Draft:Variable State
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| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video game development |
| Founded | January 2014 |
| Founders | Jonathan Burroughs Terry Kenny |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
Key people | Jonathan Burroughs (CEO) Terry Kenny Lyndon Holland |
| Products | Virginia (2016) Last Stop (2021) Polaris (2025) |
| Website | variablestate |
Variable State is a British independent video game developer founded in January 2014 by Jonathan Burroughs and Terry Kenny.[1] The studio is known for the narrative adventure games Virginia and Last Stop, and the co-op shooter Polaris.
History
[edit]Burroughs and Kenny both worked at DeepMind Technologies before founding Variable State.[1][2] Burroughs had previously worked at Rare and Electronic Arts on titles including Kinect Sports and Battlefield 2: Modern Combat, while Kenny had worked at Rockstar Games on Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Grand Theft Auto IV.[3] Composer Lyndon Holland, a graduate of the National Film and Television School, joined the studio at its founding after meeting Burroughs and Kenny through an online forum.[4]
A dedicated feature on the studio's founding described Burroughs and Kenny as "two industry veterans" with additional prior credits at Relentless Software, Frontier Developments, and Headstrong Games.[5]
The studio publicly announced its first game, Virginia, in July 2014.[6] Last Stop was announced at the X019 event in November 2019. The studio's third title, Polaris, was announced in June 2024 as a co-operative PvE shooter with fully destructible environments,[7] and released on January 29, 2025. For Polaris, Variable State moved away from working with an external publisher for the first time, self-publishing the game itself.[8] In the interview, Burroughs described the studio as "a team of 11" and explained the decision against a live-service model, saying he preferred to offer a complete game rather than commit to open-ended long-term support before knowing whether players wanted it.[8]
The studio was nominated in the Micro/Start-Up Studio and New Studio categories at the Develop Awards in 2017.[9]
Games
[edit]| Year | Title | Platform(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Virginia | Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One |
| 2021 | Last Stop | Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 |
| 2025 | Polaris | Windows |
Reception and recognition
[edit]Virginia received a British Academy Games Award for Music and the Writers' Guild of Great Britain's award for Best Writing in a Video Game.
References
[edit]- ^ a b Koper, Adam (September 29, 2015). "A Variable State of mind". Nouse.
- ^ Weber, Rachel (June 3, 2014). "Variable State: Indie is the real cutting edge of games". GamesIndustry.biz.
- ^ Conditt, Jessica (July 1, 2014). "X-Files, Twin Peaks inspire 'Virginia' from ex-EA, GTA devs". Engadget.
- ^ Martínez, Víctor (June 8, 2014). "Variable State: Virginia will be a reflection of who we are as authors". Anait Games.
- ^ "Two industry veterans reveal new indie studio Variable State". Game Developer.
- ^ Webster, Andrew (July 3, 2014). "If David Lynch made a video game, it might look like 'Virginia'". The Verge.
- ^ LeBlanc, Wesley (June 9, 2024). "Polaris Is A Co-Op PvE Shooter Coming To PC This Year With Fully Destructible Environments". Game Informer.
- ^ a b Parijat, Shubhankar (December 9, 2024). "Polaris Interview – Maps, Destructibility, Art Style, and More". GamingBolt.
- ^ "Develop Awards 2017: The Finalists". Develop.
Category:2014 establishments in England Category:British companies established in 2014 Category:Video game companies established in 2014 Category:Video game companies of the United Kingdom Category:Video game development companies Category:Privately held companies based in London