Korean publisher and well known MMORPG gaming giant NCSOFT has announced a strategic investment in Austin-based indie studio Emptyvessel, known for its upcoming cyberpunk tactical shooter, Defect. Emptyvessel is founded by numerous industry veterans from Activision, Disney, id Software, Microsoft, and Naughty Dog.
The team previously showcased Defect via a YouTube reveal in 2024 that has garnered nearly 2 million views. The studio has pulled talent from developers with experience on an abundance of acclaimed titles like DOOM, Call of Duty, The Last of Us, and Uncharted.
In a press release, Emptyvessel's Game Director, Emanuel Palalic, emphasized the studio’s passion-driven, risk-taking approach and sees NCSOFT’s involvement as key to advancing both Defect and the studio itself. NCSOFT Co-CEO Byung-moo Park highlighted Emptyvessel’s experience in the shooter genre, underscoring NCSOFT's strategy of building genre-focused development clusters.
This collaboration aligns with NCSOFT’s broader goal of expanding its global IP portfolio through strategic international investments, previously including Moon Rover Games (Sweden), Virtual Alchemy (Poland), and Mistil Games (Korea). This new investment comes at a time of studio uncertainty with multiple layoffs from large publishers becoming a continuing challenge in the industry. You can wishlist Defect now on Steam.
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