Unity co-founder David Helgason has joined the board of directors at UK-based studio Lockwood Publishing.

The developer has also opened a new studio in Leamington Spa which is currently working on updates for its lead title Avakin Life.

Rapid growth

Released on mobile, the 3D virtual world’s userbase is said to have doubled in size over the last 12 months and continues to grow.

To date Avakin Life has been downloaded more than 35 million times.

News of a new studio comes over a year after the company opened a branch in Brighton to focus on virtual reality and artificial intelligence. Its HQ is based in Nottingham.

“I have been following Halli Bjornsson and his team at Lockwood for several years and was impressed with how with no investment and being totally new to mobile they managed to create such a successful and fast-growing business,” said Helgason.

“Avakin has huge potential and I’m excited to be a part of the journey with them”.