The developers that once worked on games like Skullgirls and Indivisible at Lab Zero games have started a new studio that, from day one, places ownership in the hands of its employees.
That new endeavor is Future Club, a studio founded by the former Lab Zero staff that departed or were forced to leave the troubled studio following allegations of mismanagement and inappropriate behavior levied against its current owner Mike Zaimont.
Part of the conflict at Lab Zero is said to have centered around the fact that Zaimont was supposed to turn ownership over to the entire staff. With Future Club, that worker-owned co-op structure is built into its plans from day one.
The newly reassembled team aims to develop games with traditional 2D animation with its team of 15 developers, including many that previously worked on similarly themed and visually iconic games at Lab Zero.
“We wanted to start fresh with a company structure that was worker owned and gave everyone a say in the future of our organization. Future Club is an employee-owned cooperative game development studio, established with the belief that strong teams are greater than the sum of their parts,” reads a statement from Future Club CEO Francesca Esquenazi.
“We value open, honest communication with peers, partners and players, and take pride in our strength as a team. I’m very excited to continue leading and working with such an incredibly talented and passionate team of game developers.”