Bad Robot Studios was created back in 2001, with filmmaker and director JJ Abrams at the lead of the company. The studio has produced a number of high-profile television series such as Westworld and Lost, as well as feature films including Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker, Star Trek , Mission: Impossible, and Cloverfield to name but a few.
In 2018 however, the company expanded, bringing the creation of Bad Robot Games, labeled as “ a new entity dedicated to developing large and indie-scale original games for mobile, PC and console. ” There has yet to be any notable releases from the studios as of writing, however, the addition of a new branch for the company, as well as a new member of the team, may go some way to changing their fortunes.
NEWS
In a report posted by GamesBeat , JJ Abrams' film company Bad Robot has confirmed the launch of its own game development studio, Bad Robot Games Studio. Along with this, the company has confirmed that Michael Booth, the game creator behind titles such as Left 4 Dead , is set to become general manager of the studio. Booth will work closely alongside the recently appointed CEO of Bad Robot Games , Anna Sweet.
Sweet is now set to manage two sections of the company, with the studio working collaboratively on games with external game partners. The studio will also work on its own games, as led by Booth, who has recently worked for Facebook, Electronic Arts and Valve.
Booth will lead to create an original game for the studio, which is being billed as a triple-A for consoles and PC. The game is said to be immersive for players and "streaming audiences" to form "a co-op cinematic experience."
Bad Robot Games is also set to work with all sectors of Abrams' television and film company, with the desire to “ create gaming destinations whose worlds and stories can live across multiple mediums, with the goal of making them as much fun to watch as they are to play. ”
WHAT THIS MEANS
A continuation of the Left 4 Dead franchise is widely desired by the fan base of the game. Whilst games have tried to match its unique, frantic gameplay style in the past, the franchise managed to figure out a formula that is yet to be recreated. Since Left 4 Dead 2 was released back in 2009, the zombie genre of video games has become extremely oversaturated, with many developers dipping their hands into an undead release at some point. Whilst no rumors regarding a third game in the franchise have surfaced in recent years, a return to gaming for Michael Booth may re-spark the rumor mill.
The desire to work on cross-media platforms from the studio is a brave one, but also an exciting one. We're beginning to see video games cross over to other platforms such as television and film more often now, including the soon to be released Assassins Creed Netflix series , and if pulled off correctly, Bad Robot Games may be able to master a difficult market.
There's also potential that a new batch of Star Wars games may be coming to players' screens in the near future. Following the success of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, fans have been desperate for news regarding a new game that can match the level that EA managed to hit. With the lackluster release of Star Wars: Squadrons, fans may become excited once again for a potential new entry into the Star Wars video game universe.
XBOX Writer