The former Rockstar North president and key influence behind the Grand Theft Auto game series from GTA 3 – GTA 5, Leslie Benzies, finished raising $42 million for his new video game company. This funding from New York and Chinese investors will be directed towards the company’s development of its own GTA rival video game.
Benzies and the GTA series go way back, but he departed developer Rockstar North in 2016 after major issues with Take-Two interactive. It wasn't the first time that Take-Two Interactive clashed with developers, with prior events including the alleged interference with Kerbal 2's development. Afterwards, he would go on to form a new company called Build a Rocket Boy with studios in Edinburgh, Budapest and Los Angeles.
The company has acquired well over 130 employees with seasoned GTA developers and other fellow gaming industry veterans, which may not come as a surprise since some AAA studios have tried to go independent for years now. The company Build a Rocket Boy has been attaining some investment from various sources including Chinese gaming giant NetEase as well as other companies.
NetEase also worked with Bungie for funding Destiny and a new IP for later down the line. With this investment, Build a Rocket Boy can continue to use the funds for the development of its first title called Everywhere. As reported by The Telegraph, Benzies has described the game as a science-fiction, open-world game where “technology has brought humankind to the precipice” through a multiplayer virtual simulation. The game will have traditional gameplay mechanics with new elements taken from “everywhere,” as he put it. He said that with gamers getting smarter and more active, this game will need to offer them a greater immersive experience than past titles, as the goal is to meet the growing demand for better video games.
Benzies reinforces his statement on delivering a game with a variety of modes that allow gamers to not only enjoy great stories, but get lost in the world and adventures available for them to explore. The studio is planning to use Amazon’s Lumberyard game engine for Everywhere and take full advantage of its capabilities to deliver a unique gaming experience for players to enjoy. Hopefully, the development goes smoothly and isn’t put on hold like the kickstarter The Black Glove years ago, which had gaming veterans to make it but struggled to finish.
Lead developers striking out on their own tend to face many challenges as well as upsides. One such advantage is the opportunity to develop a fresh new IP or expand on an existing one. This is best shown with IO Interactive’s upcoming Hitman 3 getting a more “in-depth” story. As of now, Everywhere doesn’t have a set release date, but it does have the funding for development.
Source: The Telegraph (via VideoGamesChronicle)