Strawdog Studios chosen by Microsoft

With only its second game, Strawdog Studios, based at the iD Centre, has been selected by computer giant Microsoft to have its new title, Space Ark, released on the internet.

The game is due to be released on Xbox 360 Live Arcade in April and will be available months before the first appearance in shops of the company's debut game, Geon.

The Xbox Arcade is a shop hosted on the internet where gamers can try out, buy and download games straight on to their Xboxes.

There are similar services for PlayStation and Wii owners, too.

Designed with the internet in mind

Simon Morris, technical director at Strawdog Studios, which has just four staff, said the game had been designed with the internet in mind.

He said: "We are all about download games. With online marketplaces for every major console and the introduction of the iPhone, there are a lot of opportunities for small independent developers to get games out there.

"Our first game, Geon, was released on all the online marketplaces for the different consoles and we have now got a boxed copy going into shops in either the spring or summer.

"We were very fortunate for Microsoft to accept Space Ark because they won't just take anything – they have strict controls on quality."

In the game, players try to destroy grids of bricks by bouncing a small animal into them. They control a trampoline which they have to position under the falling creature, sending it back into the bricks.

Paul Smith, managing director of Strawdog Studios, said the game was targeted at casual gamers.

He said: "There are a lot more people playing games than there used to be. People who might have shied away from more hardcore games now play more casual games through internet sites like Facebook.

Further information

Read more about this on the This is Derbyshire web site.