Two creative forces behind Disney’s Club Penguin virtual world have formed a new digital game studio called Hyper Hippo Productions, which will offer children’s games across several digital platforms.

Lance Priebe, co-founder and creator of Club Penguin, and Pascale Audette, former studio head and VP of global operations for Disney Online Studios, will head the British Columbia-based company that will develop digital properties that particularly reflect real world ideals and promote socially responsible behaviors. Priebe co-founded Club Penguin in 2005 and sold the virtual world to Disney in 2007 for US$700 million.

First out of the gates for the new studio is Mech Mice, a free-to-play game aimed at kids ages 10 and up. The property is scheduled for release this year and an open beta program will begin this summer.