New studio Blue Scarab Entertainment, based in Stockholm, announced itself today. The studio announced it’s raised $7 million in its seed investment, and is led by CEO Colin Cragg and CTO Enno Rehling. The studio also announced it’s working on its first game, a story-driven MMORPG that blends cozy escapism, horseback riding and true crime.
Netease and Behold Ventures led the seed funding, with other investors including Raw Fury founder Jonas Antonsson, Betware founder Ólafur Andri Ragnarsson, and Creandum founder Stefan Lindeberg. CEO Cragg said in a statement, “With the backing of NetEase Games we’re empowered to bring our vision to life. We’re grateful for their commitment to creative freedom, supporting expertise, and resources as we set off on this adventure.”
According to the studio, its new MMORPG is an original IP, one which blends cozy gameplay and exploration on horseback and a dark mystery. The studio’s team includes staff who have previously worked on Helldivers 2, Star Stable Online, World of Warcraft, Battlefield and Age of Conan among others. Craig Morrison, previously of Blizzard, DICE and Funcom, recently joined as studio director. Other new hires include
Morrison said in a statement, “As the games industry has expanded, we have welcomed many new audiences. We believe there is space for fusing and evolving previous gaming and media experiences into something new and fresh for this expanded community. Innovation through iteration can be very powerful. Our goal is to bring all the expertise that our team has accumulated to forge new experiences for a wider audience than ever before. We want to try to defy genre expectations, while still leveraging all the skills and experience of the team we have assembled.”
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