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Activision unveil new studio working on ‘narrative AAA franchise’, days after Microsoft shut Prey and Evil Within devsElsewhere Entertainment team made up of Last of Us, Witcher and Far Cry alumni
Elsewhere Entertainment team made up of Last of Us, Witcher and Far Cry alumni
Image credit:Activision
Image credit:Activision
Around a week after Microsoftshuttered a number of beloved studioswith a track record of making excellent single-player, story-driven games, theirnewly-owned arm of Activisionhas revealed a brand new studio. Working on a new series of story-driven, triple-A games.
The unveiling of Elsewhere Entertainment comes days after the sudden and shocking closure of Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks and Alpha Dog Games, who between them have been responsible for games includingPrey,The Evil Within,Tokyo: Ghostwire,Hi-Fi Rushand more.
With the exception of multiplayer misfireRedfall, the likes of Arkane and Tango were arguably known for specialising in inventive and well-liked-to-loved single-player titles built around their narratives, making the emergence of a new studio doing exactly that somewhat frustrating timing.
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It’s worth noting, of course, that Activision and Microsoft operate separately in many respects - including budgets - despite now being merged into one multi-billion-dollar megacorp, so the new Activision studio’s launch isn’t directly tied to Microsoft’s decision to close several other developers. (Elsewhere will apparently draw from Activision’s resources and use their tools for their projects.)
On top of that, the Polish team made up of devs with experience on Naughty Dog’sThe Last of UsandUncharted, CD Projekt Red’sThe WitcherandCyberpunk 2077, and Ubisoft’sThe DivisionandFar Crywasapparently put together a little while back, rather than being freshly formed now.
Given those particular credits, it might not come as a surprise to learn that Elsewhere will be working on an original “narrative-based and genre-defining AAA franchise", which lines up with those blockbuster single-player titles.
“The team’s underlying mission encourages everyone to explore and collaborate creatively to craft a franchise with an enduring legacy that resonates far beyond games,” Activision added in theirannouncement.
