Makinggamesthatarefuntoplay

An independent studio founded by Paul Goad — AAA roots, building joyful, competitive experiences players come back to.

Fun To Play●Apex Valley●Close Encounters●FlicKick●Nova Terra●Gameplay First●Indie Spirit●AAA Craft●Skill Over Gimmicks●Always Playing●Fun To Play●Apex Valley●Close Encounters●FlicKick●Nova Terra●Gameplay First●Indie Spirit●AAA Craft●Skill Over Gimmicks●Always Playing●

The studio

Gameplay first. Depth that brings you back.

Funatic Games was founded by Paul Goad to bring “Fun To Play” to the forefront — joyful, competitive experiences shaped by decades of AAA craft and an indie appetite for invention.

About Paul Goad

Shipped

Titles Paul Goad has helped build

21 titles · 30+ years of craft

2002 FIFA World Cup
Age of Empires IV
Captain America: Super Soldier
Company of Heroes 3
FIFA Football 2003
FIFA Football 2005
James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire
Jungle Speed
Luigi's Mansion 3
Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon
Metroid Prime: Federation Force
MotionSports: Adrenaline
Need for Speed: High Stakes
Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed
Scarface: The World Is Yours
Spider-Man: Friend or Foe
Squad
Starship Troopers: Extermination
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier
Total Club Manager 2004
Transformers: Cybertron Adventures

Partners

Publishers and studios Paul Goad has worked with

20 companies

Activision
Asmodee
EA Sports
Electronic Arts
Epic Games
Hasbro
Knights Peak
Marvel
MGM
Microsoft
Nintendo
Offworld Industries
Radical Entertainment
Relic Entertainment
SEGA
Sierra Entertainment
Sony Interactive Entertainment
TriStar
Ubisoft
World's Edge

Games/Experiences

What we are building

See all Games/Experiences

In DevelopmentRacing / Creative Sandbox

Apex Valley Club Motorsport

Apex Valley Club Motorsport is a racing playground built around user-generated content, a built-in track creator, and a wide range of vehicles. Race from a distinctive three-quarter top-down view in unconventional game modes that take the competition beyond the usual sprint to the finish.

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In DevelopmentArcade / Action Puzzle

Close Encounters of the Herd Kind

Pilot a UFO around a colourful little planet and round up a farmyard full of opinionated animals. Push, pulse and lift your way through increasingly tricky collection orders, where clever herding can quickly turn into hilarious chaos.

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Released 20263D Destruction Authoring / Simulation Tool

Sunder

Sunder is a native destruction-authoring application for fracturing 3D assets, directing rigid-body simulations, and baking the results for real-time engines and DCC software. It combines procedural destruction with artist-friendly control.

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Released 2026Music · Interactive Web Experience · 3D / WebGL

Record Room

Record Room is an immersive online music discovery experience built around albums, vinyl culture, and tactile browsing in the browser. Instead of flattening listening into a feed, it turns crate-digging, cover art, and playback into a spatial ritual you can walk through.

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In DevelopmentDexterity / Sports

FlicKick Table Soccer

A physics-based digital soccer game that blends nostalgic tabletop flicking with modern competitive play. Aim, flick, and outsmart your opponent.

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In DevelopmentReal-Time Strategy

Nova Terra

A browser-first real-time strategy experience focused on resource management, map control, and clean competitive play — anytime, anywhere.

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In DevelopmentInteractive comic / narrative sports archive / football simulation-lite

Poolhaven

Poolhaven is an original interactive comic universe inspired by northern English football in the 1970s — a tribute to Hartlepool United and the clubs whose stories live on in match programmes, scarves, and memory. It combines a moody digital archive with playable match simulation, a full season campaign, and unlockable collectibles.

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In DevelopmentSports management simulation / hockey tactics

Run For The Cup

Run For The Cup is a hockey management sim with a top-down live match engine. You draft a roster, set lines and tactics, then push through a best-of-seven playoff campaign while form, injuries, and chemistry decide who still has something left for Game 7.

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From the blog

Stories from the journey

Apex Valley

Introducing Apex Valley Club Motorsport: A Racing Playground Built Around You

Create the course. Explore an eclectic garage. Discover racing modes that take unexpected turns. Apex Valley Club Motorsport puts player creativity at the centre of a racing playground, all seen from a distinctive three-quarter top-down perspective.

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Close Encounters

Building Close Encounters of the Herd Kind: Small Planet, Big Personalities

A UFO, a tiny planet and a farmyard that refuses to cooperate. Discover how we’re developing Close Encounters of the Herd Kind around expressive animals, simple controls and the satisfying challenge of bringing a little order to the chaos.

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Studio

Inside Run For The Cup: Building a Playoff Hockey Manager You Can Watch

A look at how we are building Run For The Cup: a playoff hockey manager with live rink simulation, line chemistry, and the grind of a best-of-seven run.

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Visit the blog

Stay in the loop

Makinggamesthatarefuntoplay

Gameplay first. Depth that brings you back.

Titles Paul Goad has helped build

Publishers and studios Paul Goad has worked with

What we are building

Apex Valley Club Motorsport

Close Encounters of the Herd Kind

Sunder

Record Room

FlicKick Table Soccer

Nova Terra

Poolhaven

Run For The Cup

Stories from the journey

Introducing Apex Valley Club Motorsport: A Racing Playground Built Around You

Building Close Encounters of the Herd Kind: Small Planet, Big Personalities

Inside Run For The Cup: Building a Playoff Hockey Manager You Can Watch

Follow the build of Apex Valley, Close Encounters, FlicKick, and more