A new studio has been formed by ex-Niantic staff with the aim of creating “narrative games and short-form indie experiences.”

Bodeville was founded in October by Alexia ‘Flex’ Mandeville and Bo Boghosian, who previously worked together at Niantic on its upcoming location-based pet game Peridot.

Mandeville led the design of Peridot, before which she worked on a variety of virtual reality projects, including Meta’s Horizon Worlds.

Meanwhile, Boghosian spent over six years working at Niantic on Pokémon Go and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, and was the engineering lead on Peridot.

The two have self-funded the studio, which is based in Charlotte, North Carolina.

They are currently working on two original narrative games, with the aim to release both in 2023.