Paul Gouge

CEO and Co-Founder

2023 - Current

ForthStar is a videogames developer and publisher based in Manchester, UK, on a mission to build exceptional, mass-appeal games with highly engaging core mechanics that captivate players and become essential daily entertainment. Established in 2023 by Playdemic Founders, Paul Gouge and Alex Rigby, and a team of exceptionally talented industry veterans, ForthStar's core belief is that the best games are made by highly accomplished teams with freedom for creative innovation. ForthStar is a privately held company funded by the founders and Griffin Gaming Partners.

Investor/Adviser

2022

Taking some time out post Playdemic.

CEO and Co-founder

2010 - 2022

Playdemic is one of Europe's leading mobile games publishers with yearly profits over $100m. We focus on creating innovative, meaningful mobile games, that engage and delight players. Our Franchises include the Top 10 Grossing BAFTA winning hit Golf Clash. Playdemic was acquired for $1.4Bn by Electronic Arts in 2021.

Board Member

2009 - 2012

Ideas Pad was a leading developer and publisher of puzzle games for handheld games consoles. The company saw great success with the Puzzler Franchise on NDS and 3DS selling over 2.5 million units and also developed games based on brands such as NBA, Mind Gym and OK Magazine. Ideas Pad's products were principally distributed by Ubisoft. The company was acquired by Playdemic in 2012.

Head of Eidos Play (Square Enix)

2007 - 2009

After the acquisition of Rockpool by Eidos, I headed up the Casual Games division of Eidos, with full P&L responsibility for developing and publishing numerous products across all major platforms (mobile, console, PC) and combining physical and digital distribution. With a mix of internal and external studios we both developed and published on a global basis.

CEO and Founder

2003 - 2007

Ironstone was a Games and Entertainment I.P. and licensing company primarily focussed on identifying and acquiring 'back catalogue' I.P. suitable for new and emerging platforms. The Company acquired and subsequently licensed out numerous rights and catalogues. These included the Epyx catalogue (California Games, Winter Games, Impossible Mission etc), the Hewson catalogue (Nebulus, Uridium, Exolon etc) and rights to the Commodore and Amiga trademarks. Clients included Turner Broadcasting, Hands On Mobile, Ubisoft and Eidos. The Company was acquired by Eidos (Square Enix) in 2007.

CEO and Founder (Acquired by Eidos/Square Enix 2007)

2002 - 2007

Rockpool Games was one of Europe's leading mobile game studios of the J2Me/Brew era. With a team of 70 developers Rockpool was the trusted development studio used by numerous global publishers and brands to enter the mobile gaming market. Rockpool developed numerous Top 10 grossing games such as the Worms series, Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Monkey Ball, Tomb Raider, WWE, ToCA:Race Driver, SpongeBob SquarePants and Moto GP. Clients included SEGA, Eidos, THQ, Codemasters, Glu Mobile and HandsOn. Rockpool was acquired by Eidos (Square Enix) in 2007.

CEO and Founder

1999 - 2002

BattleMail was a highly disruptive free-to-play online games company which developed and published a number of original I.P. hits on its own gaming cross-platform gaming technology. Through its innovative use of email and binary SMS to distribute game challenges and invites BattleMail demonstrated rapid viral growth, achieving 1 million active users in late 2000. BattleMail's key franchises included BattleMail: Kung Fu, BattleMail: Joust and BattleMail: Soccer. The company partnered with Siemens Mobile and Virgin Atlantic to bring its gaming system to mobile devices and inflight entertainment respectively. BattleMail: Kung Fu was one of the first mobile games to be BAFTA nominated in 2001. BattleMail was acquired by (M)Forma in 2002.

Corporate Finance Exec

1997 - 1999