A team of Rovio veterans have opened a new studio called Lightneer in Helsinki focused on developing educational games.
The studio’s formation comes after Angry Birds developer laid off 213 people, majorly from its education division. This is like history repeating itself. After Nokia took a big hit when the smartphone business for the company did not take off, as expected, small gaming start-ups budded in Finland. With the recent job-cuts at Rovio, it may also lead to a similar situation in the country.
The studio is headed by former Rovio employee Lauri Järvilehto, who worked as its fun learning expert and evangelist, and Lauri Konttori, who worked as lead game designer and creative director at the Angry Birds outfit. The Rovio connection does not stop here, the studio even has the backing of Rovio co-founder Niklas Hed and Rovio Mobile head Peter Vesterbacka who are also on Lightneer’s board.
“Lightneer was just one of those all too rare opportunities to support something that feels fresh and vital,” said Niklas Hed in a statement.
Lightneer CEO Lauri Järvilehto says that the company is in the process of raising a “substantial” seed round that should be closed in coming weeks. The team’s ambition is to create learning games as fun to play as mobile hits such as Clash of Clans, Angry Birds and Candy Crush Saga.
“Learning games today are in much the same state mobile games were a decade ago – niche products, too often produced with a lot of limitations,” Järvilehto said. “Lightneer was created from a deep belief in the potential of learning games when designed competitively. We’ve spent years researching and prototyping games that strike the right balance between addictive fun and effective teaching.”
According to the company, the Lightneer name “alludes to a person who combines the audacity and vision of a philosopher with the practicality and grit of an engineer.” The studio’s first title is expected to arrive next year.