Industry veterans Emanuel Palalic and Garrett Young announced the formation of a new Austin, Texas-based studio, Emptyvessel, in which the studio plans to develop a new AAA immersive shooter with a developer-first approach in their direction and execution.
As revealed via a press release, Emptyvessel is a brand-new Texas-based studio formed by veterans from all facets of the gaming industry. The studio will be led by CEO and game director Emanuel Palalic and COO and general manager Garrett Young. Both have extensive work at id Software, working on the Doom and Quake franchises. The studio is also composed of plenty of other industry vets working at some of the biggest studios and gaming franchises today. Notable ones mentioned in the press release included DOOM, Quake, Call of Duty, Last of Us, Borderlands, Tomb Raider, Uncharted, Callisto Protocol, and others.
Garrett Young says in the press release that the studio was formed with a “developer-first” approach.
“Our industry is at a crossroads between business and talent. At emptyvessel, we take a Developer-First approach to our direction and execution,” said Garrett Young, COO and General Manager at emptyvessel. “We understand every innovation in this industry has been led by a developer taking a risk — every new IP, every billion-dollar franchise. Gaming’s next massive hit can come from anywhere.”
Emmanuel Palalic also shared some words about this exciting endeavor.
“Many game developers like myself began our journey fueled by the dream of one day bringing our worlds to life,” said Emanuel Palalic, CEO and Game Director, emptyvessel. “By prioritizing and aligning with our strengths, we’re confident it’s possible to create AAA-quality games with smaller, focused teams. The industry has often overlooked the people who pour their hearts and souls into crafting these worlds. With emptyvessel, we’re determined to change that narrative and make that dream a reality for as many developers as we can.”
The team is currently working on an unannounced project confirmed to be a shooter inspired by film, graphic novels, and games set in dystopian sci-fi worlds. It’ll be built using Unreal Engine 5.
A teaser of their upcoming project can be found below
Here’s a sneak preview of a future where control and chaos are locked in battle. Hope to unveil more soon. pic.twitter.com/8bXKtuaR5w
— emptyvessel (@emptyvesselplay) March 12, 2024
No target release date or platforms were revealed, though seeing that the title is being built on Unreal Engine 5, we can safely assume it won’t be coming to the last-gen platforms.
We wish the newly formed studio good luck on their journey, and cannot wait to see what they create in the upcoming years.
In other gaming news, Stig Asmussen, the director behind God of War 3 and Respawn’s Jedi series, has established his own studio called Giant Skull.