Earlier today, Epic Games announced in press release that they would be opening a new studio based in Cologne, Germany. The studio will be made up of former higher-ups from Factor 5. Not much is currently known about the new studio, such as projects in the works, or even a name.
Two big names have already been attached to the new studio, both of which have a history with former studio Factor 5. Julian Eggebrecht, former President of the US branch of Factor 5, as well as their CEO Achim Moller will be with the new Epic Studio in Germany. Eggebrecht joined Epic Games earlier this year, assuming the role of Director of Online Technology. Moller will assume the role of Studio Director at the new German studio.
The pair have a storied past within the game industry. While they were with Factor 5, they had a hand in the creation of games such as Turrican, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, and Lair. The studio also created a few other Star Wars games, working alongside LucasArts. In addition to creating games, the studio worked on sound compression technology for other notable games like Resident Evil 2 and Pokémon Stadium, both for the N64. According to the press release, Eggebrecht and Moller have also worked alongside streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon.
While the release wasn’t too specific about the new studio’s projects, it does mention that it will be “part of the company’s expanding focus on emerging forms of interactive media and streaming technologies.” With the experience that Eggebrecht and Moller bring to the fray, both in games and streaming, it’s a smart move to attach them to the studio. Epic Games has always prided themselves on shaking things up, especially when it comes to developer profits and Epic exclusives. It makes sense that the company is now testing the waters of the streaming market with Google Stadia not too far away and new streaming services seemingly springing up overnight.