVR title

Brighton-based developer Futurlab is expanding and looking for more staff following the announcement of its newest game, Mini-Mech Mayhem, due for release in 2018.

The developer most recently released Tiny Trax for PlayStation VR and the company is doubling down on development for the platform with Mini-Mech Mayhem also being a PSVR title.

"“Mini-Mech Mayhem sees us return to our passion of sci-fi,” said MD of Futurlab, James Marsden. “Having made our debut on PSVR with Tiny Trax, we’ve learnt a lot about the format and we’re looking forward to putting these new skills to work in Mini-Mech Mayhem soon.

The studio has been developing games for console and mobile since opening in 2003 and hit critical acclaim with the game Velocity 2X in 2014. The studio is quite small but is looking to expand in order to reach its expectations for continued development for PSVR and beyond.

“We also see Mini-Mech Mayhem as a metaphor for our studio," continues Marsden. "Futurlab is PlayStation’s little buddy and we, in turn, play the role of a big buddy to our staff. Just as PlayStation cares about fostering our creativity, by helping us explore new ideas, we foster the creativity in our team. We shield their passionate enthusiasm from the turbulent mayhem of the games industry, so they can create something they care about, at a pace of challenge that is manageable.

Tiny Trax launched on PSVR in July this year. Futurlab’s development director, Kirsty Rigden talked to Develop about the studio’s unique approach to developing for virtual reality and how it combats the problem of motion sickness.