The PS5 Pro has been in the rumour mill for over a year at this point, and though official word from Sony regarding a mid-gen refresh of its console has been nonexistence, the console’s specs have been aggressively leaked in recent months. Now, more details have emerged on that front.
Call of Duty Black Ops designer starts new studio to create a more ‘intimate’ shooter
28.02.2024 - 13:47 / polygon.com / David Vonderhaar / Black Ops
David Vonderhaar left Call of Duty Black Ops developer Treyarch last August, after 18 years at the studio where he served as designer on eight Call of Duty games. On Wednesday, Vonderhaar announced a new venture and a new studio called BulletFarm.
BulletFarm is developing a “new and ambitious AAA game, built in Unreal Engine 5 and set in an original universe with an emphasis on co-operative gameplay,” according to a news release. BulletFarm and parent company NetEase Games say the new studio’s untitled project will be a “more intimate and relatable experience while offering a fresh take on first-person gameplay.”
Vonderhaar says he’s working “out of [his] comfort zone” with BulletFarm’s debut project.
“This is a departure from the games I’ve worked on, but one that showcases my passion for rich characters, precise mechanics, more intimate storytelling, and plenty of action,” said Vonderhaar, studio head at BulletFarm, in a statement. “NetEase has provided us an incredible support structure to explore these new avenues and allow true freedom to begin building the concept and ideas for our game.”
Thus far, BulletFarm has released two pieces of artwork that appear to be related to its new project. The one below offers a light retro ’90s aesthetic, with its CRT television and vintage covers for Thrasher, Raygun, and i-D magazines on the wall.
Joining Vonderhaar at BulletFarm is game designer Chris Cowell, who also has 18 years of experience working on Call of Duty. Cowell will serve as the new studio’s creative director.
BulletFarm is headquartered in Los Angeles but is described as having a “remote-first approach.” The studio is actively hiring, a welcome contrast to industry-wide news of mass layoffs in 2024.
Vonderhaar and Cowell were most recently credited on 2020’s Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. This year’s Call of Duty entry is being led by Treyarch, and is reportedly a sequel to Cold War set in the ’90s Gulf War era.
BulletFarm and NetEase did not announce a release window or platforms for their new game.
Treyarch and Cowell’s departures from Treyarch is part of a larger trend of studio leadership and senior designers exiting the Call of Duty studio. In 2021, longtime Treyarch developers Dave Anthony and Jason Blundell announced a new studio, Deviation Games, which is partnering with Sony Interactive Entertainment to develop a new franchise for PlayStation Studios. In 2022, veteran Treyarch co-head Dan Bunting left the studio in the wake of a Wall Street Journal investigation into a sexual harassment claim made against him.
The website gametalkz.com is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
Top Authors
Popular Topics
pcgamesinsider.biz
14.03.2024 / 10:07
Respawn vet Asmussen founds new studio Giant Skull
The director of Respawn's Star Wars Jedi Survivor, Stig Asmussen, is heading up a brand new studio called Giant Skull.
gamerant.com
13.03.2024 / 18:55
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Releases New Update
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has released a new update that mostly focuses on weapon balancing, but also includes spawn adjustments, bug fixes, and more. Additionally, a new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 event and limited-time mode also went live on March 13.
gamerant.com
12.03.2024 / 22:03
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Reveals New Playlist for This Week
Sledgehammer Games has revealed this week's playlist for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which sees users play on Terminal and Departures in a variety of game modes. The new playlist goes live on March 13, when Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 adds another new feature.
videogameschronicle.com
12.03.2024 / 16:15
Star Wars: Jedi director Stig Asmussen has formed a new studio
Star Wars Jedi series director Stig Asmussen has announced the formation of his own studio, Giant Skull.
gematsu.com
12.03.2024 / 16:03
Star Wars Jedi series and God of War III director Stig Asmussen establishes new studio Giant Skull
Star Wars Jedi series and God of War III director Stig Asmussen has announced the establishment of Giant Skull, a new game studio dedicated to building “gameplay-driven, story immersed action–adventure games set in captivating worlds.” It is currently working on a AAA single-player-focused action adventure game built on Unreal Engine 5.
polygon.com
12.03.2024 / 14:57
Star Wars Jedi director starts new studio with a bunch of ex-Respawn talent
Game director Stig Asmussen, who left Respawn Entertainment last fall after making two games for publisher Electronic Arts, has a new studio. It’s called Giant Skull, and he’s bringing a long list of ex-Respawn talent with him to his new venture.
digitaltrends.com
12.03.2024 / 14:53
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor director Stig Asmussen starts new studio, Giant Skull
After a boom of video game studio foundings, acquisitions, and developer recruiting in the late 2010s and early 2020s, the industry is headed in the opposite direction. Acquisitions have slowed down, layoffs happen multiple times a week, and news of canceled projects and studio closures has overtaken that of studio announcements. During this time, an industry veteran and game director behind titles like God of War 3 and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor has started a new studio
ign.com
12.03.2024 / 14:33
Star Wars: Jedi Director Announces New Studio to Make a AAA Narrative-Driven Single-Player Action-Adventure Game
Stig Asmussen, the game director of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, as well as God of War 3, has announced the new studio he formed after leaving Respawn and EA last year. It’s called Giant Skull, and his new team aims to create a new, premium, AAA narrative-driven single-player third-person action-adventure game.
gamesradar.com
12.03.2024 / 14:31
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and God of War 3 director unveils new studio making "story immersed action-adventure games"
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor's director has founded a brand new studio in LA full of industry veterans, and they're currently working on a new action-adventure game in Unreal Engine 5.
gamesradar.com
09.03.2024 / 18:27
PlayStation-partnered studio from former Black Ops devs shuts down after saying its Sony collaboration would bring "complete financial security"
Deviation Games, the new studio partnered with PlayStation, has shut down just a few years after saying its Sony collaboration would bring "complete financial security."
gamerant.com
05.03.2024 / 07:05
Rumor: Possible New Call of Duty Black Ops Logo Leaks Online
It looks like the Call of Duty franchise could be making a new logo for the Black Ops subseries four years after the seventeenth main installment of the series was released. Black Ops: Cold War is the last installment of Call of Duty: Black Ops, released on November 13, 2020, and since then, Activision hasn’t worked on another entry of the game.