Korean publisher and developer NCSOFT announced that it has made what it calls "a strategic equity investment" in the independent Texas-based studio Empty Vessel, which is currently working on an immersive shooter called DEFECT.
DEFECT is a multiplayer, cyberpunk-style squad shooter that was first revealed in August 2024 and will be the debut project from Empty Vessel. The studio is composed of developers who've worked on series such as DOOM, Quake, The Last of Us, Call of Duty, Borderlands, Tomb Raider, and Uncharted, so there's a lot of talent within the studio.
There's been no word regarding when DEFECT will be ready to release, but this investment is meant to help the game get over the finish line, so we might be close to hearing about a release date. According to Emanuel Palalic, the game director on DEFECT, it's also about providing Empty Vessel with a better environment to make DEFECT.
"We started working on Defect with a simple belief, that great games come from focused, passionate teams who are empowered to take creative risks," Palalic said in a press release. "That’s why we’re excited to partner with NCSOFT. From the start, they’ve understood our goal, not just to build a game, but to build a better environment for the developers behind it. NCSOFT’s support and expertise will help us take Defect and Empty Vessel to the next level."
According to a press release for the investment, this is just the beginning of what will be a long-term partnership, which could also include NCSOFT acquiring the publishing rights for DEFECT.
On NCSOFT's side, co-chief executive officer Byung-moo Park said "Empty Vessel is a AAA development studio established by game art and sound experts with successful experience and fandom in the global major genre of shooting games. We will continue to invest in securing new global IPs and building a genre-specific cluster pipeline."
When DEFECT was first announced, the trailer quickly garnered attention, with nearly two million views at the time of writing. Empty Vessel has been quiet since, so it'll be interesting to see how players react when we get a proper look at gameplay.
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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