Factor 5 vets form social studio

Several former employees of Factor 5 have have formed a new social games studio in the San Francisco Bay area, named (appropriately enough) TouchFactor. Gamasutra reports that the new studio is being headed up by former Factor 5 co-founder, president, and creative director Julian Eggebrecht.

The team is small, but reportedly contains at least five artists and designers from the Factor 5's US office. The company hasn't announced any upcoming social games and its Web site is bare-bones, but its LinkedIn profile states:

TouchFactor is committed to building social games that bring people together on all mass market platforms. We make social games that are free to play, accessible to everyone and create memorable long lasting experiences for our fans.

Factor 5's US branch in San Rafael, California officially closed in 2009 after a series of financial troubles led to layoffs. TouchFactor was formed in 2010.