State of Play
- Open roles
- 0
- Founded
- 2008
- Employees
- 1-10
- Offices
- 1
About State of Play
State of Play is an independent game development and animation studio founded in 2008 by Luke Whittaker and Katherine Bidwell. Based in South-East London, it creates tactile puzzle games, narrative adventures and mixed-media animation. Its work combines physical craftsmanship with digital development, drawing on architectural modelling, papercraft, carpentry and mechanical construction to give interactive worlds a handmade character.
The studio’s early puzzle adventure Lume, released in 2011, established an approach that developed further in Lumino City in 2014. Both projects connect physical model-making with interactive exploration, placing crafted environments at the centre of the player’s experience. This interest in materials and tangible interactions also runs through the Japanese-paper-inspired folding puzzles of KAMI and KAMI 2, and the colourful pinball puzzle game INKS.
From crafted puzzles to narrative adventures
With South of the Circle, State of Play expanded its portfolio into a dramatic narrative adventure set in 1960s Antarctica during the Cold War. Released on Apple Arcade in October 2020, the game combines a mid-century screen-printed visual style with full 3D motion-capture performances by British television and stage actors. Its setting drew on Whittaker’s personal expeditions to Antarctica. A publishing partnership with 11 bit studios brought the game to PC and major consoles in August 2022.
The studio has also created Spycraft, a tactile espionage adventure set in the 1960s and designed specifically for the hybrid tabletop platform Board. Its development experience spans mobile, desktop, console and physical-digital gaming formats, with Unity forming part of its digital production pipeline.
Alongside its original games, State of Play has produced commissioned games and interactive media for clients including the BBC, MTV, Miniclip and ESPN, as well as animations for Oxfam and Christian Aid. Its practice brings together game design, software development, animation and physical fabrication, supporting both independently developed titles and commissioned creative projects.
More about State of Play
Leadership and production model
- Co-founder Luke Whittaker serves as Creative Director. Co-founder Katherine Whittaker, née Bidwell, serves as Head of Production; both are company directors.
- The studio supplements its core team with fixed-term specialists, including model makers, animators, 3D artists and sound designers, during major production cycles.
Physical production methods
For Lumino City, the team constructed a ten-foot-tall model city using paper, cardboard, wood, miniature lights and motors. The physical environments were filmed and digitized with bespoke lighting before being brought into Unity.
Recognition
- Lumino City won the 2015 BAFTA Games Award for Artistic Achievement and received nominations for British Game and Innovation.
- INKS. won an Apple Design Award in 2016.
- KAMI 2 received a BAFTA nomination.
Notable credits
16 creditsOffices
Where State of Play is based
- London, England, United Kingdom
London office
HeadquartersAbout this office
Overall headquarters and physical game development workshop in South-East London. The Brighton registered office is an accountants’ address rather than a studio branch.
Open roles
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