Michael Condrey is behind some of modern gaming’s greatest hits: he co-created the survival horror/actioner Dead Space when he was chief operating officer and director at Visceral Games, co-founded the development studio Sledgehammer games, and subsequently worked on numerous Call of Duty titles. His talent, as they say, precedes him.
2K Interactive Software just acquired that talent.
“At 2K, we offer our collective audience a variety of engaging and captivating entertainment experiences. We continually seek opportunities to empower and invest in the right people and ideas,” said David Ismailer, President at 2K, via business wire. “Michael’s unparalleled creative, production and leadership accolades are well-documented and deserved. We are greatly inspired not only by his passion but the potential for his new studio to complement our existing portfolio and development expertise. We welcome Michael to the 2K family and look forward to seeing our new Silicon Valley studio flourish in the months and years to come.”
Condrey is building the studio talent pool from the ground up as they create a new, unannounced IP.
Condrey joined 2K due to the creative freedom over other publishers. “Great games come from the passion of a team driven by the pursuit of quality and the empowerment of an independent studio model,” Condrey said in a statement. “2K’s studios have creative and technical autonomy, backed by world-class infrastructure of support, and that offers the perfect recipe to build a new studio and craft experiences that will lead the next generation of gaming for fans everywhere.”
Condrey’s praise has merit. 2K is a storied publisher with franchises such as Grand Theft Auto, Bioshock, Red Dead Redemption, and Borderlands, and 2K letting their developers run their projects is a big reason why these brands maintain lasting value.
Let’s hope we don’t have to wait too long to find out what Condrey and his team are developing.
