Activision Forms New Studio Working on “Genre-Defining” AAA Game

Activision has just announced the creation of Elsewhere Entertainment, a new Poland-based studio working on a “new narrative-based and genre-defining AAA franchise.” The new studio has been formed with industry veterans who previously worked on The Last of Us, Uncharted, The Witcher, Cyberpunk, Destiny, Tom Clancy’s The Division, and Far Cry, and Activision said that Elsewhere Entertainment still looking for new talent.

“Built from the ground up, Elsewhere Entertainment is a premier and standalone studio dedicated to establishing an environment that inspires bold and diverse ideas. The team’s underlying mission encourages everyone to explore and collaborate creatively to craft a franchise with an enduring legacy that resonates far beyond games,” the press release reads.

Activision also mentioned that Elsewhere Entertainment will have “full access to Activision’s resources and tools as it continues to increase production and development.” However, it’s not clear yet if the brand-new narrative-based IP the studio is currently working on will be exclusive to the Xbox ecosystem or not.

The news of Activision launching a new studio working on brand new IP comes just a couple of days after Microsoft announced the closure of four Bethesda/Zenimax studios, including the renowned Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks. Matt Booty, Head of Xbox Game Studios explained that “we are making these tough decisions to create capacity to increase investment in other parts of our portfolio and focus on our priority games.”

Activision is the home of Call of Duty, one of the biggest annualized game franchises on the market. At a time when the video games industry faces a major crisis with game cancellations and mass layoffs, it’s interesting to see the company take a risk with a new studio working on a brand new IP with an AAA budget. While it could be years before the studio’s first game sees the light of day, it seems that Elsewhere Entertainment is ready to create something that has never been seen before.