Former Funcom, Bohemia and Lockwood staff have founded a brand new developer called Red Rover Interactive.

As reported by GI.biz, the venture is looking to focus on the survival genre. Red Rover has attracted around $5 million in seed funding led by Behold Ventures and The Games Fund.

The firm has studios in Oslo, Norway and England's Newcastle. It has a founding team of 17 member of staff, led by CEO Fred Richardson (pictured) who was previously chief technology officer at Funcom.

Joe Stevens is taking on the role of COO, having previously headed Lockwood's studio in Newcastle, while Funcom and Bohemia vet Mark Zilavy has been appointed design director.

"Over the years, it's been clear to many that the survival genre, which we are intimately familiar with, has real potential for breakout growth," said Richardson.

"However, we noticed a trend where the market was predominantly gravitating towards increasingly curated, PVE or smaller-scale multiplayer experiences.

"We fundamentally believe that multiplayer and social interactions are the most unpredictable, exciting and ultimately engaging form of gameplay. Players themselves, through their interactions and creativity, are the most compelling content. Leveraging this unparalleled power of social connections, social circles and social drama, our ambition is to create the most novel and engaging experiences in online games – starting with the survival genre."