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Splash Damage has standards. According to CEO Paul Wedgwood, the Brink developer has a number of rules to live by, such as a refusal to work on licensed games based on movies.

"Our rules of engagement for the business were don't work on movie licenses, don't work on ports, don't do work for hire, and find a big brother to nurture us in those early years," he told Gamasutra.

This, apparently, is "how you get focus." Wedgwood said that the studio is "shamelessly" pursuing critical acclaim for their games. And to do that, they are staying well away from the sort of work that might be associated with shovelware.

And Splash Damage's "rules of engagement" don't just apply to games. According to Wedgwood, "You need to be triple-A in everything you do, from the making sure the copyright year is correct on your website to using the correct logo in your legal document."

The studio has doubled its headcount since they've started developing for consoles. To this point, Splash Damage has been a PC-only studio, focusing on multiplayer shooters such as Return to Castle Wolfenstein's multiplayer and Enemy Territory: Quake Wars. To make a good impression, the studio has put a great deal of effort into finding top talent from around the world.

"People are the only important asset you have. You must focus on hiring the best people. Only hire people who are better than you -- because guess what? They have better ideas than you."

That adds another goal in the company's "shameless" pursuit of critical acclaim.

"Become Europe's best employer. It's only a small thing. The team is where your company's real value lies," Wedgwood said.

Brink is slated for the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation in Spring 2010.