It’s official – Offroad Games is the new home of former Space Ape games Chrome Valley Customs and Fastlane.
We first reported the news back in February, and it has now been officially confirmed.
The new spin-out studio is made up of 10 former Space Ape staffers, and it aims to have around 15 staff in a few months, we’re told. It is led by CEO Geoffrey Gilles, CTO Chris Jubb and finance director Cameron Simon.
Offroad has also obtained the rights for killed Space Ape soft launch game Go Race: Superkarts. Offroad boss Gilles told us that the studio’s deal with Supercell is “built to maximise our ability to both operate live games and create new ones”.
The spin-out studio will also dip its toe into hyper and hybridcasual markets with new car-themed game launches, he said.
“It’s bloody hard to be a successful mobile game developer today,” Gilles told us. “Ten years ago, a well-produced game had a fair shot at success. Now, the market is overcrowded, segmented, and dominated by triple-A scale powerhouses, hypercasual speedrunners, hybridcasual innovators, blue ocean builders and indie originals. So where do we fit in?”
“We know how to build and operate a strong team – and collectively know the pitfalls to avoid,” Gilles continued. “We’ve also been running Chrome Valley for over a year and a half. We know what worked, what didn’t, and what players really want – more car content. That insight will let us move fast and deliver more impactful updates.”
“We’re kicking things off by evolving Chrome Valley Customs into the game it was always meant to be. Next, we’ll dive into hypercasual and shift into hybridcasual as we uncover new car hits. New games? You’ll be seeing them – regularly!”
It’s the final piece of the puzzle to slide into place after Supercell bought Space Ape outright in November 2024; the studio formerly known as Space Ape is now Supercell London.
In February, we broke the news that Space Ape was now effectively closed, with around 70 staff transferring to Supercell London and 30 laid off or turning down job offers. As we reported before, the Transformers: Earth Wars team will now work within Chinese publisher Yodo1 Games. Today, the Chrome Valley Customs and Fastlane teams complete the transition to Offroad Games.
All of that followed the announcement of the first Space Ape spin-out, NextBeat, in January. That studio is the new home of Beatstar and Country Star, and is led by Space Ape cofounder Simon Hade and music industry veteran Olly Barnes.
