According to the Orlando Business Journal, a new development house has been formed by a number of ex-EA Tiburon employees in Central Florida. The new studio, Row Sham Bow, was formed by an unnamed EA Tiburon executive last month. A look at the secret founder’s LinkedIn profile seems to point to the new CEO as Philip Holt, former studio general manager at EA Tiburon. Like the secret CEO, Holt has held previous positions at Manley & Associates, THQ, and EA Tiburon, all companies listed in the profile.
Row Sham Bow will be taking advantage of local business incentives, with $570,000 coming from the state of Florida and another $114,000 coming from the city of Orlando. These incentives are part of the Qualified Target Industry tax refund program, which awards $3,000 in tax refunds per new job created in Florida.
This news follows the departure of two other EA Tiburon executives, one of whom has not confirmed his involvement with the new company. Madden franchise Creative Director Ian Cummings recently announced that he was leaving the team in the midst of Madden 12’s development.
“After nearly 11 years with Electronic Arts, I have decided to seek opportunities elsewhere. My time at EA has been an incredible ride. I’ve had the privilege of helping to create world-class gaming experiences like Madden; a franchise that has touched peoples’ lives. It's been a true pleasure. Time for the next challenge of my career,” he wrote in a post on the official Madden blog.
The second executive is Richard Wifall, who has already listed his transition from chief technology officer at EA Tiburon to co-founder & technical fellow at Row Sham Bow in his LinkedIn profile.
[Via GI.biz]
