Doom, Quake, Wolfenstein 3D… these are the titles most gamers think of when they hear the name John Romero. The id Software co-founder has worked with a number of publishers and indies since then, including his own, Loot Drop. The studio announced a partnership earlier this year with social gaming company RockYou, which is probably best known for its work on the game Zoo World.
Now, RockYou announced via a press release that its publishing partnership with Loot Drop will be extended for a second, as-yet-unrevealed game, and that the first — titled Cloudforest Exploration — will be out this summer. Cloudforest is described as “an adventure and exploration Facebook game that invites players to become the next great explorer.” It’s a “story-driven adventure game” featuring “clearing, exploration and discovery gameplay mechanics.”
“Since we signed our initial deal in January, RockYou has been an awesome partner,” Romero said in the announcement. “They support our creative freedom as we bring innovation to the story-driven adventure genre with Cloudforest Expedition. Extending the relationship with a second game makes sense, and we’re excited to reveal more details of our projects.”
Romero is a charged figure in the world of gaming, though the years appear to have mellowed him considerably. He famously took center stage in an ad which featured the warning, “John Romero’s about to make you his b-tch,” for Ion Storm’s widely panned 1997 game Daikatana. He later went to Midway Games to work on Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows and left shortly before the completion of that project. Loot Drop was founded late last year by Romero with his partner Brenda Braithwaite, with a stated focus on developing in the social space. The RockYou partnership is an initial step in that direction.
The publisher is delighted to be working with Romero, Braithwaite and their team. “We’ve been collaborating closely with Loot Drop, and their progress on Cloudforest Expedition is blowing us away,” RockYou senior vice president of games Jonathan Knight said. “Loot Drop is a natural fit with our design-driven studio culture and with our commitment to developing and publishing the best social games in the world. With Romero, Brenda Brathwaite, and a full roster of veteran developers, their team continues to exceed expectations. We’re honored to be working with them and look forward to adding two Loot Drop titles to the RockYou portfolio!”
