On Monday, 2K announced the opening of a new as-yet-unnamed gaming studio based in Silicon Valley. Co-founder of Sledgehammer Games and former CEO and Director of Visceral Games Michael Condrey was named the President of the studio.
If Condrey’s name doesn’t ring a bell, and you’re a hardcore gamer, it probably should. He has been at the head of a number of the most successful projects in gaming history. According to the press release, Condrey will build and lead development on an unannounced project.
“At 2K, we offer our collective audience a variety of engaging and captivating entertainment experiences. We continually seek opportunities to empower and invest in the right people and ideas,” said David Ismailer, President at 2K. “Michael’s unparalleled creative, production and leadership accolades are well-documented and deserved. We are greatly inspired not only by his passion but the potential for his new studio to complement our existing portfolio and development expertise. We welcome Michael to the 2K family and look forward to seeing our new Silicon Valley studio flourish in the months and years to come.”
The aforementioned game could come from any genre, but it stands to reason it could be a new first-person shooter or to a lesser degree, a survival horror title. Condrey has had massive success in both genres. He led the development of Call of Duty: WWII, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, the James Bond 007 franchise and Dead Space.
For the FPS and SH genre, it doesn’t get much bigger or more respected.
This July 31, 2014 shows Glen Schofield, left, and Michael Condrey, co-founders of Sledgehammer Games in front of a “Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare” sign in Foster City, Calif. The game is scheduled for release Nov. 4. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)ASSOCIATED PRESS
“Great games come from the passion of a team driven by the pursuit of quality and the empowerment of an independent studio model. 2K’s studios have creative and technical autonomy, backed by a world-class infrastructure of support, and that offers the perfect recipe to build a new studio and craft experiences that will lead the next generation of gaming for fans everywhere,” said Condrey. “David and the dedicated people at 2K and Take-Two have an extensive history of rich and established brands, as well as a long tenure of executive leadership committed to supporting the ambitions of their independent studio teams.”
“Today’s announcement represents a rare and special opportunity for developers to help build and shape a new Silicon Valley studio from the ground up,” added Condrey. “I couldn’t be more excited, or thankful, to embark on this next step in my career.”
It would appear Condrey and 2K’s philosophy mesh. The big-budget backing-to-independent-studio development model that Condrey referenced has worked well with other games under the Take-Two Interactive umbrella like NBA 2K and Grand Theft Auto V. If Condrey can lead the efforts of a project that is even a fraction as profitable as NBA and GTA have been, then there is no questioning the success.
Again, Condrey’s studio could develop just about any kind of game, but with so much success and history in the FPS genre, it makes you wonder how the studio could kickoff with anything else. Also, Take-Two Interactive doesn’t really have a monster online multiplayer shooter–unless you count Red Dead Online which hasn’t officially released beyond the beta.
[“source=forbes”]
