Zoe Mode expands to US, takes along two Sony vets

From Brighton, to London, and now San Francisco, Kuju Entertainment's Zoë Mode studio (developer of You're in the Movies, Crush and Rock Revolution) is ever-expanding. All this, despite initial foreboding that hovered over its parent company earlier this year.

At the helm of the new US Zoë Mode office in San Francisco are two former SCEA employees: US SingStar Senior Producer Sarah Stocker and former EA/SCEA employee Mark Danks. With a team like this, it seems likely that this new ZM studio will have a strong focus on music games, although ZM worldwide general manager, Ed Daly, told GamesIndustry.biz: "In addition to the increasingly crowded singing and dancing, peripheral-based music games, we are interested in exploring some new territory." Aw, and we were so looking forward to Rock Revolution 2.

Reader Comments (10)

Executive 1: Well, we need to expand but are still on very shaky financial grounds.

Executive 2: I know, let's open up shop in the most expensive city in the entire Western hemisphere!

Executive 1: Brilliant!

Why anyone insists on starting a business in San Francisco these days is beyond me. Austin, TX is pretty much the same without all the cost or fog.

Because in San Francisco there's no Stone Cold to randomly walk in and beat the crap out of you, spray beer all over you, continuously insult you and demand you say "Hell yeah" after everything he says...

...What?? Texas ISN'T like that??

non peripheral based music game?

Are we talking Rez/Bit.Trip? Parappa? Lumines/Groovin' Blocks? Frequency/Amplitude/AudioSurf?

I kinda wish someone would make a music game that wasn't a music game. In the same sense the Cowboy Bebop is an album that isn't an album-- it's pure music, but it's a TV show. And it's so much more than that.

They couldn't get big enough belt buckles to be accepted in Austin.

There is zero talent war in SFO at the moment - its a good move if you ask me.

Zoe Mode is expanding? The only thing I've ever heard about them is a) their ridiculous naming/branding stunt of their company "becoming" a fictional girl, and b) making unanimously trounced games like Rock Revolution and You're In The Movies. I'm sure they've done some decent stuff as well ("Crush" on the PSP looked cool, for instance), but the only games I've heard them attached to recently have been flops. Is that a studio you spend money on expanding in these economic times? Weird.

how could the greatness that was crush come from the same studio that would go on to make the crap that was rock revolution?!

So they went from getting incredible amounts of respect for Crush, arguably in the top five of handheld puzzle games in the last decade, to bullcrap music, singing, and casual games. And NOW they want to branch out.

You know what? I never say this, but I hope they fail miserably. They sold out to make crappy casual games because Crush was amazing but didn't sell well. The industry needs companies willing to take a RISK on stuff like Crush if it wants to keep growing. I can understand wanting to actually make money (families to feed and all that), but sometimes taking the risk to make something amazing will get the attention needed to get a bigger budget and more money without selling out your principles.

Ugh, long rant is long.

Yeah let's hope they all lose their jobs because you don't like their games. Way to be mature about it.

Don't be angry at him. He must be related to Rush Limbaugh or something.

Oh for Pete's sake... didn't I say that I can understand wanting to make money to feed their families? Didn't I say that I hoped they would take risks and then get someone to give them a bigger budget and more money thereafter?

Cripes, apparently my rants aren't long enough. I gotta friggin' explain the reasoning for every single, solitary thought in bullet-point format since simple honesty won't get through... Here goes then:

-Zoe Mode made Crush
-Crush was amazing
-Crush did not sell
-Zoe Mode sold out
-They needed money because Crush didn't sell
-Their games after they sold out were mostly ass
-Zoe Mode expands
-They say they will make more of the same junk
-They say they will look into other stuff
-I say this new expansion should fail
-I want them to take risks on Crush-level bad-assery
-I want them to earn the respect they deserve afterwards

There, that was four minutes of hunting-and-pecking to explain what I thought was explained in my original 2-3 minutes of hunting-and-pecking. Cripes I hate people who can't make a leap of logic and need things explained bit by bit.

Zoe Mode expands to US, takes along two Sony vets

Reader Comments (10)

Posted: May 19th 2009 6:38PM LaughingTarget said

Posted: May 19th 2009 6:53PM CloudStrife said

Posted: May 19th 2009 7:15PM (Unverified) said

Posted: May 19th 2009 7:24PM (Unverified) said

Posted: May 19th 2009 7:30PM Mr Bungo said

Posted: May 19th 2009 7:30PM Sly C said

Posted: May 19th 2009 8:13PM Nobledevil Gaming Optimist said

Posted: May 19th 2009 8:45PM (Unverified) said

Posted: May 19th 2009 9:19PM (Unverified) said

Posted: May 19th 2009 9:48PM Nobledevil Gaming Optimist said

Info

Description

MSRP

Release Date

Genre

Developer

Publisher

Rating

Breaking News

WB conjures up Harry Potter for Kinect this fall

Featured Stories

Silver Lining: I Am Alive's unfeeling world

Game Of Thrones and the paradoxes of adaptation

Super Joystiq Podcast 004: 38 Studios meltdown, Gravity Rush, Civilization 5: Gods & Kings, Dragon's Dogma

Engadget

TUAW

Massively

WoW