Southend Interactive, the studio behind futuristic sports title Deathrow and puzzler ilomilo, is now "100 percent indie" and has split from parent company Tactel Holding AB, the company announced on its website.
Southend reportedly moved out from under the Swedish IT consulting firm in late February, transitioning itself to a new independent ownership structure. According to the post, the split will help Southend's team "realize their ambition to make great independent games" as well as allow them to keep working on external projects. The latter includes the recent launch of side-scrolling beat-em-up Sacred Citadel through publisher Deep Silver.
"The years with Tactel have been great for Southend and has brought the studio a great deal of technical and market expertise," wrote CEO Fredrik Brönjemark in the post. "Yet, now is the right time for Southend to manage its own destiny and to invest in its own products. It's a great opportunity for us to bloom and continue the success we have enjoyed with products such as ilomilo and Deathrow, where we have been the creators of the IP."
Southend was founded in 1998, and acquired computer game developer Bad Robot Sweden AB in 2005. That same year Southend joined former parent company Tactel. Its latest game, Sacred Citadel, is available today through PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade and Steam.