Star Wars Jedi director starts new studio with a bunch of ex-Respawn talent
Game director Stig Asmussen, who left Respawn Entertainment last fall has a new studio after making two games for publisher Electronic Arts. It is called Giant skulland he’s bringing a long list of ex-Respawn talent to his new venture.
Asmussen’s credits include Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, its sequel, and multiple God of War games. It should come as no surprise that his new company is described as “dedicated to building gameplay-driven, story-driven action-adventure games set in compelling worlds.” Giant Skull’s first untitled project is an “AAA single-player focused action-adventure” built in Unreal Engine 5, the developer said in a press release announcing the studio.
Joining Asmussen at Giant Skull are other experienced game developers from Epic Games, Riot Games and Rocksteady Studios, including: Jon Carr, Technical Director of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor; Patrick Murphy, an art director who worked on Fortnite, Valorant, League of Legends, and God of war; Lauren McLemore, a lead producer Fortnite; Jeff Magers, design director of the Star Wars Jedi games; and Brian Campbell, former animation director at Epic Games.
“We have assembled a talented team known for compelling stories, heroic battles and thrilling journeys, and our goal is to create a rich universe that players will want to lose themselves in for years to come,” Asmussen said in a statement.
“We want players to be with us every step of this amazing journey as we pave the way for our upcoming game,” said Anthony Scott, COO/CFO of Giant Skull, and former Director of Operations at Rocksteady Studios and Head of Unbroken Studios. “We are creating something special and have been fortunate to assemble an incredible team of developers who are extremely passionate and experienced in creating genre-defining third-person action adventures.”
Giant Skull’s announcement comes just a few weeks after mass layoffs at publisher Electronic Arts, which also canceled Respawn’s in-development first-person shooter set in the Star Wars universe. Asmussen’s new studio also comes amid severe budget cuts at studios and publishers in North America and Europe; Thousands of video game workers have lost their jobs this year, after an equally bleak year for industry employment.