Patrick Söderlund, a former EA executive, has announced the founding of a new gaming studio called Embark Studios. He is joined by a former colleague from DICE, developer Johan Andersson, who announced his involvement on Twitter today. The company’s new website went live today as well, and promises that “the future belongs to the curious.” In addition to Söderlund and Andersson, the pair is joined by a slew of industry vets from EA and DICE such as Jenny Huldschiner, Robert Runesson, Magnus Nordin, and Stefan Strandberg.
The company has official backing from Nexon, a Korean-Japanese video game company specializing in online PC and mobile games. Nexon is best known for worldwide phenomenon MapleStory. Nexon will not only be an investor for the new company but will also be the global publisher for Embark’s upcoming projects, according to a report by the Verge. Söderlund and Embark have yet to announce any specific titles for future release, but are excited about what’s to come, and claim they are taking the first steps to create something in-line with the future landscape of the industry.
Games today are usually built around one layer. You run around and you shoot people, or you play soccer. What if you could have 10 abstraction layers of simulation in a game where you could choose to become a farmer, or go into politics, or join the military, or be a professional athlete, inside of that world?
Söderlund goes on to say that he would rather go big or go home when it comes to the future of gaming and the path that he and his team would like to take with the new studio. “I realized that it’s ambitious, and almost naive, but I think you have to go down that route to do something extraordinary.” While the studio is still in its infancy, they expect to have around 15-20 employees within the coming weeks with a goal of around 200. The world waits with anticipation for what Embark will bring to the table in the near future. “Quicker than you’d expect,” touted Söderlund. With such a star-studded and decorated team, whatever it is will surely be amazing.