Greg Street, also known to MMORPG fans as Ghostcrawler, announced via Twitter last night that he was forming his own game studio. While the name of the studio and the game they are developing is under wraps, Street confirmed on the thread that the upcoming title from his remote studio will be an "MMO or something very MMO-like".
Street has a storied history in the MMO development world, working on World of Warcraft for years at Blizzard Entertainment before moving on to Riot Games. Most recently he served as the executive producer for Riot's upcoming Runterra-set MMO, though Street stepped away from the project last month due to personal reasons.
The new thread posted late Wednesday evening sees Street sharing what is next for him after leaving Riot, stating that while moving away from California and his role at Riot to be closer to family might sound like retirement, he was instead moving forward with the next stage in his career.
"As I have shared with you all before, last year was a pretty brutal one for me personally," Street explains on Twitter. "After 15 years in California, I am moving back to Texas to be closer to my surviving family. This may sound like I am retiring from the game industry, but far from it!"
He goes on to state that the last few years made him reflect on his future, as well as the types of games Street wants to make.
These past few years made me think a lot about my future and what I want to accomplish. They’ve made me think of the kinds of games I wanted to make as the defining milestones of my career: I want to make games I am truly passionate about and that players will love. They’ve also…
— Greg Street (@Ghostcrawler) April 6, 2023
Street credits the "effectiveness of remote work," and how it helps him achieve his goal of staying "closer" to his family.
"I want to make games I am truly passionate about and that players will love. They’ve also made me think of the effectiveness of remote work and how it can help me stay closer to my family."
With the idea of remote work at the fore, Street announced he is starting his own remote studio with the goal to "move fast and go big." Street also states that he has already found a partner to help with his vision and that they are creating either an "MMO or something very MMO-like".
That is why I'm excited to announce that I am starting my own remote studio! Our goal is to move fast and go big. Fortunately, I have found a great strategic partner aligned with this vision, and we are moving forward!And yes it will be an MMO or something very MMO-like!
— Greg Street (@Ghostcrawler) April 6, 2023
Ghostcrawler's new studio is actively looking for talent to help fuel this new project, with the emphasis on established industry leaders at the start. However, he does mention in his thread that the studio will start hiring more at all levels of experience in the future.
Most importantly, players will be the judge of whether we win or lose. Things will be quiet for a bit while the adventuring party gears up, but we do plan to share what we’re working on early and often. We want to get you excited, hear your feedback, and give you the chance to…
— Greg Street (@Ghostcrawler) April 6, 2023
While no details are yet announced about the game itself or even the studio other than it's remote and making something at least MMO-adjacent, Street closes his thread by assuring fans that they will be talking about what the dev house is working on "early and often." This tracks with his approach at Riot as well, where Street was quite vocal online where he would often discuss MMO design concepts and ideas, as well as get feedback from what the community was looking for in the next great MMO.
Image via Riot Games
