After writing about layoffs, closed studios and cancelled games for a very long time - it was refreshing to write about a new developer yesterday when Emptyvessel was introduced along with their first AAA project.
And guess what. Only one day later, we now get to do it again, as Star Wars Jedi: Survivor director Stig Asmussen (who left Respawn Entertainment last fall) has now revealed what he will be doing next. It turns out he has also started a new developer, called Giant Skull. According to the press release, Giant Skull has AAA ambitions and will produce "gameplay-driven, story immersive action-adventure games set in captivating worlds", and it seems like they are well prepared to do this. Asmussen writes:
"The Giant Skull studio culture is focused on creativity and curiosity. We have assembled a talented team renowned for immersive storytelling, heroic combat, and exhilarating traversal, and our goal is to craft a rich universe that players will want to lose themselves in for years to come."
There are plenty of industry veterans among the revealed names, including people who joined Asmussen from Respawn Entertainment, but also companies like Epic Games, Rockstar and many more. Their first title is being developed with Unreal Engine 5 and will be a "triple-A single-player-focused action-adventure".
Hopefully this could be the beginning of a trend with major creators not being comfortable with creating live service titles that often feels just as much as marketplaces as actual games - and instead are trying to do the kind of games players are actually asking for.
How interested are you to see what Giant Skull eventually will deliver?
Thanks, Game Informer.