About
Us
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Introducing
Radical
Forge
We’re all equals here. We’re not about separating senior leadership from frontline staff. We’re not about status or playing the rules. We’re not about putting on a front or pretending to be something we’re not. Building unforgettable gaming moments motivates us. Treating our team with kindness and generosity is an instinct and one that’s close to fucking essential to making brilliant, successful games.
And that’s exactly what we do. Our team of over 70 has constantly smashed it on our own games and codevelopment projects. And we aren’t going anywhere anytime soon!
Back in 2017 game makers Bruce Slater and Freddie Babord were ready to do something new. They realised there was powerful potential in taking an alternative approach to building and running a studio, where triple-A quality and ambition didn’t need to be separated from values of kindness, creativity, playfulness and authenticity. With that in mind, they decided to build Radical Forge, a creative safe haven that understands what a team needs to thrive.
The result? A studio with committed resilience to bullshit, a progressive attitude to games and the wider world, and a healthy disregard for the stale conventions of the industry’s past.
What we
stand for
At Radical Forge our values go deep. We’re not just going to plaster them on a meeting room wall to make us look good to visitors. We live them. We care about them. We’re proud of them. And they’re a founding reason why together we do such great work.
We push games’ potential
Just because we bring an unconventional studio culture doesn’t mean we’re not devoted to delivering straight-up quality. We adore pushing what players expect from gaming. We bring our high standards and obsession with polish to every development project we tackle.
We trust and respect our team
That means being honest and open with every team member, and listening intently when they have things to say. We trust them absolutely, and encourage autonomy – both within Radical Forge and when staff take time to work on their own projects or join game jams. We provide a safe, inclusive workspace, and make sure everyone feels valued.
Integrity is everything
We’re as honest with our partners as we are with our team, including when things go wrong. Our studio culture comes from the things we deeply care about. We’re playful, devoted, resilient, and unafraid to stand up for our team and our values. That’s just who we are.
Our Directors
Bruce Slater
CEO
Bruce may be our co-founder and CEO, but he’s still a technical artist at heart. He started out in that discipline, contributing to games like Sub Level Zero and Gang Beasts. In 2017, he co-founded Radical Forge with Freddie Babord.
Bruce also co-founded and hosts Gamebridge, the North East UK’s biggest games event. He went on to step up as Creative Director when Radical Forge created and released its first own-IP game Bright Paw. And while we don’t like to make him blush, big up Bruce for winning the Leadership award at the Game Dev Heroes awards in 2023.
And when he’s not making games or talking about them, Bruce still rips on a skateboard. He’s also amazing with a fingerboard – and doesn’t give a fuck what anyone thinks about that.
Freddie Baboard
CTO
Founding Radical Forge along with Bruce, Freddie comes from a background of engineering game dev tools. He’s got a bit of an obsession with making game developer’s work easier, building tools that accelerate workflows and go big on quality. He even lets Bruce join in sometimes, with the pair once building the Blockout Tools Plugin for the Unity Engine.
All considered, we’re pretty lucky to have Freddie. His devotion to making his team’s work easier is powerful and then some.
Freddie is also committed to diversity and inclusion. He’s delivered courses on just that for the Princes Trust, and currently stands as a mentor with Limit Break, a program supporting underrepresented people in the games industry.
Red Freeman
CCO
When Red joined us as an intern in our early days, he already brought strong abilities and distinct perspectives. In the six years since, his work on titles like RUST: Console Edition and Zombie Army 4 saw him grow in tandem with the studio to become CCO. We love that Radical Forge is a place where an intern can become a leader, but Red brings more than just that. His infectious enthusiasm for making games oozes through the studio, and he’s always in the midst of things when it comes to technical design, UI, scriptwriting, and game design.
Tom Didyimus
COO/CFO
Taking the reins of the operations and finance of Radical Forge, Tom guides our growth while keeping us on track. He also brings a powerful spread of experience from outside games. His CV is silly impressive – he’s held production and studio management roles across film, television, app design, animation and games. He even worked on the UK’s first app-based bank, Atom Bank. It’s the breadth of his experience that makes his contribution here so powerful. And while corporate culture makes the Radical Forge crew shudder, Tom reminds us every day that a bold, flexible business strategy is essential to our creative potential.
Our
Story
Forged
We haven’t forgotten where we came from. We started out in 2017 when Technical Artist Bruce Slater and Tools Programmer Freddie Babord decided to establish a studio where integrity, progressiveness, and looking after our people come first. Overegged marketing and slick corporate speak? No thanks! We go with authenticity instead.
Growth
Soon after, CCO Red Freeman and COO Tom Didymus joined the team, along with increasing numbers of raw young talent and experienced creatives that connected with our approach.
Success
Since then we’ve earned co-development credits on titles we properly admire, and teams we look up to have become collaborators and friends. If you’ve played Gang Beasts, RUST: Console Edition, Sea of Thieves, and Zombie Army 4, you’ve probably enjoyed some of our work.
Future
In 2020 we released our first original IP, murder mystery narrative-puzzler Bright Paw. And now Radical Forge is establishing a publishing division starting with a new title funded by the Private Division Development Fund. We can’t wait to share more on how we’re applying the Radical Forge mindset to what publishing needs to become.
