NetEase has announced the establishment of Bad Brain Game Studios, a new development team led by former Ubisoft producer Sean Crooks. The studio is currently hard at work on its debut game, which will launch a new franchise “inspired by ’80s cult movies.”
In a new NetEase Press release, the Chinese gaming giant says that Bad Brain will be based in three locations in Canada: Toronto, Montreal and Ontario. Their first project will be built on Unreal Engine 5 and will be a “story-driven action-adventure game” with a focus on open-world gameplay. It’s coming to PC and consoles, it seems.
Bad Brain is run by Sean Crooks, a former Ubisoft producer who has worked on games like legion of watchdogs. The studio also has a team of “passionate veteran developers” who have been involved in creating games like far cry 2, Driver San Franciscoand Splinter Cell: Conviction.
Crooks says that NetEase has given his studio “a tremendous amount of support and creative freedom”, and that the first Bad Brain game will “really free (their) brains”. On NetEase’s side, investment and partnerships president Simon Zhu says Bad Brain represents NetEase’s commitment to “nurturing top-tier talent in Canada.”
We’ll have to wait and see what Bad Brain’s first game looks like, but one thing is for sure: it’s far from the first NetEase studio established by industry veterans. The Chinese gaming giant has seen new studios built by former Capcom and Sega staffers, and also has its fingers in other parts of the industry thanks to its ownership of studios like Quantic Dream and Grasshopper Manufacture.
Stay tuned for more news on Bad Brain’s inaugural project. It’s most likely a bit far from being fully announced, though we might hear something during one of the upcoming major summer gaming events. Either way, we’ll bring you more on Bad Brain and NetEase as soon as we have it.