J.J. Abrams’ production company Bad Robot is going all in on gaming.
According to an announcement from company president and COO Brian Weinstein, a new division — titled Bad Robot Games — has been formed thanks to a “strategic relationship” with Chinese internet giant Tencent. It will be led by Dave Baronoff, who has led Bad Robot Productions’ games and interactive content creation since 2006.
In addition, this venture is also backed by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment who is joining in as a minority investor.
Here is a statement about this development from J.J. Abrams:
“I’m a massive games fan, and increasingly envious of the amazing tools developers get to work with, and the worlds they get to play in. Now we are doubling down on our commitment to the space with a unique co-development approach to game making that allows us to focus on what we do best, and hopefully be a meaningful multiplier to our developer partners. Dave’s creativity, deep passion and skillful leadership will be incredibly valuable as we harness our partner Tencent’s expertise, experience and reach to bring our games to audiences around the world.”
To be clear, Bad Robot is not necessarily a newcomer in the gaming industry, as it has dabbled in games and interactive experiences in the past. However, the formation of an entirely new division is a clear indicator that this is a concerted effort to carve a space for itself in the gaming space.
As for the games it will use to carve out that space? That’s still unclear. For now, all that’s known is that Bad Robot Games will partner with known game developers to create both large scale and indie titles for console, PC, and mobile titles, while in-house visual artists, designers, and writers from Bad Robot will work on the projects.
