Turtle Rock Studios

Turtle Rock Studios is an American video game developer founded in March 2002 by Michael Booth. The company was re-founded in 2010 as a subsidiary of Slamfire Inc. by Phil Robb and Chris Ashton after a period of being owned by Valve Corporation (during which it was known as Valve South). Headquartered in Lake Forest, California, Turtle Rock Studios has established itself as a creator of AAA competitive and co-operative shooter games, as well as engaging virtual reality (VR) titles. The studio is recognized for its commitment to an open, collaborative environment and a philosophy of iteration alongside its player community to bring gameplay dreams to life.

Throughout its history, Turtle Rock Studios has been involved in the development of iconic game franchises. Their early work included contributions to the Counter-Strike series, specifically Counter-Strike: Condition Zero and Counter-Strike: Source. The studio gained significant acclaim for developing the original Left 4 Dead, a groundbreaking cooperative first-person shooter published by Valve. Following its re-establishment as an independent entity, Turtle Rock Studios went on to create Evolve, an asymmetrical multiplayer shooter, and more recently, Back 4 Blood, a spiritual successor to Left 4 Dead, published by Warner Bros. Games. Their portfolio also extends into the VR space with titles such as Journey of the Gods and Face Your Fears II. In December 2021, Tencent Holdings acquired Slamfire Inc., the parent company of Turtle Rock Studios. Despite the acquisition, Turtle Rock Studios continues to operate autonomously, with its existing leadership team, including co-founders Phil Robb and Chris Ashton, remaining at the helm. The studio emphasizes working closely with its community and is continually looking for talented individuals to join its team for ongoing and future projects.