Double Eleven was founded by Lee Hutchinson and Matt Shepcar on 23 December 2009.[1][2][3] Both had previously worked as lead
programmers for
Rockstar Leeds, where Hutchinson had been involved with the
iOS versions of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars and Beaterator, while Shepcar had contributed to multiple Grand Theft Auto games. According to Hutchinson, their decision to leave Rockstar Leeds was amicable and driven by the desire to work on smaller projects, principally
indie games for iOS. The name "Double Eleven" was derived from Hutchinson's lucky number. By February 2010, Hutchinson had assumed the role of
studio director, whereas Shepcar would join him a few weeks later.[2][3] Hutchinson initially ran Double Eleven from his loft in his hometown,
Durham, and occasionally received support from his younger sister, Kimberley Turner, outside of her day job. In late 2010, Double Eleven relocated to the Boho One office building in
Middlesbrough and Turner joined the company full-time as
finance director.[4]
In 2013, they announced that they are working on a remake of Frozen Synapse[8] - originally by Mode 7 Games - for the
PlayStation Vita and
PlayStation 3, entitled Frozen Synapse: Tactics. After finishing PixelJunk Shooter Ultimate for PS4 and Vita in June 2014, development for Frozen Synapse: Tactics quickly took off and by 5 September 2014 it took on a new name of Frozen Synapse Prime along with a release date of 24 September 2014 for the PlayStation Vita. Two months later it was released on the PlayStation 3 and Windows.
In 2017, Double Eleven announced they were releasing two new titles, Super Cloudbuilt by
Coilworks (
PlayStation 4,
Xbox One and
Steam) and Songbringer by
Wizard Fu Games (PlayStation 4, Xbox One and
Windows 10), which released between July and September. Double Eleven received recognition from
GamesIndustry.biz, named one of the 'Best Places To Work 2017'.[9] The company was also featured in The Sunday Times Tech Track 100,[10] placing at number 42 out of 100 with a sales rise of 92.32% over three years.[11]
Double Eleven announced in January 2020 that they will be opening a second office in
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia as to gain an in-roads into the Asian marketplace.[13]
On 28 March 2022, Double Eleven announced their collaboration with
Bethesda Game Studios to develop content for Fallout 76 later in the year.[14]
In April 2022, Double Eleven hired its 300th employee.[15] On 18 November 2022, Double Eleven was acquired by Pneuma Group, an investment firm owned by Hutchinson.[16]
On 7 August 2023, Double Eleven was announced as the lead developer on the
PlayStation 4 and
Nintendo Switch ports of the original Red Dead Redemption in collaboration with publisher
Rockstar Games.[17] Launching digitally on 17 August and physically on 13 October, the re-release of the 2010 game will also come packaged with the
Undead Nightmare DLC.
On 16 January 2024, Double Eleven was announced as the lead developer for Prison Architect 2 in collaboration with publisher
Paradox Interactive.[18] The game is planned to release on 26 March 2024.