Yesterday, South Korean game developer and publisher NEOWIZ announced via press release that it acquired a 21% stake (through a $17 million investment) in the newly founded Polish studio BLANK.
Neowiz co-CEO Seung-Cheol Kim stated:
As a strategic investor, we view BLANK. as a studio poised to emerge as a formidable contender in the realm of AAA-quality gaming. We also recognize substantial synergies between our experiences in crafting unique titles. BLANK.’s debut game features a structure unlike the majority of narrative-driven games. With its distinctive take on the apocalypse, the experience will prove to be simultaneously refreshing and familiar for audiences, complete with intriguing twists.
BLANK. game director Mateusz Kanik added:
Our team has been battle-tested leading large teams, managing substantial budgets, making tough decisions, streamlining projects, and delivering major releases. BLANK. is more than just a startup; it’s a reunion of industry veterans who have collaborated for years. From the first day at the office, we hit the ground running, and thanks to NEOWIZ, we will be able to build an exceptional team to create games and stories that evoke emotions and leave a lasting impact on the players.
BLANK. managing director Mikolaj Marchewka said:
NEOWIZ recognized the potential in our debut game and the long-term vision for the studio. Since our first meeting, it was clear that Neowiz and BLANK. are an exceptional match and complement each other’s objectives. Lies of P gained a lot of recognition in the Western market and serves as an outstanding example of delivering highly polished games upon release, a value we hold dear at BLANK.
We had previously interviewed Kanik and executive producer Marcin Jefimow. In an exclusive chat with Wccftech, the couple talked a bit about BLANK's first project, a post-apocalyptic character-driven game. Kanik said:
We are not abandoning our beliefs from CD Projekt RED. We are always thinking about making games with mature adult storylines that trigger emotions in people, so obviously, we are doing it the same way. Right now, we are focusing on the same things.
Of course, it will be different from what we were working on in the past in some ways. But we cherish the same values we had back then. So, you can find similarities in this. It means we are not making a purely gameplay-focused title without the story. We are making a story-driven game with an adult story and lots of emotional moments; this is all I can say.
As for NEOWIZ, they are mostly known for the Bless MMORPGs and, most recently, for the successful Soulslike game Lies of P.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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