Sledgehammer Games co-founder and former Visceral Games chief operating officer Michael Condrey is opening up a new 2K development studio in Silicon Valley, Take-Two Interactive Software announced Monday morning.
Condrey will build and lead a new development team to work on an unannounced project, according to the press release.
2K’s new Silicon Valley studio – which hasn’t yet been named – is the latest of Take-Two’s growing line-up of wholly owned development teams which includes Visual Concepts, Firaxis Games, Hangar 13, and Cat Daddy Games. Take-Two says that Condrey and his future team will have the creative freedom to develop the studio’s vision and long-term projects while having access to a global network of proven industry leaders and resources across 2K’s studios.
“At 2K, we offer our collective audience a variety of engaging and captivating entertainment experiences. We continually seek opportunities to empower and invest in the right people and ideas,” David Ismailer, president at 2K, said in a prepared statement. “Michael’s unparalleled creative, production and leadership accolades are well-documented and deserved. We are greatly inspired not only by his passion but the potential for his new studio to complement our existing portfolio and development expertise. We welcome Michael to the 2K family and look forward to seeing our new Silicon Valley studio flourish in the months and years to come.”
In June, Ismailer told Variety that he wants to double the size of 2K by 2023.
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Parent company Take-Two Interactive is the publisher behind “Grand Theft Auto V,” which sold about 95 million copies and continues to bring in a steady stream of cash four years after its release. Take-Two has been slowly investing some of that cash in acquisitions. Last year, the company snagged “Kerbal Space Program,” and then launched a new publishing label, Private Division. The company also founded Ghost Story Games last year.
Ismailer said last year that when he took over leadership of 2K in 2017, his focus became to empower studios through more resources, a better infrastructure, and creative freedom to publish their games. More games could mean tapping into the company’s many untouched IP, creating entirely new games, or expanding on games that have already seen some success.
Condrey is a solid addition to 2K’s growing list of studios and developers. He brings with him more than 20 years of experience helping to build the “Call of Duty” brand and leading the creation of EA’s third-person, survival-horror shooter “Dead Space.”
