Black Tusk Studios is the new Vancouver-based Microsoft first-party studio that will focus on creating games for Xbox 360, Nov. 29.
"We're hoping to build the next big entertainment franchise," said Mike Crump, studio manager and a former senior development director at Electronic Arts. "We have an opportunity to define and shape the next big franchise and feel very lucky to be in a position to do that. We've got this mandate to think big and act big."
"It is a good news story for us. We're excited about the opportunities here, we think Vancouver has a bright future."
The staff at the new Black Tusk Studio has an average of 12 years experience in triple-A games.
"Big games, big teams, big budgets, long timelines," Crump added. "What that means is we are working on Microsoft's next big entertainment franchise," he said, The Vancouver Sun reported."We're not working on an existing franchise, we're looking to build the next Halo here in Vancouver, for example, which is really exciting. We are building something from the ground up."
Microsoft Vancouver has changed its name to Black Tusk Studios.
The job listing on the Microsoft website calls for a senior gameplay engineer with "experience with multiplayer and/or co-op gameplay development" for an "AAA console game." Another listing calls for senior AI engineer for a mystery project called "AAA core game."
"Apparently it is some big new IP space shooter thing on the scale of a Gears or Halo. Lead designer of Crysis 2 is working on it., said Superannuation, internet sleuth.
Microsoft has two studios in Vancouver/Victoria region.
"We believe in Vancouver," said Crump. "There's a bunch of reasons for that. The potential here in enormous, some of the world's largest franchises have come from here."
