LightFury Games launches studio in India; strengthens leadership team

Justin Farren is the chief creative officer of India studio; Chong-U Lim is the chief technology officer, and Daniel Hall is the vice president of engineering.

LightFury Games, an emerging force in the gaming industry, has unveiled its first studio in Bangalore, India. Alongside this milestone, the company has announced a major enhancement of its leadership team, reinforcing its mission to produce high-caliber AAA titles with elite talent from India and the UK.

Justin Farren has been appointed as the chief creative officer for the India studio and will steer the creative vision and design strategies for the in-development games. Chong-U Lim joins as the chief technology officer and will lead the R&D and technology development for all games. Daniel Hall has been named as vice president of engineering, overseeing gameplay engineering with a focus on performance, quality, and finesse.

Justin will be based in India, Chong-U will lead the UK Studio and Daniel will split his time between the UK and India.

The 60-seater India studio, strategically located near Bengaluru International Airport, boasts state-of-the-art equipment and infrastructure essential for developing world-class AAA games. LightFury Games announced that the studio will host a versatile team equipped with the knowledge and skills to develop all systems for AAA games.

Karan Shroff, CEO & co-founder of LightFury Games said, "The opening of our state-of-the-art studio in Bangalore marks our first step toward reinventing gaming experiences in India and developing world-class AAA titles from this region. The LightFury leadership team has built and shipped over 40 AAA titles across various genres. We will continue to strengthen our capabilities, as top-tier talent from around the globe joins our India studio."

“We must shift from trend-followers to trend-setters, defining the future of video games from India. The Indian gaming industry holds immense potential, yet it hasn't achieved its rightful prominence. LightFury Games is here to change that narrative. With our cutting-edge studio in Bangalore and a leadership team with a track record of excellence, we are set to revolutionize the industry. Our vision is to establish new benchmarks in quality and innovation, positioning India as a global leader in game development.” stated Anurag Banerjee, CPTO and co-founder of LightFury Games."

Justin Farren, a gaming industry veteran, brings over 20 years of game development experience to LightFury Games. As a former Ubisoft Producer and Creative Director for the acclaimed series Assassin’s Creed and Skull and Bones and most recently served as Executive Producer and Product Director at Wargaming, Justin is set to lead LightFury’s India studio.

“I was impressed by the ambitious vision of Karan and the other co-founders at LightFury and am truly excited to take on this challenging role to successfully establish a world-class lead game development studio right here in India,” Justin said. "At LightFury Games, we are committed to pushing the boundaries of creativity and innovation to deliver unparalleled gaming experiences. Our goal is to build a powerhouse that produces groundbreaking AAA titles, setting new standards in the industry,” he affirmed.

Adding to the leadership bench are Chong-U Lim and Daniel Hall. Chong-U brings a robust background in AI, machine learning, and procedural content generation and  holds a PhD in Computer Science and AI from MIT, USA. With over 14 years of technical engineering expertise, he has held key roles including Director of Engineering at Fuse Energy and VP of Engineering at Improbable, London. His experience spans across leadership roles as the lead programmer at Playfish and Electronic Arts, with a focus on multiplayer games.

Daniel Hall, comes with more than 12 years in the gaming industry and previously served as Head of Engineering at Improbable, UK. His career highlights include extensive work in developing technology frameworks for multiplayer games across diverse genres, notably during his tenure of over 7 years at Improbable.

With these top-tier visionaries from the global gaming ecosystem joining LightFury Games, exciting times lie ahead for the gaming landscape in India.