Outreach & partnershipsRob Beasley
Rob connects Black Cat with developers, educators, institutions and creative collaborators, helping promising conversations become lasting working relationships.
Independent minds.
Shared curiosity.
A small studio, a wider creative network,
and a very opinionated cat.
Founder / Creative director
Luke Richards
Game designer, narrative designer,
writer, educator and pixel artist.
Luke began his career as an author, moving into games through narrative design before progressing into broader game design and design leadership.
His work spans commercial games, original IP, consultancy, training and education. Projects have included RPGs, action, comedy, horror and interactive training for NHS England.
Alongside Black Cat’s creative work, Luke has led game-development bootcamps, delivered professional training, and lectured at universities and industry events. His focus is on games where design, narrative, production and artistic intent support one another.
Talk game design with LukeThe studio & its collaborators
Good company.
Outreach & partnerships
Narrative designer & consultantRuth Akien
An experienced narrative designer with an MFA in Creative Writing, Ruth brings strengths in plot, character and dialogue. She has worked with Black Cat on interactive training for NHS England.
Adviser & collaboratorDavid Mowbray
A games-industry veteran whose personal career spans more than four decades, David brings technical, creative and production judgement as a mentor and collaborator. Involvement is agreed around each project.
CEO & mascot
Link Richards
A professional mascot with 9+ years' experience.
Aside from inspiring teams, his favourite things are playing fetch, telling Luke what he sees out the window, extracting chicken bones from the garbage and hiding them under the sofa.
He oversees all managerial decisions.