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Yellow Brick Games Debuted in 2020 With Former Dragon Age Creative Director Mike Laidlaw

Yellow Brick Games announced its founding in 2020 with former Dragon Age creative director Mike Laidlaw. Its later debut project was identified as Eternal Strands.
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Yellow Brick Games announced its debut on November 23, 2020, as an independent studio in Québec City founded by Mike Laidlaw, Thomas Giroux, Jeff Skalski, and Frédéric St-Laurent B. Laidlaw’s Dragon Age background drew attention to the launch, but the founders’ stated aim was to make original games outside an established franchise.

What is Yellow Brick Games?

Yellow Brick Games is an independent video game studio founded in Québec City. Its November 2020 announcement said the studio was dedicated to making original, high-quality games. That phrasing describes the founders’ ambition, not an independent assessment of the studio’s output.

The announcement was datelined November 23, 2020; the press-release page was published November 24. The announcement date is therefore November 23. Read the launch announcement.

Who founded Yellow Brick Games?

The four founding partners named in the announcement were:

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  • Mike Laidlaw
  • Thomas Giroux
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Laidlaw was the best-known name in the announcement because of his work on Dragon Age. The company described him as the series’ former creative director. A separate Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences award record specifically credits him as creative director of Dragon Age: Origins; that record supports the attribution for that game, not a claim that he held the role on every series entry. See the 2010 award announcement.

What was the studio’s plan at launch?

The founders presented Yellow Brick Games as an independent studio focused on original projects rather than an extension of the Dragon Age franchise. That distinction connects Laidlaw’s experience on a major series with the new company’s stated intention to create its own games. It was a statement of direction at launch, not a guarantee about the studio’s eventual business model or a measure of any game’s quality.

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What was Yellow Brick Games’ first game?

In a March 27, 2024 update, Yellow Brick Games described its first project as a fantasy action-adventure game. The studio said a team of 68 had worked on it for four years, announced that it would self-publish the game, and set 2025 as its planned release year. Those figures and the release target were statements made at that time, not current headcount or confirmation of present availability. The studio also said the game’s reveal would begin April 2, 2024. Read the studio’s March 2024 update.

Microsoft Game Dev identified the debut project as Eternal Strands in an October 22, 2024 interview with Laidlaw. The interview also discussed his transition from AAA development to an independent studio. Read the interview.

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Yellow Brick Games: key dates

  • November 23, 2020: The studio announced its founding partners, Québec City base, and aim to make original games.
  • March 27, 2024: Yellow Brick Games described its first game, announced self-publishing, and named 2025 as the target release year.
  • October 22, 2024: Microsoft Game Dev identified the debut project as Eternal Strands.

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