Tencent Games are set to open a new studio in Orange County, California. This new development studio will be working on a new, unannounced AAA open-world game for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
Interestingly, the studio – LightSpeed LA – will be led by former Rockstar chief, Steve Martin, a key player behind the scenes during the development of Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption 2, to name a couple of his projects.
The new studio works under Tencent’s present Lightspeed & Quantum subsidiary, created back in 2008, one of four studios within the publisher.
Steve Martin released a statement, declaring that the studio will be “ushering a new era of game culture by combining world-class development with a stress-free work environment. From day one, our teams will be focused on building the highest caliber games while promoting integrity, pro activity, collaboration, and creativity.”
He also cited that he’d be creating “a crunch-free and inclusive culture” for the new studio, which appeared to be a reference to the supposed crunch culture within the gaming industry, and the allegations against Rockstar in particular.
A team is beginning to form within LightSpeed LA, attracting the creative minds from companies such as Rockstar Games, Respawn Entertainment, 2K Games, and Insomniac.
At this stage, no details are emerging about the AAA open-world game in development, but with all things considered, from Martin to the team assembled for the task at hand, as well as the advancements in gaming technology with the forthcoming PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles, it’s likely to attract attention in the industry.
Martin parted ways from Rockstar back in July 2019 and joined Tencent in December the same year.
Meanwhile for Rockstar, Sony has announced that Grand Theft Auto V will be coming to the PlayStation 5 In 2021. This means that Grand Theft Auto V will exist across three different platforms, the PS3, PS4, and soon, the PS5.
GTA Online will also be heading onto the PS5, with the promise of exclusive new content to the release on Sony’s next-gen console.
