Michael Condrey, one of the co-founders of Sledgehammer Games, has recently been appointed to run brand new 2K development studio according to a press release from Business Wire. Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of 2K, announced that Condrey would take on the role of President of the unnamed studio. The new studio will set up base in Silicon Valley and promises “creative freedom to develop the studio’s vision and long-term projects.”
The new 2K studio already has irons in the fire, quickly aiming to take advantage of the creative freedom offered. The press release makes mention that the studio is planning an unnamed project, though details surrounding the new game are hush at the moment. Condrey’s vast experience in the first and third-person shooter genres could be a hint of what’s to come, working on multiple Call of Duty games, as well as games in the Dead Space series and even some James Bond titles back when he was at Electronic Arts. Whichever direction the new studio chooses to take, both Take-Two and Condrey are happy with the partnership. “I couldn’t be more excited, or thankful, to embark on this next step in my career,” says Condrey of the new opportunity.
Condrey is best known for his work on the Call of Duty franchise, including Call of Duty: WWII, Advanced Warfare, and Modern Warfare 3 while with Sledgehammer/Activision, and Dead Space while with Visceral Studios, mostly alongside the other half of the Sledgehammer duo, Glen Schofield. The pair left Sledgehammer in February of last year but still worked together at Activision. Schofield made his departure from Activision just months before Condrey.
Condrey’s first goal as president is to build his team and his studio from scratch before the real work can begin on the unnamed project. The second goal should be to get the studio a name as well; Unnamed 2K Studio has such an unimaginative feel to it.