Empty Vessel, the studio founded by former id Software developers and comprised of people who've worked on Doom, The Last of Us, Call of Duty, Borderlands, Uncharted, and more, has just closed out its series A round of funding for its debut project, DEFECT, with $11 million total raised from this round.
The additional funds will allow Empty Vessel to expand the team, per a press release, and scale to the point where they can work on bringing DEFECT to consoles, and add support for single-player experiences on top of DEFECT already being a multiplayer-focused game.
When we last heard about DEFECT and Empty Vessel, it was with news that NCSOFT had made "a strategic equity investment" in the studio to help DEFECT get out the door, so it's no surprise that NCSOFT was one of the companies that led this series A round of funding, alongside 1AM Gaming, and Black Phoenix Games.
"It's gratifying to see our developer-first approach resonating with fans and our new long-term partners at NCSOFT alongside our other investors," said chief executive officer at Empty Vessel and game director on DEFECT, Emmanuel Palalic.
"We remain committed to our vision of creating a new genre in the FPS market with DEFECT, and while we are building in a sustainable manner, this new investment will allow us to accelerate our plans for proper single-player support and to expand onto more platforms."
For NCSOFT, the chief executive officer of NC America, and chief operating officer of NC West, Jeonghee 'JJ' Jin added "Empty Vessel's distinct vision for game design, production, and player interaction made us quick believers in their upcoming shooter, DEFECT. We're committed to the evolution and future of this incredible game."
1AM Gaming's managing director, Gregory Milken added "We believe that Empty Vessel is a unique studio working on an amazing game, so we are thrilled to join them as a key investor as they work towards bringing a fresh perspective for first person shooter games with DEFECT."
About the author: David has been writing about videogames, technology, and culture since 2020, with a focus on reporting daily news across multiple publications, including GameDaily.Biz, GameSkinny, and PlayStation Universe before joining Wccftech in 2025. David started contributing as Canada/US reporter for Wccftech's gaming section in 2025. Besides being up-to-date on the industry's movements, he loves interviewing developers, reviewing games, and writing intricate essays about the symbolism and layered meanings to be found in rich narratives as he's done for publications like GamesIndustry.Biz, LostInCult, and others. Outside of games he loves movies, music, theatre, his hometown, and his family, though not necessarily in that order.
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