After leaving BioWare in January, Mass Effect lead writer Mac Walters has established new remote studio, Worlds Untold, in Vancouver, Canada, with NetEase Games. As per a press release, it aims to create new IPs with “depth and possibility” that “can’t be contained in a single game, or even a single medium.”
Walters, whose last project was Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, said, “We’re creating incredible and meaningful stories that we believe are best told and experienced through play. We are starting by crafting worlds that we all dream of discovering and then will put the player in the leading role of the most unforgettable adventures. The team at NetEase Games shares our vision and passion to utilize leading-edge technology to create the best possible new games. Their teams’ support and creative freedom allow us to deliver on that vision.”
Simon Zhu, NetEase Games president of global investments and partnerships, said the company “believes in empowering creators to think outside the box and to help execute their vision as seamlessly as possible. Worlds Untold is building a team of highly experienced individuals to develop new worlds and action-adventure games for all, and we are excited to see what Mac and the team produce.”
Worlds Untold’s first project is an action-adventure game with a near-future setting in a world “filled with mystery and exploration.” Other notable veterans who have joined the studio include production head Elizabeth Lehtonen (Dragon Age, The Sims), audio director Sotaro Tojima (Metal Gear Solid, Halo), head of art Ramil Sunga (Dragon Age, Anthem, Mass Effect Andromeda), and head of technology Ben Goldstein (Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag on Xbox One, For Honor on PS4).
The studio is one of many that Chinese tech giant has founded/acquired, alongside Anchor Point Studios, Skybox Labs, Nagoshi Studio, Quantic Dream and Grasshopper Manufacture. Stay tuned for further announcements from Worlds Untold in the meantime.