Sumo Digital Report

Company Introduction

 

Sumo is an independent company that develop games. Currently for PS4 and Xbox 1 because these games are in higher demands. They don’t publish Games, as that is the job of Sony and Microsoft. They have made games for many platforms and franchises including Sonic and Moshi Monsters. On platforms ranging from the Nintendo DS to the PlayStation 4. But they have been developing games since the PS2. Sumo doesn't specialise in one specific game genre, as they go from Arcade style fames all the way to Sport games.

Company Structure

 

Directors

 

Carl Carvers

 

He was one of the people that found Sumo Digital way back in 2003. He has a history of being in the gaming industry from being a studio manager at Atari, he has also lectured for the institute of quality insurance.

 

Paul Porter

 

He is the studio head and has worked at Rolls Royce as a Scientific Software Developer to work on a nuclear reactor plant. He too worked at Atari. He currently leads a team which is full of elite people and experiences. He was also a Co Founder of Sumo Digital in 2003.

Darren Mills

Mills is the art director at Sumo Digital, he has been a designer and Animator for [program introduction sequences. He has also been a cameraman and editor for the BBC, ITV and Sky. He has been a Art director manager on several gaming titles before moving on in 2003 to become a Co Founder of Sumo Digital.

Ash Bennet

Ash Bennet is the technical director at Sumo Digital/ his career started in 1989 and  soon progressed onto working for NES and SNES. He joined probe entertainment. He has also worked on very successful game titles such as Wacky Races. He then co found Sumo in 2003, and became the technical director in 2003.

Gary Edwards

The development director was an OEM Producer in 1997 and worked with all major hardware companies. Soon he became a senior producer for them in 1999. Another key role he has played in the gaming industry is being an executive producer for the popular game Runescape. He then joined his old colleagues at Sumo in 2006 and became an executive producer. He then got appointed as a development director in April 2009.

Sean Millard

Sean Millard has been designing games since 1993. He started at 221B  which was an indie game company based in Sheffield. His career prior to Sumo had covered a lot of ground, working across a variety of different platforms and genres. He used this expertise and knowledge to really help Sumo Digital in the early days, and has been a member since 2003. In 2011 he became the creative director where he rules over the design department and helps to guide them on their way in the world of design.

Steven Zalud

He is the director of product development at sumo digital, he feels lucky to have his job as he gets to travel the world a lot. He has a vast amount of knowledge in game development, and being part of operational management. He is a very important part of how Sumo works together and all of the layers of a game come together to become part of a game. 

 

 

Departments

 

Each team at Sumo Digital has a specialist in each sector. This person basically controls the team and finalises the product as well as giving guidance. They have to finalise everything with the head studio, so if things go wrong it is their responsibility to sort. 

 

Here is an example of the specialists the art department will have

 

- Concept Artist

- Character Artist

- Environment Artist 

- Animator

- Graphic Artist

- Technical Artist

- VFX Artist

- Lead Artist

 

 

Developmental Software

Sumo Digital is such an elite company that they have developed their own engine to use as a lot of their main tools. But their team is so elite they are more than comfortable in using other engines if they are collaborating with other companies.

 

Some of the tools that they use include

 

- 3D Studio Mac

- Maya

- Adobe Photoshop

- Z Brush

Platform Technology

As I mentioned in my introduction to the company they have been able to work on several different gaming platforms from the past like the PSP, PS2.

Here is a list of current gaming systems they have available to them

- PS4
- X-Box 1
- Wii U
- PC
- Ps Vita
- Nintendo 3DS
- iOS
- Android

Regulatory Bodies

PEGI are in control of choosing the age rating on a Sumo Digital release. PEGI have 8 things that they keep in mind when it comes to rating a game.

- Violence
- Bad Language
- Fear
- Sex
- Drugs
- Discrimination
- Online Play
- Gambling


The 5 age rating are, 3, 7, 12, 16 and 18. This age rating system is based on the maturity gap between each of these ages. No Sumo Game has ever been deemed as banned, due to the main genres they specialise in don't rally have any edgy or dark content like Sonic Sega All Stars Racing.