GAME DEVELOPMENT AND CULTURE IN PHOENIX
Back in the day, Arizona was home to a AAA community, albeit smaller than traditional locations such as San Francisco and Los Angeles. SOE Tuscon, Digital Madhouse Studios, Rainbow Studios (later THQ Digital Studios Phoenix), and Cheyenne Mountain all used to call Arizona home. From the mid-00's until now, however, the state -- and Phoenix in particular -- have seen dramatic changes in regards to development culture.
Now, Phoenix is a rising collective of independent studios, including: 2XL Games , Broken Bulb Studios, Riverman Media, and Grumpyface Studios. The city also plays host to other indie devs, like those at Indie Game House (Kyle Pulver, Corey Nolan, Erin Robinson, and Steve Swink), TwinSky Games, Team Colorblind, and Retora Game Studios.
Additionally, Game CoLab, a collaborative working space for members of the game industry in the Phoenix Valley-Metro area, opened in May 2013. They have hosted a variety of events there since their opening in an effort to help grow collaboration and commaraderie amongst the local community. The CoLab is working on becoming an incubator for game development in Phoenix and continue to host game nights, partner for demo nights, and provide informative talks twice a month.
Now, Phoenix is a rising collective of independent studios, including: 2XL Games , Broken Bulb Studios, Riverman Media, and Grumpyface Studios. The city also plays host to other indie devs, like those at Indie Game House (Kyle Pulver, Corey Nolan, Erin Robinson, and Steve Swink), TwinSky Games, Team Colorblind, and Retora Game Studios.
Additionally, Game CoLab, a collaborative working space for members of the game industry in the Phoenix Valley-Metro area, opened in May 2013. They have hosted a variety of events there since their opening in an effort to help grow collaboration and commaraderie amongst the local community. The CoLab is working on becoming an incubator for game development in Phoenix and continue to host game nights, partner for demo nights, and provide informative talks twice a month.
One of our primary missions for FIG is to help these developers unite within the Phoenix area. However, another one of our main goals is to encourage other developers to spend some time within our community and discover why game development is rapidly growing here.
Phoenix has a low cost of living, deeply rooted heritage and culture, excellent housing options, and well-developed urban and suburban communities. We are also in close proximity to other great locations within Arizona, including: Prescott, Sedona, Flagstaff, the Grand Canyon, and Tucson -- not to mention our short distance from other prominent areas of the southwest.
For more information on local culture, you can visit: City of Phoenix Arts & Culture and Things To Do in Phoenix.
Phoenix has a low cost of living, deeply rooted heritage and culture, excellent housing options, and well-developed urban and suburban communities. We are also in close proximity to other great locations within Arizona, including: Prescott, Sedona, Flagstaff, the Grand Canyon, and Tucson -- not to mention our short distance from other prominent areas of the southwest.
For more information on local culture, you can visit: City of Phoenix Arts & Culture and Things To Do in Phoenix.