Former Control lead designer launches a new studio with NetEase

(Image credit: Anchor Point Studios)

NetEase has launched a new development studio called Anchor Point, based in Barcelona and Seattle and headed up by Paul Ehreth, formerly the lead designer on Remedy's hit multidimensional shooter Control.

"We’re so excited to officially drop our anchor in Barcelona, the hometown of my great-grandparents, and start building a strong team for our journey of exploration together with NetEase Games," Ehreth said. "We're grateful to NetEase Games for giving us the creative freedom and resources to build this interconnected world that will expand beyond games and reach into other mediums as well."

Specifics on Anchor Point's first game aren't mentioned, but the studio "is dedicated to developing action-adventure games for console and PC that push the boundaries of entertainment and bring elements of surprise into the gameplay." I would normally guess that tightly-wounded phraseology is PR-speak for a shooter, but Ehreth's credits are varied enough that it's not a sure thing: Prior to Control, he was a mission designer on Halo 4, and before that a level designer on Kinect Adventures and Shadowrun.

The Anchor Point website features a brief animated clip of a colorful fantasy forest floor, with coins falling from the sky, or perhaps from the branches of a coin tree; a skeletal hand reaches out of a pink pumpkin to scoop one up. So that's not super helpful. The current job listings don't say much about what's cooking, either: They refer to it only as a "new, innovative 3D action title" that will presumably be built in Unreal Engine 5. The Lead AI Programmer listing says a "deep understanding of Unreal Engine 5 C++ and Blueprint system" are required.

If you'd like to apply for a job, you can do so at anchor-point.com. If you really just want to keep up with what the studio is doing, you can follow along on Twitter.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.