Control’s lead designer opens new studio Anchor Point

NetEase has announced that it has opened a new studio called Anchor Point that will be led by the former lead designer on Remedy Entertainment’s Control, Paul Ehreth.

The details:

• Chinese publisher NetEase has confirmed the opening of Anchor Point, with the studio focused on creating "action-adventure experiences that take risks and journey deep into uncharted territory." The studio's first project is unknown, but it is said to be "dedicated to developing action-adventure games for console and PC that push the boundaries of entertainment and bring elements of surprise into the gameplay," with an "interconnected world that will expand beyond games and reach into other mediums.”
• Ehreth has over 20 years of industry experience, including roles as campaign director for Halo 4 and 5, lead designer on Control, and member of the Alan Wake 2 leadership team. Pere Torrents, the studio's head of operations, will be joining him, as will other colleagues with "decades of combined experience in the industry," who have worked on major titles such as Halo, Ghost of Tsushima, Red Dead Redemption 2, and The Division.
• The studio is planning on hiring up to 100 people across multiple departments including game art, development, and design. It has offices located in Barcelona and Seattle, with positions being offered as on-site, hybrid, or fully remote opportunities. You can find the small handful of current available openings on its website here.

Other studio openings:

• Industry veterans behind the card games Hearthstone and Magic: The Gathering, as well as World of Warcraft, have joined forces to form Popularium. Chaos Agents, the company's first game, has been described as an "auto battler royale," with more details to come shortly.
• Greg Street, the former executive producer of the in-development League of Legends MMO, is opening his own fully remote studio. So far, little is known about the studio, including its name, but Street is still looking for senior-level staff to help get things up and running before looking for less experienced talent.
• Magic Soup Games is a new studio founded by former Blizzard employees Jen Oneal, John Donham, and J. Allen Brack. The studio intends to create "massive AAA games with positive themes,” though no specifics have been released so far.