Five former members of EA's Black Box studio have split to form Deep Fried Entertainment, which is set to develop games for the DS...

The new Vancouver-based development studio, Deep Fried Entertainment, will specialise in games for handheld platforms including the Sony PSP and Nintendo DS.

The company has been set up by Phil Weeks, Russell Rice, Steve Tolin, Ryan Bedard and Brian Tolin who have worked in the past on such games as Baldur's Gate, MDK2 and Need for Speed: Underground 1 and 2. The founders hope to "capitalise on the creative freedoms and technical innovations that often elude larger, assembly line production companies."

"Our team shares a combined 35 years of game industry experience," said COO Brenda Bailey. "Our guys have made games that run the gamut from blockbusters to niche titles for industry giants and boutique developers. They've launched platforms and re-birthed gaming genres. We've truly built an amazing team at an exciting time for the videogame industry."

DFE's creative director, Steve Tolin, commented: "Historically, the very best and most innovative games have been developed in an environment that balances top-notch skills with creativity and freedom. We've built that environment, and our intention is to become known as one of the best developers of 'pick-up and play' games that are pure fun."

The company has already acquired licenses to develop for the DS and PSP, and is said to be in talks with major publishers.