Roll Call back on track as SCi funds new dev studio

Original IP title Roll Call is back on SCi Entertainment's release schedule, after the British publisher agreed to fund a new development studio founded by staff who had worked on the title at the now-defunct Argonaut.

Rocksteady Studios has been formed by Argonaut Edgware's creative director Jamie Walker and head of production Sefton Hill, and has employed several other former Argonaut staff at its North London offices.

The team will continue work on Roll Call, a title which Argonaut was developing for SCi before the company folded last year, and which is currently scheduled for release in 2006.

SCi has acquired 25.1 per cent of the new company's shares, and has made a loan of UKP 250,000 to the firm as well as signing a development contract with them for Roll Call.

This marks SCi's second such engagement with a development studio, after the South London based company acquired Pivotal Games, creators of the Conflict series, following the liquidation of the developer's parent company Kaboom Studios.

However, the company - which has always focused on working with third party developers rather than building a major internal studio operation - will continue to work with Rocksteady on the same basis that it does with other external developers.

"We are very pleased that we have secured the development of Roll Call which is an exciting product and strengthens our pipeline," commented SCi chief executive Jane Cavanagh, in a statement made to the City this morning.

"The additional strategic investment in Rocksteady is great news for SCi as it allows us to develop what we anticipate will be a long and successful partnership with a very talented development team," she concluded.