Roll7
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Founder | Simon Bennett, Tom Hegarty, John Ribbins |
| Defunct | 2024 |
| Fate | Closed following sale of Private Division by Take-Two Interactive |
| Headquarters | London , United Kingdom |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Simon Bennett, Tom Hegarty, John Ribbins |
| Products | Video games (OlliOlli series, Not a Hero, Laser League, Rollerdrome) |
Number of employees | 55 (2023) |
| Parent | Private Division (2021–2024) |
Rollingmedia Limited, operating under the trade name Roll7, was a video game developer based in London, United Kingdom. Established in 2008 by Simon Bennett, Tom Hegarty, and John Ribbins, the company began by creating educational titles on a contract basis before pivoting toward developing original intellectual property starting in 2012. Their breakthrough came with OlliOlli, initially launched in 2014 for the PlayStation Vita, which achieved significant acclaim and secured a publishing agreement. Subsequent projects included OlliOlli2: Welcome to Olliwood (2015), Not a Hero (2015), Laser League (2018), and Rollerdrome (2022). From May 2015 onward, the entire team operated remotely. Roll7 functioned as a subsidiary of Private Division from November 2021 until its closure in 2024.
History
Roll7 was created by longtime collaborators Simon Bennett and Tom Hegarty, together with creative director John Ribbins. Prior to founding Roll7, the trio had worked together at RollingSound, their multimedia training enterprise. Their involvement with British broadcaster Channel 4 began when the network commissioned them to develop a game for its anti-knife crime initiative titled "Disarming Britain." To fulfill this commission, they formally established Roll7 in 2008. Their debut release was Dead Ends, an educational game launched in June 2008 for Channel 4’s campaign. Among their early projects was Focus Pocus, designed specifically for children diagnosed with ADHD, which debuted in 2012 and utilized NeuroSky's MindWave headset technology. Although Roll7 aspired to create original IPs, financial constraints necessitated initially working on contracted projects. The studio released an iOS title called Gets to the Exit in July 2012; it was well-received critically but did not achieve commercial success.
In pursuit of developing games for consoles and personal computers, Roll7 produced several prototypes throughout 2012. During this period, they connected with James Mardsen from the indie developer FutureLab, who recommended they pitch their work to Shahid Ahmad at Sony. At that time, Ribbins was developing an iOS skateboarding prototype named OlliOlliOlli. The team presented this concept to Ahmad, who after a brief playtest requested it be adapted for the PlayStation Vita platform. With a development team comprising five members, Roll7 launched OlliOlli on Vita in January 2014. The title exceeded expectations by becoming a critical success and winning the BAFTA award for best sports game in March 2015. This success facilitated a publishing agreement with Devolver Digital and led to the release of its sequel, OlliOlli2: Welcome to Olliwood, in March 2015; by then, the team had expanded to seven employees. Another project under Devolver Digital’s banner was Not a Hero, released in May 2015 and primarily developed by five freelance contributors working remotely. Embracing remote collaboration, Roll7 closed its Deptford office later that month and transitioned fully to remote operations.
In 2015, Roll7 collaborated with publisher 505 Games on a larger-scale project funded partly by the UK Games Fund; this project was later unveiled as Laser League, which launched in May 2018. In August of that year, Roll7 handed over development responsibilities for Laser League to 505 Games, citing the need for a break from active development.
April 2020 saw the release of RunMe, a complimentary puzzle game chiefly created by John Ribbins. By July 2020, Roll7 had entered into an agreement with Private Division to develop a title centered on achieving a "flow state." The studio announced OlliOlli World in April 2021 with plans for release within that same year. In November 2021, Take-Two Interactive—the parent company of Private Division—acquired Roll7 and incorporated it into its publishing label. This acquisition enabled Roll7 to concentrate on ongoing collaborations without needing to pursue new publishing partners for each project.
In May 2024, Bloomberg reported that Take-Two intended to shut down Roll7; however, CEO Strauss Zelnick promptly refuted these claims. Despite this denial, the studio’s closure was ultimately confirmed following Take-Two’s sale of Private Division to an undisclosed purchaser in November 2024.
Operations
Roll7 primarily functioned through remote work arrangements, supplemented by occasional days spent at its London headquarters and periodic gatherings for staff. The company upheld a strict policy against overtime, fostering a "no-crunch" work environment. By February 2023, the studio's workforce numbered 55 employees.
Games developed
| Year | Title | Platform(s) | Publisher(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Dead Ends | Windows | Channel 4 |
| 2009 | Invaders Reloaded | Roll7 | |
| Thinky Thunky Party! | |||
| 2010 | Zombie Pop! | macOS, Windows | |
| Man.Up | |||
| 2011 | Focus Pocus | Android, iOS, macOS, Windows | Neurocog Solutions |
| 2012 | Gets to the Exit | Android, iOS | Roll7 |
| 2013 | OlliOlli | Android, Linux, macOS, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, Windows, Xbox One | Roll7, Devolver Digital, Curve Digital |
| 2015 | OlliOlli2: Welcome to Olliwood | Android, Linux, macOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Windows, Xbox One | Roll7, Devolver Digital, Team17 |
| Not a Hero | Android, Linux, macOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One | Devolver Digital, Team17 | |
| 2018 | Laser League | PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One | 505 Games |
| 2020 | RunMe | Windows | Roll7 |
| 2022 | OlliOlli World | Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S | Private Division |
| Rollerdrome | PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox Series X/S |