Rated R Studios

*Rated R Studios*is a video game developer based in Baltimore, MD. It was founded by George Gordy (better known as LexLuthor18) and Scott McGurn in 2020. They are known for using movie-like plots in their video games, while maintaing action-based gameplay. They have won several awards, and they are the leaders of the video game renaissance of the late 2010s and early 2020s.

## History

### Background

Gordy Greene originally was an intern at Bethesda Games, while he was attending Towson University. The executives were impressed by Gordy's creativity and programming abilities, and he was subsequently hired as a programmer and a writer. No longer seeing a need to go to school, he dropped out. He was tasked with being an assistant programmer on the Elder Scrolls, and after the success of the game he became a lead programmer. While he was at Bethesda, he met Scott McGurn who was a designer. The two bounced ideas with each other and Gordy presented him with an idea for an action game. It would deal with a team of teenaged superheroes, Gordy would call it the Radicals. McGurn designed the characters and presented them to Gordy, who liked the designs. Gordy and McGurn presented the idea to Bethesda executives, who quickly rejected it; claiming it was too juvenile. Gordy and McGurn were then told to focus on making the expansion pack for The Elder Scrolls. Gordy and McGurn began developing the expansion pack, while continuously coming up with ideas for The Radicals. Gordy was contacted by Steve Reid of Ubisoft, who promised him that if they started their own company Ubisoft would publish their games; only if they would develop games for them alone. Gordy said he would think about it, and he then told Scott McGurn, who jumped at the idea.

### Formation

Creative differences between Gordy and McGurn, and Bethesda led to the both of them resigning from the company in 2016; taking their Radicals idea with them. Gordy called Steve Reid back, and told him that he was still interested and that he needed to get a few things together. The following week, Rated R Studios was established and work on The Radicals commenced immediately; as several more people joined in on the project. The Radicals was completed and released two years later for the Wii U, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The game's success led to a sequel two years later for the Wii U, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One that was even more successful.

### Success & PostHUMAN

With the establishment of The Radicals as a successful franchise, Gordy sought to focus on other projects. Rated R Studios was split into two teams in 2022: One team led by McGurn would develop Sparky, a side-scrolling platforming game, which was a spinoff of The Radicals; and another led by Gordy would develop PostHUMAN, an original game. Sparky was released the following year for the Nintendo 3DS, and PostHUMAN was released in 2024. Although both games were successful, PostHUMAN was a critical and commercial success and was hailed as one of the greatest games ever made. With this success, Rated R Studios became one of the most respected developers in the industry.

## List of Games

* The Radicals (2018)
* The Radicals 2 (2020)
* Sparky (2023)
* PostHUMAN (2024)

## Trivia

* Many of Rated R Studios best games were ideas George Gordy had come up with while in college.
* In the beginning of every game there is always the signature Rated R jingle. Although the instruments used in the jingle, differ depending on the game.