Former Star Wars MMO devs set up new studio, working on an original sci-fi title
NetEase Games announced on Thursday that the company is establishing T-Minus Zero Entertainment, a new game development studio based in Austin, Texas. The studio will emphasize a remote-first approach and will be headed by Rich Vogel, an industry veteran known for his previous work on such games as Ultima Online, Star Wars: Galaxies, and Star Wars: The Old Republic.
“Our studio’s mission is to create epic, immersive worlds where players from around the globe can play together, forming vibrant and passionate communities,” Vogel said in a press release statement. “The team at NetEase Games shares our vision to create memorable and meaningful experiences, and they have made it a priority to provide the support and creative freedom to allow us to make our dream a reality.”
Vogel will be joined by a team of seasoned game creators as the studio moves forward to work on a third-person online multiplayer action game set in a sci-fi universe. This team includes game director Mark Tucker (Fallout 76, Doom, Crimson Alliance), art director Jeff Dobson (Star Wars: The Old Republic, Dragon Age Inquisition), and producer Scott Malone (Fallout 76, Doom, The Elder Scrolls Online), with an average of over 20 years each in the games industry.
T-Minus Zero Entertainment is the latest move in NetEase Games’ push to expand its portfolio of in-house development studios. Last year, the company acquired Quantic Dream, the French game developer and publisher known for such games as Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls, and Detroit: Become Human, and established Nagoshi Studio, a new studio led by ex-Sega developer Toshihiro Nagoshi, of Yakuza fame. NetEase has also invested in Something Wicked Games, an independent studio founded by former Bethesda
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