Ex-‘Battlefield’ creative director Lars Gustavsson founds new studio TTK Games

Battlefield veteran Lars Gustavsson has announced the formation of Time To Kill Games (TTK Games), a new studio co-founded by fellow developers from EA DICE.

Based in Stockholm, Sweden, TTK Games has secured “significant” funding to work on a  “new, next-generation online shooter”.

While details on the studio’s debut are yet to be announced, co-founder Lars Gustavsson will serve as creative director and CEO at TTK. Gustavsson is best known for his two decades at EA DICE, where until last year he served as creative director for the Battlefield series and directed the likes of Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Battlefield 4, and 2016’s Battlefield 1.

TTK Games’ co-founders include another three former DICE employees — senior design director Daniel Berlin, chief technical officer and technical director Vidar Nygren, and art director Peter Hoyles.

In a press release, Gustavsson explained that while “time to kill” usually refers to how long it takes certain weapons to kill enemies in shooter games, his studio’s title is a play on words.

“For players, the phrase ‘time to kill’ defines how a shooter feels and how fast it plays. We’ve made it our studio name and part of our culture,” shared Gustavsson. “For us the term ‘TTK’ isn’t just about the craftsmanship behind finding the perfect speed or immediacy of a game — it’s about how human beings have been killing time through play for thousands of years.”

“Throughout my career I’ve made games to encourage teamwork, friendly competition and using your mind and reflexes to accomplish a goal and outwit your opponent,” he added. “We are passionate about video games, because we think there’s no better way to kill time.”

Following Gustavsson’s exit from DICE, NME noted that the veteran director left “a legacy that will be hard to beat” — though looking ahead, EA has confirmed that the “future of Battlefield” will include a new narrative campaign.

In other gaming news, former Call Of Duty and Halo developers have announced a new first-person shooter called Sentinel.