The newly-established, small independent studio Second Dinner has announced a partnership with Marvel on a new game. The studio is comprised of former members of Blizzard including the Chief Creative Officer Ben Brode, who was the Game Director of the team that created Hearthstone before moving on to start this new studio. Other former members of the team include Hamilton Chu, the Chief Executive Officer, Principal Engineer Mike Schweitzer, Production Director Yong Woo, and Art Director Jomaro Kindred. Second Dinner is a company looking to make deep, satisfying games that are optimized for the mobile platform. The studio released an announcement video about the news.
Second Dinner was able to raise $30 million in an investment that was provided by NetEase, a Chinese company that helped Blizzard bring Chinese versions of games such as Hearthstone and World of Warcraft to life. NetEase is also producing the very polarizing Diablo Immortal as a co-developer. Ethan Wang, VP of NetEase Inc, had this to say about the news. “The Second Dinner team has a strong track record of delivering quality games. With the resources and creative freedom they now have, we look forward to what they will come up with next.”
Jay Ong, EVP, and Head of Marvel Games at Marvel Entertainment further said, “I’ve worked with Hamilton and Ben for years and they are exactly who we want making Marvel games. They and the team they assembled at Second Dinner have made some of the greatest games in history.” He also teased on which Marvel characters may be incorporated in the new game. “… Working with the Marvel Games team and playing in the Marvel Universe… It’s going to be Amazing! Or maybe Spectacular! Or Incredible! Or Mighty! Or quite possibly all of the above!”
Hamilton Chu, the CEO of Second Dinner stated that “making something amazing and spectacular is exactly what the team has been hard at work on, and the internal playtests have already begun. In all likelihood, this will be the best game ever made.” Along with the announcement of the news, Second Dinner has also posted new positions concerning the project. Hamilton said, “It’s going to take a while to make, but we’re already having a lot of fun with the prototype. We can’t wait to show it to the people who we interview as candidates.”
Ben Brode also responded to the new openings. He says that the team is excited to get some fresh faces to help build what they are working on. He also encourages that anyone who thinks they can be a part of the team to reach out, even if they are still employed. Ben has even offered to buy coffee or something just to meet up and see if you would be a good fit for the team.