20 million+ social gaming firm RockYou has recently announced the continuation of their publishing relationship with upstart studio Loot Drop. RockYou announced their first deal with Loot Drop back in January, and clearly company execs are impressed, as the deal will now see a second social game forthcoming from industry vets John Romero and Brenda Brathwaite. Loot Drop’s first title, Cloudforest Expedition is on tap for a summer delivery, and was funded and to be published by RockYou.
“We’ve been collaborating closely with Loot Drop, and their progress on Cloudforest Expedition is blowing us away,” said Jonathan Knight, SVP of Games at RockYou in a statement. “Loot Drop is a natural fit with our design-driven studio culture and with our commitment to developing and publishing the best social games in the world. With Romero, Brenda Brathwaite, and a full roster of veteran developers, their team continues to exceed expectations. We’re honored to be working with them and look forward to adding two Loot Drop titles to the RockYou portfolio!”
Given Loot Drop’s collection of talent, and their associated pedigrees, RockYou’s investment in the firm could pay off in droves. Along with Romero, most noted for his work Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Quake, and Brathwaite, most noted for her work on Wizardry, Playboy: The Mansion, and Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes, Loot Drop features Creative Director Laralyn McWilliam, who’s work on Free Realms earned her a shared spot with SOE Prez. John Smedley on Massive Online Gaming’s list of most influential people in MMO’s, and Austin Studio Head and Game Designer Tom Hall, a long time friend of Romero, and co-founder of id Software, as well as former KingsIsle Entertainment employee. Given this collection of talent, it’s quite clear to see what RockYou wouldn’t have second thoughts about signing the team to a second title. Likewise, it would appear that Romero is equally happy with the agreement.
“Since we signed our initial deal in January, RockYou has been an awesome partner. They support our creative freedom as we bring innovation to the story-driven adventure genre with Cloudforest Expedition,” said John Romero in a statement. “Extending the relationship with a second game makes sense, and we’re excited to reveal more details of our projects.”
Again, Loot Drop’s inaugural title, Cloudforest Expedition is planned for a summer launch. It should be interesting to see how Romero’s experiment pans out, as he’s operating under the premise that an independent games studio can produce IP for a variety of publishing firms, all the while, maintaining the artistic and creative freedom usually reserved for firms with not-so-large deals.
