NetEase Games announced the opening of a new studio called T-Minus Zero Entertainment. Headquartered in Austin, Texas (like Jackalyptic Games, another NetEase developer now working on a Warhammer MMO), it is however a remote-first studio, as anyone can see from the job openings available on the official website for the positions of Lead Animator, Lead Character Artist, Lead Environment Artist, Lead Gameplay Engineer, Lead Level Designer, and Senior Gameplay Designer.
T-Minus Zero Entertainment was founded by four BioWare and Bethesda MMO veterans. The head of the studio is Rich Vogel, known to the wider public for games like Ultima Online, Star Wars: Galaxies, Star Wars: The Old Republic, and Fallout 76. Vogel said in a statement:
Our studio’s mission is to create epic, immersive worlds where players from around the globe can play together, forming vibrant and passionate communities. The team at NetEase Games shares our vision to create memorable and meaningful experiences, and they have made it a priority to provide the support and creative freedom to allow us to make our dream a reality.
Simon Zhu, president of global investments and partnerships at NetEase Games, added:
T-Minus Zero Entertainment has been built with an inspiring roster of talented veterans with unparalleled industry knowledge and the passion to create wholly original gaming experiences. NetEase Games strongly believes in empowering creators with the ability to build games that will inspire players and evolve over time with its community. We can’t wait to share more of what Rich and the team are working on, and we'll make every effort to help them grow.
The other three founders are Game Director Mark Tucker (Crimson Alliance, Halo 4, Fallout 76), VP of Operations & Production Scott Malone (The Elder Scrolls Online, Doom, Fallout 76), and Art Director Jeff Dobson (Star Wars: Galaxies, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Mass Effect: Andromeda, Anthem). Unsurprisingly, their first game will be an MMO-like experience described as an 'online multiplayer third-person action game' set in a new sci-fi IP.
The studio was assembled in May, so it may be several years before we see anything of this new game.
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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