NetEase has announced the opening of a new game studio. Dubbed Anchor Point Studios, the new developer is being headed up by Paul Ehreth, who has an impressive list of credits behind him with 20 years of experience in developing PC and console games.
Among the games Ehreth has worked on include work as campaign designer on Halo 4 and 5, as well as lead designer for the more recent Control. Ehreth is joined by Pete Torrents who will act as head of operations. Torrents also has an impressive list of credits, including Halo, Ghost of Tsushima, The Division, and Red Dead Redemption 2.
Anchor Point Studios is based in Barcelona, Spain, and Seattle in the United States. The studio is currently recruiting developers, artists, and designers across all of its offices. The studio’s main office will be situated in Spain.
“We’re so excited to officially drop our anchor in Barcelona, the hometown of my great-grandparents, and start building a strong team for our journey of exploration together with NetEase Games,” said Ehreth in the press release. “Our studio’s motto is ‘Per Aspera, Ad Astra’ (‘through hardships, to the stars’) because we want to build an adventure that will stay fresh and provide a unique experience that will surprise and delight people each time they play, and I want us to acknowledge the challenges we are setting out to face. We’re grateful to NetEase Games for giving us the creative freedom and resources to build this interconnected world that will expand beyond games and reach into other mediums as well.”
Neither NetEase nor Anchor Point Studios have made any announcement regarding what the new studio’s first project will be, but considering the size of the studio, it is quite likely to be a major AAA project.