Star Wars director J.J. Abrams’ very own production company, Bad Robot Productions, has formed an in-house gaming studio, named Bad Robot Games. It will be tapping on industry veteran and creator of Valve’s popular zombie shooter Left 4 Dead, Michael Booth, to help run the studio as its general manager.
Booth will be reporting to Anna Sweet, former Valve and Oculus leader, who has been hired to be Bad Robot Games’ CEO.
Bad Robot Games will both be working on co-development deals struck with external game partners, as well as its very own in-house game headed by Booth. According to a statement by the company (via Variety), the game led by Booth will be a AAA title for both the PC and console, and is “designed to immerse players and streaming audiences in a ‘cinematic experience’”.
Aside from Left 4 Dead, Booth has worked on several game franchises over the games. He has worked on titles such as Counter-Strike: Condition Zero, Team Fortress, Command & Conquer: Generals, and Nox.
“My career has been driven by a desire to innovate new ways of bringing people together for epic adventures online, leaving them exciting stories they can tell their friends afterwards,” Booth said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
He added, “The games I create centre around people working together to survive and thrive in fantastic worlds, which seems an excellent fit for JJ Abrams’ approach to moviemaking. As a huge fan of JJ’s work, I’m incredibly excited by the unique opportunity to create something new at Bad Robot Games Studios in collaboration with the world-class talent at Bad Robot.”
Bad Robot Games has yet to announce what its first game will be.
Meanwhile, the next entry in the Left 4 Dead franchise by Turtle Rock Studios is Back 4 Blood, which saw its first official trailer first seen at The Game Awards 2020.