Gardens, a new game studio made up of some top-level AAA talent from across the gaming industry, has been revealed today. Gardens states that it is focused on collective growth and its employee's health, happiness and wellbeing. The studio is hiring more talent to help build its first online game.
Co-founders Chris Bell, Lexie Dostal and Stephen Bell built the studio with the idea of creating a space that is "transparent, sustainable, inclusive and empowering," according to the press release this morning. The studio is made up of veterans who have worked on titles from Journey, Skyrim, Marvel's Spider-man, and more. Bell says in a statement that the goal is to create a studio that cares as much about its employees as it does the games they create.
“With Gardens, we wanted to create a studio that cares as much about the health, happiness, and wellbeing of its team members as we do the craftsmanship of the games we create together. Our top priority is making sure our teammates enjoy their lives and are given the tools and resources to grow while creating compelling, well-crafted, thoughtful games that cultivate novel shared experiences between players online."
The studio is based in Portland and Los Angeles, though it is a fully remote studio and is aiming to create "artfully-crafted" worlds. Having secured a round of seed funding last year, Gardens is hiring more talent to help create its first online game. According to the Gardens website, this is aiming to be a "shared fantasy adventure" which draws inspiration from online games that they have experienced.
"Our upcoming flagship game is a shared fantasy adventure inspired by some of our favorite memories playing online games, particularly moments shared with strangers. Players will find themselves crossing paths in a shapeshifting, unpredictable wilderness filled with mystery and magic, featuring a timeless visual direction and tactile multiplayer play."
You can check out the concept art below, as well as head to the Gardens website for more information.
