Former Naughty Dog, Bungie And Infinity Ward Developers Establish A New Studio

With Microsoft and Sony's continued procurement of studios to expand their catalogue of storytellers, the former Sony boss highlighted his worries about this strategy.

But amidst acquisitions and coalitions, new studios continue to emerge, and one particular company starting out boasts an alumnus of talented individuals.

Read More: Sony Confirms Acquisition Of Returnal Developer Housemarque

Former Naughty Dog, Bungie And Infinity Ward Developers Establish A New Studio

A vast number of developers deriving from Santa Monica Studios, Bungie, Naughty Dog, PlayStation, Infinity Ward and many more have collectively established a new studio: That's No Moon.

click to enlarge

Many of those working in That's No Moon's leadership department boast an impressive track record:

• Michael Mumbauer previously acted as a Senior Director of Visual Arts for Ghost of Tsushima, The Last of Us Part II, Jedi Fallen Order and more.
• Tina Kowalewski was the former Director of Product Development at Santa Monica Studios. Credits include Journey, Twisted Metal, among others.
• Taylor Kurosaki operated as a Studio Narrative Director for Modern Warfare (2019) and Narrative Design Lead for Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception.
• Nick Kononelos enlisted as the Senior Development Director at EA working Need for Speed and Madden NFL. Kononelos also worked at PlayStation as a Senior Manager of Production, contributing to franchises like Uncharted, The Last of Us and God of War.

The studio is primarily focused on producing narrative-driven games with their first project being an ambitious AAA title, which has already begun development:

We believe in the importance of single-player narrative games and that story and gameplay are not two distinct ideas, but rather extensions of one another. We are fortunate to have found a partner that shares our values in Smilegate⁠—creators of the record-shattering CROSSFIRE franchise⁠—who have invested more than $100 million in our debut project and studio.

Given the track record of this accomplished crew, we will see whether That's No Moon can replicate the success previously generated by most of the talent working there.