Arkane Studios veterans Raphael Colantonio and Julien Roby have announced a new gaming venture. WolfEye Studios is a small distributed company currently working on its first title, which it plans to announce at this year's Game Awards.
Colantonio and Roby departed Arkane in 2017. In Colantonio's case, the departure was to "spend more time with [his] son" and reflect on what was important in his future. Roby told GamesIndustry.biz that leaving Arkane and working with companies like 2K made him want to make games more in line with his own personal vision. Part of creating WolfEye for both of them is discovering what their identity is without a major studio like Arkane.
The stated intention for WolfEye is to create smaller games with the core values and ideas both Colantonio and Roby value as designers and developers. The pair say they're concerned about the industry's perceived obsession with bigger and better visuals, and that this comes at a gameplay cost. While WolfEye's first game will still emphasize art direction, it's more about changing up the game; Colantonio says he's been "playing the same game" for two or three generations and wants to switch up the formula.
Both Colantonio and Roby say they want to keep WolfEye as a relatively small studio. The team currently consists of fewer than 20 employees, which Colantonio and Roby say makes it easier to take creative leaps and not worry about the fallout. Right now, details on WolfEye's first project are scarce; we'll learn more when The Game Awards rolls around in December. Until then, maybe we should all go replay Dishonored and Prey to remind ourselves what Arkane can do when it's at its best. Here's hoping WolfEye's first game is as good.
What kind of game would you like to see from Colantonio and Roby's new studio? Let us know in the comments below!
