The name Foundation 9 might not be well known, but its CEO says that it’s one of the most popular developers around.
Forget about the likes of Valve or Bungie, it’s apparently Foundation 9 that’s the world’s biggest independent developer. CEO James North-Hearn says that his company is the “go-to guy” for some of the biggest publishers in the world, even going as far as to call Foundation 9 the industry’ “secret weapon.”
Foundation 9 is the parent company of six different studios, all of which operate independently, which explains why Foundation 9 isn’t a household name among gamers. Foundation 9 studios are responsible for Super Street Fighter 2: HD Remix, the port of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 on XBLA and PSN, Silent Hill: Homecoming, and the recent Doctor Who adventure games. Foundation 9 is also often contracted to made handheld versions of games that appear on the Xbox 360 or PS3, such as Spiderman: Shattered Dimensions or X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
“Secret weapon” might be a touch on the hyperbolic side, but it’s clear that Foundation 9 does a lot of work on a lot of games that people might not be aware of. Whether it’s actually the largest independent developer in the world is debatable, however, as it’s really six studios operating under a single banner. You strap six PopCaps together, and then we’ll see who’s biggest.
Source: Eurogamer
