Scholastic spurs Gusto growth

Thanks to a deal with children’s entertainment and education media giant Scholastic, Gusto Games has opened a new studio in Derby which will be focused solely on making games for the Nintendo Wii and DS based on the book publisher’s brands.

Collaborating directly with a licensor, rather than via a publisher, puts Gusto in a unique position as both the games studio and book company work closely together to deliver new experiences.

The deal itself is still to be formally announced, but Scholastic no doubt has high ambitions for its foray into game development – the company publishes the Harry Potter books in the US – and will be funding the studio directly

“Working with Scholastic has been a breath of fresh air. They truly understand their brands and have a genuine appreciation of the creative process. We get amazing guidance from them, as you would expect, but an equal amount of input too,” explained Simon Phillips, Gusto MD.

The Derby team has been built from a group of staff that includes many former members of the Core Design team which helped produce the original Tomb Raider titles.

Added Phillips: “Adding that kind of pedigree to the Gusto group allows us to expand our range of expertise into new genres whilst at the same time remain experts and dedicated to sports products.”

Tom Scutt, design director, added: “We are incredibly excited to become part of the Gusto group and the formation of a new studio focusing on genres that compliment the teams talents means that we can really excel.”