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On January 17, 2024, Goliath Games announced that it had signed "an exclusive worldwide license and distribution agreement for Funko's portfolio of games marketed under the Funko Games brand", in addition to acquiring "the assets of Funko's board game development studio, formerly known as Forrest-Pruzan Creative, and celebrated board game design team, Prospero Hall."
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Note the wording: the "assets" of Forrest-Pruzan Creative and Prospero Hall. As a former Funko Games employee told me the day after that announcement, "[A]t this time, nobody from the Prospero Hall game development team has been offered a position with Goliath."
Just over a month after that deal was announced, alumni of the Prospero Hall, Forrest-Pruzan Creative, and Funko Games studios have put the band back together to do a few gigs and get some bread, so to speak. Tempest Workshop is a new "full-service board game design and development studio" based in Seattle, Washington that promises "a new era of innovative creativity" thanks to "a mission to bring beautiful and amazing game experiences to every table".
The press release announcing the founding of Tempest Workshop notes the company consists of "an eclectic and passionate team of industry veterans that have collaborated with one another to create over 250 titles", including the Villainous franchise, the Funkoverse franchise, Jaws, Back to the Future: Back in Time, Disney Animated, and Jurassic World: The Legacy of Isla Nublar.
Here's an excerpt from that press release:Quote:"We're absolutely honored and thrilled to bring some of the folks from our team back together to continue our shared creative journey," said Chris Rowlands, Co-Founder and Studio Director for Tempest Workshop. "We have a chance to build a brand new studio from the ground up that shares DNA with where we came from, but that also looks ahead with newfound vision and three core values: Being Human, Creating Together, and Having Moxie. It's a dream come true."
A commitment to renewed values and vision was emphasized by Tempest Workshop Co-Founder and Executive Producer Isaias Vallejo: "I'm excited to carry on the legacy of our previous success and evolve into our new vision of a more human, inclusive, and daring studio," said Vallejo. "We're leveraging years of experience and diverse perspectives to harness our creative energy with tried and true development processes. I'm so lucky to continue this journey with amazing people that want to make the world a better place through games."
Tempest Workshop aims to employ these tried and true processes along with the same audacious originality the team has made its signature. To this end, the studio plans to continue to combine innovative yet accessible gameplay with world class art and graphic design — both hallmarks of the successful products the team has created and developed for clients over the past decade.
"The beauty of the Prospero Hall team was our people," said Tempest Workshop Co-Founder and Executive Producer Korby Sears, "While our previous collective experience in tabletop, mobile and AAA games were rock-solid, the Prospero Hall team was also a group of musicians, theater folks, visual artists, novelists, and material scientists from the Maker movement...all of which informed our drive with deep narrative-rich game design. The chemistry was so once-in-a-lifetime, it had to continue!"
Stay tuned for more updates as Tempest Workshop looks to carry that chemistry forward by forging partnerships with like-minded publishers to design stunning products that bring joy to game enthusiasts worldwide.
To submit news, a designer diary, outrageous rumors, or other material, contact us at news@boardgamegeek.com.
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