Sheffield based video game developer celebrates “fantastic achievement”

Sumo Group, the award-winning provider of creative and development services in the video games and entertainment industries, is bringing its people together this month to celebrate 20 years of creating great games.

Founded in Sheffield in 2003 by Carl Cavers, Paul Porter, Darren Mills, and James North-Hearn, Sumo Digital began as a “small team of passionate developers with a shared vision to create exceptional games”. Today, the wider Sumo Group has grown to over 1,600 people across multiple studios and businesses in the UK, Europe, India, and Canada.

Some of the studio’s most well-known and beloved titles include Outrun 2, Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing, Sega Superstars Tennis, and LittleBigPlanet 3, with recent releases including Snake Pass, Hood: Outlaws & Legends, Little Orpheus, and BAFTA-winning Sackboy: A Big Adventure.

Bristol based Auroch Digital, acquired by Sumo Group in 2021, has enjoyed recent success with the launch of Brewmaster: Beer Brewing Simulator on PC and console, as well as recently announced games Mars Horizon 2: The Search for Life and Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun.

Sumo Group’s publishing arm Secret Mode, founded in 2021, has helped publish recent games including Eternal Threads, Turbo Golf Racing, and Wobbledogs, as well as A Little to the Left which went viral on social media with over 80 million views.

Sumo Group CEO and co-founder Carl Cavers, commented: “Celebrating 20 years is a fantastic achievement for any business, and Sumo’s success is due to the incredible people we have working across our award-winning studios.

“We’ve developed and collaborated on some truly spectacular games over the years, something that we are incredibly proud of, and long may it continue.

“I’d like to thank our partners for their constant support over the last 20 years, and for trusting in us to create fun, ground-breaking experiences for all to enjoy. We’re looking forward to spending time with people from across Sumo Group this month as we officially kickstart our 20th-anniversary celebrations.”

In June, Sumo will host its flagship two-day learning and development event SDC23 for a second year. The conference will see over 1,000 of Sumo’s people coming together to collaborate, network and share “cutting-edge” knowledge with over 100 speakers from across the company.

Following the two-day conference, Sumo is also hosting its very own ‘SumoFest’ music festival event exclusively for Sumo staff with well-known names from the music and entertainment industry making an appearance.

By Matthew Neville – Senior Correspondent, Bdaily

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