Eager to find out more about Sumo’s most northern studio? Well, here are five things you need to know about Sumo Newcastle.

Our virtual reality before Sumo

Although the studio became part of the Sumo Group in January 2018, the studio and the core team were actually founded in 2009 by CCP Games, the developer behind the vast space exploration MMORPG EVE: Online. At CCP, the team were tasked with coming up with a new VR IP in the EVE Universe. That title became EVE:Valkyrie, a launch title for PSVR.

 

Bringing a legend to digital life

Sumo Newcastle’s game Hood: Outlaws & Legends launched in 2021; it’s an action RPG that sees you attempt to outplay rival gangs in intense PvPvE multiplayer heists. The game, as you may well have guessed, was inspired by the tales of Robin Hood.

English folklore depicts Hood as a skilled warrior and outlaw, who stole from the rich to give to the poor. Creating a multiplayer game about a single person may seem like a strange choice but, in reality, the Robin Hood legend is an amalgamation of many different tales and there are many characters who claim to be the basis for Robin Hood.

This was in fact the inspiration behind the game. We took the two most prominent pretenders to the throne – Robin of Loxley and Robin of Huntingdon – and pitted them against each other.

 

Simply the best (in the North-East)

As part of the Sumo Group we’ve helped secure a high ranking in the most recent ‘Best Companies’ regional category for the North-East of England. Sumo Newcastle had the honour of being placed #10 in the region, which sees us move up 20 places from our 2021 results – something that we’re very proud of.

Better still, our parent company Sumo Group ranked at #12 in the ‘Best Companies’ UK’s 100 Best Large Companies To Work For’ list for 2022, as well as #4 in the ‘Technology’ sector category for the first time ever.

 

Finish Early Friday

There’s nothing like kicking off the weekend early to see family, friends, or just chilling at home playing some games after a busy week. Our studio works hard to deliver on its projects, so it’s only right that we reward our teams.

That’s why we all finish early on a Friday. This is one of many great perks at Sumo Newcastle, if you decide that you’d like to work for us.

 

The AAA projects you didn’t realise that we worked on

Sumo Newcastle is mainly known for being the key developer behind Hood: Outlaws & Legends, but you may not know that this particular studio has also co-developed some big AAA projects alongside third-party developers and fellow Sumo Digital studios.

Some of those chart-topping and award-winning titles you might recognise included Call of Duty: Vanguard, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, and Mortal Kombat 11.


Loved hearing about Sumo Newcastle and fancy joining our team? Check out our available career options here.

21st August 2023 Studio Life

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