Sony partners with J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot Games as producer and publisher
Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) has announced a partnership with Bad Robot Games, the video game division of J.J. Abrams' production company Bad Robot.
As stated in a press release issued today, SIE will produce and publish the studio's upcoming project, an unannounced four-player cooperative shooter directed by Michael Booth, lead designer of Left 4 Dead. Booth had previously teased the project back in September, which is poised to release for PlayStation 5 and PC, saying that it's still in "early stages of development."
"Partnering with Sony Interactive Entertainment allows us to bring our new IP to life, with an expansive vision for this new universe," said Anna Sweet, CEO of Bad Robot Games. "With the support of PlayStation, we hope to deliver a bold, innovative experience that is truly special for players. I could not be more excited that Michael Booth is at the creative helm, crafting a cooperative adventure that will lead to unforgettable moments with friends."
Christian Svensson, VP and head of 2P/3P content ventures & strategic initiatives at SIE said that Bad Robot Games' creative voice and passion "aligns with SIE's mission to craft experiences that resonate deeply with players."
The upcoming shooter is Bad Robot Games' first in-house titleFounded in 2018, Bad Robot's division has operated as a fully remote studio since. The upcoming multiplayer game will be its first in-house title—previously, the Tencent-backed studio was credited as co-dev of Weird West and Silent Hill: Ascension.
While there isn't much information about the project, the in-house team was established back in 2020. Back then, the original goal was to collaborate with Bad Robot's movie and television departments to create stories that can "live across multiple mediums." The project was pitched as a triple-A co-op, cinematic experience.
"All our projects unite our games industry veterans, our film and TV colleagues, and our larger network of talent (writers, composers, sound designers, concept artists, and more), which uniquely allows us to blend artists, areas of expertise, and perspectives across industries to create truly innovative games," said Sweet at the time.A year later, the division raised over $40 million from new and existing investors alike through a Series B funding round led by Galaxy Interactive."With this funding, we are able to build out both the studio and co-development sides of our operation, and create games that cross platforms, cross mediums and are based on IP originating from both games and linear content. We are very much looking forward to announcing our first titles," the CEO said in 2021.
