Eight designers leave Gremlin

Eight design staff have left Gremlin Interactive to start up their own digital media consultancy, called Idiom Design.

The departures follow the acquisition of Sheffield group Gremlin by Infogrames in June. Idiom is now looking to recruit up to 40 more staff for all areas of its business.

Gremlin Interactive’s former creative design manager Martin Calpin financed the venture, which began trading a fortnight ago.

As Idiom’s creative director, Calpin explains the decision to start afresh: “Gremlin became a massive corporation that no longer understood people’s needs. We were very unhappy and the situation didn’t look like [it was] improving.”

The new consultancy includes designers, animators, programmers, writers, musicians and marketing strategists who will provide a range of services, including website design, programming and animation and digital audio and video production.

Calpin adds: “Our mission is to work with any format of cutting edge design to craft dynamic, elegant, practical and intuitive solutions to any challenge.”

But he is looking to expand staff numbers rapidly during the next few weeks. “I want to have 20 staff within two months. There is also one massive project and three smaller things we have pitched for. If we win them, we will set up another company to deal specifically with these projects, which will require up to 30 extra staff.”

Infogrames vice-president of development James North-Hearn says a number of changes occurred when his group made a friendly takeover of Gremlin in June.

“The creative print design department at Gremlin was combined with Infogrames’ creative department, but they wanted to do something different. They won’t be replaced though,” explains North-Hearn.