IO and Square Enix Veteran Flösser Launches Wombo Games Studio

Janos Flösser, the former managing director of IO Interactive, known for the Hitman series, is stepping into a new chapter with the unveiling of his latest venture, Wombo Games. This fresh endeavor is diving into the development of an exciting strategy roguelike game, Raiders of Blackveil, which is gearing up for its Early Access release this summer.

Wombo Games was officially established in 2023. Flösser brings a wealth of experience from his decade-long tenure at IO Interactive between 1998 and 2008. Following that, he took on the role of chief creative officer at Square Enix, where he worked until 2016, before leading Crey Games as CEO. Beyond these roles, he has also served as a partner and later a senior partner at Promentum Capital.

In an interview with GamesBeat, Flösser shared insights into the philosophy behind his new studio. “We wanted to keep [the studio] small and nimble and see how far we could push it,” he explained. He revealed that they managed to secure funding and officially kicked off operations in July 2023, making the studio almost two years old now. Impressively, they had a playable version of their game ready within just a month and a half, captivating investors right from the start. “They fell in love with the concept, and they’ve been playing it ever since,” Flösser noted. He expressed his excitement about how enthusiastic the investors have been, adding that, “this is the first time I have had this experience where investors go crazy with the team and crazy with the concept.” Their success has led to three rounds of funding in the past two years, with the team’s focus being razor-sharp on creating the ideal game for the right audience.