‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ S A N D I E G O , C A - E S T . 2 0 2 5
An independent studio forged by passionate developers. We build memorable characters, purposeful gameplay, and worlds full of wonder - on our own terms.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA
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PEOPLE FIRST
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CREATIVE AMBITION
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AAA EXPERIENCE
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FOUNDED 2025
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HOPEPUNK PHILOSOPHY
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SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA ⁘ PEOPLE FIRST ⁘ CREATIVE AMBITION ⁘ AAA EXPERIENCE ⁘ FOUNDED 2025 ⁘ HOPEPUNK PHILOSOPHY ⁘
‾‾‾‾ O U R S T O R Y
Forged from
what remained
In 2025, Microsoft's layoffs shuttered Project Blackbird at ZeniMax Online Studios and ended the careers of thousands of developers overnight. For the team that would become Ironroot, the instinct was not to scatter - it was to stay together.
Quentin Cobb, Tim Mrozek, Ian Mahuta, Christopher Pollok, and more than twenty peers from the industry chose to build something new. Not as a protest, but as a proof: that great craft does not require aggressive scale, and that the best games come from teams who have genuine ownership of the outcome.
Ironroot Games is employee-owned, transparent in its decision-making, and committed to a studio culture that actually deserves that description. We are not making games despite the hard times. We are making games because of them.
“We want to get back to our roots and rediscover the reason we all got into game development. Passion.”
20+
PROTOTYPE TEAM
Former ZeniMax Online, Naughty Dog, Ubisoft developers and partner outsourcing studios, all with deep AAA roots have contributed to the prototype.
200+
YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
The core team is made up of industry veterans with experience launching many household name titles.
‾‾‾‾ S T U D I O P I L L A R S
What we
stand for
Six commitments that aren't aspirational values on a wall - they are the structural decisions we made before writing a single line of code.
P I L L A R 0 1
People First
01
Great games come from people who feel valued. We prioritise balance, equity, and transparency - not as perks, but as prerequisites for good work.
P I L L A R 0 2
Creative Ownership
Every team member has genuine creative influence. The best idea wins, not the loudest title. We actively invite input from the whole studio.
02
P I L L A R 0 3
Craft Over Scale
We're not trying to be the biggest studio. We are trying to make the most purposeful game we can. Scope is honest. Crunch is not in the playbook.
03
P I L L A R 0 4
Optimism as Philosophy
04
Community, resilience, and hope & never giving up guides our development process.
P I L L A R 0 5
Long-Term Thinking
Shortcuts breed debt. We choose the slower, sturdier path, building systems that avoid waste and making decisions that serve the game five years from now.
05
P I L L A R 0 6
Community-Driven
We engage with our community as fellow players who love games, not as an audience to be converted. We build in the open. We welcome feedback early.
06
● I N - P R O G R E S S
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O U R F I R S T P R O J E C T
Something
is growing
We build worlds where optimism is earned, not assumed. Where characters choose compassion in the face of collapse. Where players feel seen, not overwhelmed.
G E N R E
Action-Adventure
P H I L O S O P H Y
Hopepunk
E N G I N E
Unreal Engine
P LA T F O R M
TBA
STATUS
Prototype
We'll share more when it's ready. Follow us for updates.
At Ironroot Games, we believe in building worlds and a studio, where hope has weight, agency matters, and creativity thrives. Our philosophy is shaped by Hopepunk: a commitment to constructive action, human-first values, and the belief that better futures are built, not assumed.
Below are the pillars that guide how we create, collaborate, and lead.
S T U D I O P H I L O S O P H Y
HOPEPUNK
"We believe that the most hopeful thing we can build right now is a game that reminds people what community actually feels like."
‾‾ I R O N R O O T G A M E S
Hope With Purpose
We don’t do blind optimism. We build earned hope, the kind that comes from resilience, action, and meaningful change. In our games and our studio, hope is not a mood; it’s a design choice and a leadership principle.
Constructive Creativity
We build. We repair. We improve.
Iteration as a creative superpower
Feedback loops that strengthen, not tear down
A culture where ideas grow instead of compete
Agency at Every Level
Hopepunk is built on the idea that individual actions matter. We apply that to our studio: everyone has ownership, voice, and impact.
Human-First Development
We believe great games come from healthy teams. Our studio values empathy, clarity, and sustainable production.
Resilient Collaboration
Hopepunk is collective. It’s about people coming together to build something better. Our studio thrives on cross-disciplinary collaboration and shared wins.
Sustainable Growth
We build our studio the same way we build our worlds: intentionally, responsibly, and with long-term vision.
Our Promise
We build hopeful worlds and we build them in hopeful ways. Ironroot Games is committed to creating AA experiences with emotional depth, meaningful agency, and a studio culture that reflects the futures we imagine.
The people
behind
Ironroot
‾‾‾‾ T H E T E A M
We're a team of experienced developers who chose to walk away from the comfort of AAA to build something we genuinely believe in. Every person here has creative ownership.
Quentin Cobb
C E O & C R E A T I V E D I R E C T O R
Quentin is the Creative Director and CEO of Ironroot Games, bringing 17 years of AAA experience on titles like The Last of Us and Uncharted 4 shaping combat and narrative-driven action titles.
‾‾‾‾ P R E S S
What they’re
saying
G A M E S B E A T
“Their attention to detail and commitment to quality truly stood out. We’ve already recommended them to others.”
‾‾‾‾ Interview, February 2026
G A M E S I N D U S T R Y . B I Z
Former ZeniMax Online developers form Ironroot Games following traumatising layoffs - and choose to do it their way."
‾‾‾‾ Profile, February 2026
E A S Y A L L I E S P O D C A S T
"This is the kind of studio that the industry desperately needs more of. The founding story is remarkable, and the project sounds genuinely exciting."
‾‾‾‾ Interview, February 2026
Let's
build
something
together.
Whether you're press, a potential partner, a player who wants to follow along, or someone who wants to join the team - we'd love to hear from you.
P R E S S & M E D I A
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B U S I N E S S I N Q U I R I E S
We currently have no open roles but are happy for you to contact us with speculative applications to communicate your interest.