South Korea’s video game giant Nexon, the publisher behind Maple Story, Lawbreakers (Cliff Bleszinski’s upcoming game), and First Assault (the online FPS based on the Ghost in the Shell franchise); announced today that their North American arm will be the worldwide publisher for the first title to come out of First Strike Games.
Little is known about First Strike Games at this point beyond the fact that they were formed in 2016, and that they plan to develop multiplayer focused titles. That second part is easily confirmed by anyone who logs onto their home page, which simply says “We Make Multiplayer” in an oversized font.
The studio is currently led by a senior staff of veterans including CEO Kevin Franklin who worked at EA’s Blackbox studio before moving onto the Halo factory that is 343 Industries. Doug Barnes, an engineer who led the team that made the eSports modes found in Halo 5. Brian Lemon who spent a lot of the last decade at 343 Industries and Ensemble Studios, and Jeff Hilbert who was the founder of a large and very successful video game talent agency.
“We are super focused on competitive multiplayer games at First Strike,” said Kevin Franklin, CEO, First Strike Games. “In Nexon, we found a partner who has truly understood the gameplay we are exploring, has embraced our company vision and has contributed great ideas and expertise. We are looking forward to making amazing games together.”
Nexon was willing to confirm that First Strike Games is currently entering full production on this new title and that the studio is 50 plus staff members strong at the time of publishing this story. The yet unannounced title is expected to have an E10+ rating, and Nexon promises more details about this game will be announced later this year.