Fantasy Flight’s new video game studio will do more than just bring its board games to PC

Fantasy Flight has opened a new video game development studio, Fantasy Flight Interactive, with plans to create PC titles set in its tabletop universes.

The important thing to note here is that the newly-opened division won’t simply be working on digital adaptations of Fantasy Flight’s existing board games – it will be making completely original games based on its library of tabletop titles, that the publisher said would be “richly strategic experiences with easy-to-understand UI, built from the ground up for Steam”.

While Fantasy Flight Interactive will be concentrating on developing PC titles initially, the studio added that it has plans to expand onto other digital platforms in the future.

Leading the team is Tim Gerritsen, a video game development veteran who was previously studio director for BioShock outlet Irrational Games and CEO of Prey creator Human Head Studios.

Fantasy Flight already has close ties to the world of video games, thanks to its tabletop takes on series such as XCOM, Civilization and Doom.

No hint was given as to which board games would be headed across to PC screens, or when the first digital titles would be released, other than the confirmation that projects were already underway.

“We didn’t create a new company just to translate board games into digital games,” Fantasy Flight founder Christian T. Petersen said in a statement.

“We’re focused on the bigger picture of the experiences our fans can have on new platforms, and this will take our brands in new directions.”