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The Three Thousands open its doors in Melbourne, bringing fresh ideas to racing games and beyond

Luke Henderson

Australia has been given a new videogame developer in the form of The Three Thousands, a new studio that was founded by some very talented developers. While players will know their work, they may not know their names, but that is about to change.

The new studio has been founded by 3 mates, all of who worked together at Electronic Arts local studio FireMonkeys, but no unshackled by a need to make content for existing games they have new ideas they are working on. With this new studio, they have their sights on developing genre-defining racing titles that will resonate with global audiences while tapping into the rich culture of car enthusiasts and pop culture lovers alike. So who are the founders?

  • Joseph Donoghue, Chief Executive Officer: With over 15 years in the gaming industry, Donoghue formerly led EA Australia's studio as General Manager, driving major game titles and global product launches.

  • Nikhil Kurian, Chief Product Officer: A 12 year veteran in product development and operations, His roles include Racing GM at EA Melbourne. Kurian has steered innovative gaming projects and played a key role in shaping game genres.

  • Benjamin Dawe, Chief Creative Officer: With more than 15 years of experience, Dawe has a proven track record of delivering innovative and creative products. Prior experience includes Studio Creative Director at EA Melbourne and more recently Head of Creative at Roadshow Films.

Ben, Joseph and Nikhil above have committed to the launch of a major title in 2025, but nothing more beyond that. Though they have said that more offerings will be revealed in the coming months, there is no word on what those might be.

While it will be a while until we see anything from this new studio, given their success at EA with titles like Real Racing 3 and the mobile Need for Speed games, there is high hopes for their success, but I just hope they leave the microtransaction mindset back at EA.

If you are looking to follow along with their journey, or join the team in making games, be sure to check out their website.