Chet Faliszek, who has previously worked as senior designer for Riot Games and a writer on the Portal & Left 4 Dead franchises, has launched his own studio called Stray Bombay Company, who will focus on co-op games with a specific focus on AI driven experiences.

On the company's official website, Chet stated that "Games that tell stories knowing you are going to come back again and again, that change each time you play them without feeling completely random, and that help you feel like a real team that supports each other... not a bunch of folks in each other’s way. And where AI drives not just the enemies but helps drive the entire experience."

Joining him is Kimberly Voll, formerly Riot Games' Senior Technical Designer. She's worked on titles like Fantastic Contraption and was a key player on revamping League of Legend's honor system.

We think now is the time to change the culture of game development. Make everyone equals, not just in their impact on the project but in how we divide the loot of our success. Relax strict PTO policies because we trust each other to take the time you need. We want to build games that reflect our culture

They've not yet announced any titles, and will "go dark for a little bit" while they start laying the foundations for future projects, but they've already got prototype games running in Unity and Unreal, and have stated their focus will be on AI driven co-op games.

We know the direction we're going. As people join the team, that'll help find the game more clearly. We're very iterative, everyone is a designer, everyone participates in the process, everyone joining [the studio] will have a big impact on the project. Obviously, we have a plan, there's a framework that we can hang it all off, but everyone will be able to express themselves and have an impact.

It's great to see more new studios starting up with fresh and innovative ideas. Stay tuned to GameFront for more from Stray Bombay Company as we get it.