10:16 PST 2/4/2021
in
Trilby Beresford
Never Forget Games will be led by Ray Mazza and Michael Duke, known for their work on the ‘The Sims’ franchise.
Mobile gaming company Wildlife partnered with Electronic Arts veterans Ray Mazza and Michael Duke to form a studio, Never Forget Games.
The studio, located in San Francisco, will develop games using Wildlife’s development and publishing platform.
Mazza is known for developing the puzzle game Merge Dragons! – which Zynga acquired in 2018 – and working on The Sims at Electronic Arts. Duke was a former senior producer of The Sims 4. Peter Ingebretson, chief game engineer at The sims 3 and 4, is also among the group of executives who lead the new studio.
The wildlife, which Brazilian brothers Victor and Arthur Lazarte founded in 2011, is known for games that include Sniper 3D, Zoomba, Tennis Clash and War machines. Last August, the company announced that it had raised $ 3 billion in financing from investors, including Venture Partners and Vulcan Capital. The company has more than 850 employees in five offices worldwide, including the USA, Ireland, Argentina and Brazil.
“We are bringing together superstars to expand the limits of creativity and fun with the formation of Never Forget Games, creating unforgettable gaming experiences.” Mazza said in a statement. Duke added, “Ray and I had a lot of options when deciding who to partner with in our next venture. The wildlife was perfect because we have complete creative control, without any of the headaches of starting our own company. We can focus on what matters. : making games. “
Sean Boyle, former financial director of Amazon Web Services, will join Never Forget Games as chief operating officer. Robby Andrews, who was previously head of growth for Instagram, will join as head of publishing.
Wildlife CEO Lazarte said: “We want to be the company that most honors talented game creators and that makes it easier and faster for them to create the games that will mark our generation. We are investing in our publishing infrastructure, allowing developers focus exclusively on making great games. “