Lego Digital Play acquires mobile studio ForthStar Games
The Manchester studio will keep its base after the deal, whose price was not disclosed. Co-founder Paul Gouge will become the buyer’s head of games, while Alex Rigby will continue to lead ForthStar.
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Lego Digital Play has acquired mobile studio ForthStar Games for an undisclosed sum. ForthStar will remain in Manchester, with co-founder Paul Gouge becoming head of games at Lego Digital Play and co-founder Alex Rigby continuing to lead the studio, GamesIndustry.biz said.
The deal follows Lego Digital Play’s separate acquisition of UK mobile studio Offroad Games in September 2026. ForthStar began with 14 former Playdemic employees and has grown to 30 employees.
The mobile strategy
Lego Digital Play president Aaron Loeb said mobile games offer a way to reach children of all ages around the world, and described ForthStar as a suitable team to start that effort. Gouge said the deal gives him a chance to work with Loeb and the wider studios group to increase Lego’s prominence on mobile.
Lego Holding announced Lego Digital Play’s creation on 4 February 2025 to explore gaming and digital experiences. The company operates independently from the Lego Group.
Gouge and Rigby previously co-founded Playdemic, which was sold to Electronic Arts for $1.4 billion in 2021.
What ForthStar is developing
In its UK Games Fund profile, ForthStar says it is developing a competitive mobile action game for iOS and Android with the fund’s support. Players will compete against one another in real time, and the studio says it will announce further details before launch.
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