In a move as quirky and odd as their upcoming PSP title Crush, Kuju's Brighton Studio has been renamed Zo Mode and given a mascot in the form of a blonde girl with her tongue sticking out. Seriously. I have no clue here.

We've created Zo Mode; she is the personality that reflects our in-house philosophy of accessible, fun gaming for everyone."

So she's accessible to everyone and fun. I think I knew her back in high school. Big hit at parties, much like Kuju Brighton's previous games for the PS2, like the Eyetoy Play and SingStar titles. So I suppose it makes sense in a gonzo marketing sort of way. Hit the press release after the jump for more of an explanation of why the game studio is now a playful blonde chick. Michael Fahey

Zo Mode

From today Kuju's Brighton studio is reborn as Zo Mode.

Zo Mode's Studio Head Ed Daly elaborates, "This studio has had great success over the last three years focusing on fresh gaming experiences for new audiences. We've shipped several very successful, high quality titles and grown to 100 staff and now the time is right to rename the studio. We've created Zo Mode; she is the personality that reflects our in-house philosophy of accessible, fun gaming for everyone."

Since setting up in 2003 the teams from Zo Mode have worked on EyeToy : Play 3, EyeToy : Play Sports, SingStar : Rocks, SingStar :Anthems & SingStar : Legends, all in collaboration with Sony London Studio.

Ed Daly continues, "Zo allows us to have some fun with the image of the studio but of course what matters most is the games we make. We have built up a great team, a really diverse crowd for a game developer, and an internal culture that reflects the fun and creative values that come through in our games. By taking control of the public face of the studio we will be able to reinforce this unique identity and specialist expertise further."

Zo Mode remains a part of Kuju Studios which continues to provide corporate support, and opportunities to share technology and collaborate with the other Kuju studios.

Although very different to the party games developed with Sony, the first title to be released under the new name will be CRUSH , recently announced by SEGA Europe Ltd, another fresh and original title from the studio now known as Zo Mode. www.zoemode.com