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Playtonic

Games & Interactive
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1
Founded
2014
Employees
51-200
Offices
2

About Playtonic

Playtonic is an independent UK video game developer and publisher established in 2014 by former Rare veterans. Drawing on the team’s experience with platforming games such as Donkey Kong Country and Banjo-Kazooie, the studio creates modern, character-led adventures with the humor, exploration and inventive mechanics associated with classic collect-a-thon design.

Its debut, Yooka-Laylee, began as a record-setting European video-game Kickstarter campaign and launched in 2017. Playtonic subsequently developed the 2.5D follow-up Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair and has continued to expand the series through Yooka-Replaylee and Super Yooka-Laylee Kart.

Development and publishing

Alongside its internal development work, Playtonic operates Playtonic Friends, an indie publishing label launched in 2021. The label works with partner developers on marketing, quality assurance, porting, production guidance, business development and distribution. Its published catalogue includes BPM: Bullets Per Minute, A Little Golf Journey, Demon Turf, Blossom Tales II: The Minotaur Prince, Lil Gator Game, CorpoNation: The Sorting Process, Elsie, Victory Heat Rally and Cattle Country.

Capabilities

  • Full-cycle development for PC, console and handheld platforms
  • 3D and 2.5D platformers, character design and animation
  • Multiplatform development, porting and QA
  • Publishing support for independent game developers

Playtonic remains privately held and independent. A minority investment from Tencent in 2021 supported the studio’s move from a single-team structure toward multiple concurrent development tracks while Playtonic retained creative control.

More about Playtonic

Origins and growth

Playtonic was founded by former Rare veterans Gavin Price, Chris Sutherland, Steve Mayles, Jens Restemeier, Mark Stevenson and Steven Hurst. The studio’s Yooka-Laylee Kickstarter surpassed its funding target and set European Kickstarter records for a video game.

In 2021, Tencent made a minority investment intended to help Playtonic expand from a single-team structure to multiple concurrent development tracks, while the company retained creative control and independence.

Operating model

The company uses a flexible hybrid model across its development and publishing work. Playtonic Friends, launched in February 2021, is its external indie-publishing arm and shares facilities and personnel with the core development teams rather than operating as a separate studio premises.

Notable credits

15 credits
  • Yooka-Laylee
  • Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair
  • Yooka-Replaylee
  • Super Yooka-Laylee Kart
  • BPM: Bullets Per Minute
  • A Little Golf Journey
  • Demon Turf
  • Demon Turf: Neon Splash
  • Blossom Tales II: The Minotaur Prince
  • Lil Gator Game
  • CorpoNation: The Sorting Process
  • Elsie
  • Victory Heat Rally
  • Cattle Country
  • Dunk Dunk

Offices

Where Playtonic is based

2 locations

  • Burton upon Trent office

    Headquarters
    Bretby Business Park, Ashby Road East, Burton upon Trent / Swadlincote, DE15 0YZ, United KingdomBurton upon Trent, England, United Kingdom

    Primary headquarters and main development studios.

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  • Royal Leamington Spa office

    1 Mill Street, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, CV31 1ES, United KingdomRoyal Leamington Spa, England, United Kingdom

    Opened 2022

    Direct regional studio branch opened in March 2022.

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