Former Space Ape Developers Launch New Studio: Offroad Games

A group of developers who previously worked at Space Ape Games have teamed up to create a new game studio called Offroad Games.

They’ve brought two mobile games with them – Chrome Valley Customs and Fastlane: Road to Revenge – and are also working on reviving a previously shelved racing game.

Geoffrey Gilles is leading the charge as CEO. He used to manage Chrome Valley Customs at Space Ape and was one of the original leads on Beatstar. In his interview with PocketGamer.biz, Gilles shared that he’s always had entrepreneurial dreams, and this was the perfect chance to keep successful games going while building something fresh.

“I saw this opportunity to take both games, run the games, and then at the same time rehire some people and then really come up with an inspiring company mission,” he said.

The Offroad team currently consists of ten people – seven full-timers and three contractors. Key players include Christopher Jubb as CTO, Vera Zaitceva handling game design, Hyo Chan leading the art department, and Cameron Simon managing finances. Gilles hopes to grow the team to about 15 people, though they haven’t secured any funding from Supercell (Space Ape’s parent company) or other investors yet.

What’s cool about Offroad Games is they’re already making money from day one thanks to the existing portfolio they’ve taken over. They’re focusing on car-themed mobile games “with a twist” and aren’t just sticking with what they have. They’re also breathing new life into Go Race: Super Karts, a game Space Ape originally put out on Android in 2016 but later dropped.

All this comes after big changes at Space Ape. Supercell fully acquired the company in November 2024 (they previously owned 62%) and renamed it Supercell London. This shake-up led to staff departures and layoffs in February 2025.

Offroad isn’t the only spin-off either – another studio called NextBeat was also formed from former Space Ape projects. It manages two games–Beatstar and Country Star— with Space Ape founder Simon Hade and music industry veteran Olly Barnes at the helm.

For making new games, Gilles mentioned being inspired by Homa Games’ strategy – starting with simpler “hypercasual” games, and then expanding successful mechanics into more complex “hybridcasual” titles when players respond well.