Chinese games development studio NetEase Games, the developers of Marvel Super War, invested $13.2 million in Something Wicked, a newly established independent AAA video game studio.
Something Wicked was founded this year by former Fallout lead producer Jeff Gardiner, alongside other veterans from Bethesda Game Studios and Obsidian Entertainment.
The newly launched studio is looking to attract the best talent the industry has to offer, and its debut title, Wyrdsong, will kick-start the company’s goals.
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Wyrdsong is an occult historical fantasy role-playing game taking place in a fictional version of Middle Age Portugal.
Speaking to Washington Post, Jeff Gardiner said, “We’re really going to dig into choice and consequence in a very deep and meaningful way that hopefully, no other RPG has ever done before.”
70 is a magical number
Currently consisting of 13 employees, Gardiner told Washington Post the firm intends to grow its numbers. By its second year, Something Wicked plans to have a team of 30, with a maximum of 70 staff members to launch the game.
Gardiner explained this range of staff members to be a “magical amount of people”. He said, “Remember, most Bethesda games early on were made with very few people. Skyrim was made with around a hundred people.”
When speaking to Washington Post about the studio’s search for remote talent, Gardiner said, “We are very, very open to employment. “Anywhere we can get the best people.”
NetEase Games involvment
The studio was announced at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany, a year after Gardiner disclosed his departure from Bethesda. At Gamescom, he also revealed the $13.2 million investment from Chinese game development studio NetEase Games.
NetEase Games has been keeping busy of late. Capcom veteran Hiroyuki Kobayashi recently revealed he will be joining the Chinese video game giants. Shortly after, the firm announced it will be teaming up with CCP Games to bring Project Discovery to their hit mobile title EVE Echoes.
NetEase Games earned the number one spot on our list this year of top 50 mobile game makers.
