Following a hint last week Blizzard's Mike Ybarra that there would be a big announcement this week, the company has announced that it is working on a survival game. While details are sparse, the company promises "a whole new universe” and a completely new IP. This is the first big new announcement and comes a week after the huge acquisition news by Microsoft.
The survival game news is the first new major reveal since the news broke that Activision Blizzard King was entering into a deal to be acquired by Microsoft. From the announcement, it seems that Blizzard is working on a completely new IP and to create more memorable characters, as the company has done for decades now.
Blizzard is embarking on our next quest. We are going on a journey to a whole new universe, home to a brand-new survival game for PC and console. A place full of heroes we have yet to meet, stories yet to be told, and adventures yet to be lived. A vast realm of possibility, waiting to be explored.
There’s not a hint as to what we can expect from the actual game or the setting, but while there are a number of successful multiplayer survival games out there, there is room to bring something new to the table.
Joining the announcement of the new IP in progress is a notice that the company is hiring for development on this unannounced survival game. They’re looking for “a diverse team of developers” for roles like concept and character artists, level designers, and engineers. These suggest that things are in the earlier stages, so it may be a while before Blizzard reveals more details at all.
Of course, the hiring notice comes at a time when the company has come off a year of legal issues, investigations, a settlement proposal over discrimination and hostile workplace matters that culminated with one of its studios deciding to unionize after being on strike. That strike ended last week, pending recognition of the union, but these matters on the whole are still mostly unresolved yet, though the company vows to course correct and do better.
A new game announcement is still a big deal, and the company’s pitch to hire diversely might be an early test of the new policies. Read the full announcement here over at Blizzard.
