Tencent Holdings has opened a new development studio in Los Angeles that will work on AAA games for next-gen consoles.
The studio is called LightSpeed LA, and will be headed by former Rockstar Games studio manager and director Steve Martin. According to GamesIndustry.biz, The Orange County studio has already put together an experienced team of veterans who have spent time at top-tier developers such as Respawn Entertainment, 2K Games, and Insomniac Games.
LightSpeed LA’s first AAA game is said to be an open world title that will launch on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. No other information has been revealed about the game.
In a press statement, Martin said he’s dedicated to creating “a crunch-free and inclusive culture” for the new studio. “We’re 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, proactivity, collaboration and creativity,” he added.
Martin left Rockstar in July 2019. During his tenure there, he worked on popular games such as L.A. Noire, Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption II.
Back in May, OtherSide Entertainment announced that Tencent would be taking over development of the troubled System Shock 3, after several years of delays. The game was first announced in 2015, after OtherSide acquired publishing rights from Nightdive Studios.
However, the rights to the System Shock IP are still currently owned by Nightdive Studios, which is independently working on a remake of the original System Shock.