Rocksteady co-founders have formed new AAA studio Hundred Star Games

Sefton Hill and Jamie Walker, the duo that co-founded acclaimed Batman Arkham studio Rocksteady before departing to “start a new adventure together in games” in 2022, have set up a new AAA London development studio, Hundred Star Games.

Hundred Star Games’ existence certainly isn’t a secret – it already has a website and a detailed Great Place to Work listing – but its connection to Hill and Walker has only just started to become more widely known thanks to a new report by Polygon, which spotted the duo were named as Hundred Star’s directors on corporate data website Endole.

Hundred Star hasn’t yet announced itself to press, and only a limited amount of information is currently available. On Great Place to Work, the East London studio says its ethos is to create a “small team of only 100 industry veterans and emerging talents, who are committed to crafting cutting-edge gaming experiences that inspire and captivate players worldwide.”

“With innovation at our core, we’re dedicated to pushing boundaries, embracing diversity, and fostering a vibrant gaming community,” it continues. “Our empowering company culture is unique to the industry which encourages leadership at all levels, accountability, team support, vulnerability, and connection.”

At present, Hundred Star is said to have hired 25 employees out of its planned 100, with Polygon noting a number of Rocksteady veterans – including a “handful of lead developers and director-level ex-Rocksteady employees” – have joined the studio according to updates on LinkedIn. Given the company appears to have come into being last April, with its website only going live in October, it’ll likely be some time before it’s ready to make its first project official.

Hill and Walker announced their departure from Rocksteady – after 18 years at the studio – in October 2022, saying they were leaving to “start a new adventure together in games.”

At the time, Rocksteady’s Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League was believed to be on its final stretch of development, but its release was delayed by 10 months last April following a disastrous PlayStation State of Play reveal. It’s now due to arrive on 2nd February 2024, but recent previews have been extremely critical – with Eurogamer’s Ed Nightingale writing, “This might not be the superhero fantasy you’re looking for.”