Epic Games Opens A New Studio In Europe

Epic Games–the creators behind the popular shooter Fortnite: Battle Royale–has announced the opening of a new studio in Cologne, Germany. The newest studio to fall under Epic’s umbrella is imaginatively titled Epic Games Cologne and will be led by the former founders of Factor 5, creators of the Turrican and Star Wars: Rogue Squadron franchises.

Prior to joining Epic, the Factor 5 team–including Epic Games Director of Online Technology Julian Eggebrecht and Cologne Studio Director Achim Moller–were working on media delivery with Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu, as well as serving as technology partners for both Nintendo and Sony. It doesn’t sound like Epic Games Cologne will deviate too far from this focus, as Epic says the new studio will “[serve] as part of the company’s expanding focus on emerging forms of interactive media and streaming technologies.”

“At the core of Epic’s success are highly-skilled and passionate individuals,” Eggebrecht says in the company’s press release. “Germany is a nation at the forefront of technology and we look forward to extending our local presence as we fill newly created roles and hire exceptional talent.”

Eggebrecht and Moller both joined Epic earlier this year and previously headed Factor 5 before the studio’s closure in 2009. It’s exciting to imagine a future where a new Rogue Squadron game could feasibly exist, but it doesn’t sound like Epic Games Cologne will be developing games of its own. Maybe we’ll see some kind of cross-media Fortnite content, or a streaming platform to rival Twitch and Mixer. Epic Games has already taken on Steam with the Epic Games Store, so anything is possible, but this is all pure speculation at this point.

Perhaps we’ll discover more next week when the gaming industry shifts its focus to Cologne for Gamescom 2019.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/epic-games-opens-a-new-studio-in-europe/1100-6469108/