Dlala Studios

{{Infobox company

| name = Dlala Studios

| image = File:Dlala Studios logo.png

| type = Private

| industry = Video games

| founded = {{Start date and age|df=yes|22 June 2012}}

| hq_location_city = Witham, Essex

| hq_location_country = England

| key_people = {{Unbulleted list|Aj Grand-Scrutton (CEO)|Ben Waring (CTO)|Gemma Foster (COO)|Mark Ragon (CIO)}}

| founder = Aj Grand-Scrutton
Craig Thomas

| products = {{Unbulleted list|Battletoads|Disney Illusion Island}}

| website = {{URL|dlalastudios.com}}

}}

Dlala Studios is a British video game developer based in Witham, England. The company was founded in 2012, and is most known for creating games such as Battletoads and Disney Illusion Island.

History

Dlala Studios was founded by Aj Grand-Scrutton and Craig Thomas in June 2012. Both Thomas and Grand Scrutton were colleagues at Jagex, the developer behind RuneScape. The small studio, which operated at Grand-Scrutton's basement at the time, had no budget for their first game and therefore, decided to develop a game for Windows 8 exclusively because it was a new development scene and they had little competition. The game, which later became Jansky, had a development cycle of nine and a half weeks.{{cite web|url=https://www.pocketgamer.biz/feature/47688/how-an-indie-can-win-with-a-windows-8-exclusive-by-dlala-studios/|title=How an indie can win with a Windows 8 exclusive, by Dlala Studios|work=Pocket Gamer|date=11 January 2013|accessdate=25 January 2024}} The development team met with representatives from Microsoft in July 2012, and subsequently, became part of its incubation program with Lift London, one of Microsoft's internal studios for a year.{{cite web|url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/new-microsoft-team-lift-london-to-act-as-studio-incubator|title=New Microsoft team Lift London to act as studio incubator|first=Matt|last=Martin|work=Gameindustry.biz|date=10 January 2013|accessdate=25 January 2024}}{{cite web|url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/redundancies-at-microsofts-lift-london-as-its-merged-with-soho|title=Microsoft confirms merger of Lift London and Soho Productions|first=Dan|last=Pearson|work=Gameindustry.biz|date=4 March 2015|accessdate=25 January 2024}} The studio then worked on Overruled!, a multiplayer arena brawler, with independent game publisher Team17.{{cite web|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/team17-picks-up-dlala-studios-2d-brawler-overruled|title=Team17 picks up Dlala Studios' 2D brawler Overruled!|first=Wesley|last=Yin-Poole|work=Eurogamer|date=8 May 2014|accessdate=25 January 2024}}

Following the release of Overruled!, the studio signed with Creative Artists Agency, which helped Dlala to arrange meetings with publishers for game contracts. The studio was able to acquire one with Chris Nicholls, an executive producer for Disney Interactive, who was interested in working with the studio after seeing the animation style for Overruled!. Disney paid $250,000 for the project's pre-production, and $3.5 million for its completion. To work on the project, the studio expanded to include 14 full-time staff. Several months before the project's estimated launch, it was cancelled in 16 January, after Disney announced that it would withdraw from the video game business. After the deal with Disney collapsed, Dlala had to enact cost-cutting measures and worked on work-for-hire projects, including The Escapists, Lost Words: Beyond the Page, and Sea of Thieves. Several staff, including Thomas, left the studio.{{cite web|url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/how-dlala-survived-the-loss-of-a-usd3m-disney-deal|title=How Dlala survived the loss of a $3m Disney deal|first=James|last=Batchelor|work=Gameindustry.biz|date=18 April 2018|accessdate=25 January 2023}}

Dlala then collaborated with Rare on a reboot for the Battletoads series. Rare lead designer Paul Collins described it as an "indie-plus" games, as Rare only provided support for polishing the title.{{cite web|url=https://www.pcgamesinsider.biz/interviews-and-opinion/69650/why-rare-finally-brought-battletoads-back/|title=Why Rare finally brought Battletoads back|first=Alex|last=Calvin|work=PC Games Insider|date=11 September 2019|accessdate=25 January 2024}} While the game attracted 1 million players two months after its initial launch, it received mixed reviews.{{cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/battletoads-reboot-notches-one-million-players-two-months-after-launch/1100-6483768/|title=Battletoads Reboot Notches One Million Players Two Months After Launch|first=Steven|last=T. Wright|work=GameSpot|date=October 26, 2020|accessdate=January 25, 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/battletoads-review-roundup-what-critics-are-saying/1100-6481233/|title=Battletoads Review Roundup: What Critics Are Saying About The Return Of The Toads|first=James|last=O'Connor|work=GameSpot|date=August 21, 2020|accessdate=January 25, 2023}} The team cited their overambition and the game's lack of focus as factors leading to its middling reception, and decided to "downscope" their next title early in its development cycle.{{cite web|url=https://www.shacknews.com/article/136442/disneys-illusion-island-dev-battletoads|title=Disney's Illusion Island dev talks about the lessons learned from developing Battletoads|first=Sam|last=Chandler|work=Shacknews|date=27 July 2023|accessdate=25 January 2024}} The studio then worked with Disney again on Disney Illusion Island, which shared a lot of gameplay concepts with the cancelled game.{{cite web|url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/dlalas-second-chance-with-disney|title=Dlala's second chance with Disney|first=James|last=Batchelor|work=Gameindustry.biz|date=9 November 2022|accessdate=25 January 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/disney-illusion-island-is-built-on-the-foundation-of-a-canceled-2016-game|title=Disney Illusion Island Is Built on the Foundation of a Canceled 2016 Game|first=Rebekah|last=Valentine|work=IGN|date=10 September 2022|accessdate=25 January 2023}}