NCSoft Makes Strategic Investment in US Independent Game Studio "emptyvessel"

Veterans from Disney and Microsoft Form New Studio
Currently Developing PC Shooter "DEFECT"

Shooting game "DEFECT" developed by MTVESL. Photo by NCSoft

NCSoft announced on May 2 that it has made a strategic equity investment in the US independent game development studio "emptyvessel."

This investment, made through NCWest, NCSoft's North American subsidiary, is seen as a strategic move to expand NCSoft’s global game portfolio. Founded in 2023 in Austin, Texas, emptyvessel is a triple-A game studio comprised of veteran developers from Activision, Disney, id Software, Microsoft, and Naughty Dog.

The founding members of emptyvessel are experts in the first-person shooter (FPS) and action-adventure genres, having participated in the development of hit titles such as "Doom," "Quake," "Call of Duty," "The Last of Us," "Borderlands," "Tomb Raider," and "Uncharted."

Currently, emptyvessel is developing a cyberpunk-style shooting game titled "DEFECT." This PC game, built on Unreal Engine 5, released its first official trailer last year.

With this investment as a starting point, the two companies plan to establish a long-term partnership and explore various forms of collaboration, including publishing rights for "DEFECT."

Park Byungmoo, Co-CEO of NCSoft, stated, "emptyvessel is a triple-A development studio founded by developers with proven experience and expertise in the globally popular shooting game genre, as well as game art and sound experts with dedicated fanbases. We will continue to invest in securing new overseas IP and building genre-specific cluster pipelines."

Emmanuel Pappalardo, CEO of emptyvessel, said, "With the support and expertise of NCSoft, we expect both DEFECT and emptyvessel to reach new heights."