The Gardens studio aims to create “vibrant online games that foster meaningful multiplayer moments and relationships.”

Gardens has officially announced its formation. Its developers have previously worked on Journey, What Remains of Edith Finch, Blaseball, and Sky: Children of the Light. The team is mainly focused on remote work, and its founding members include Chris Bell (Journey, What Remains of Edith Finch, Sky: Children of the Light, Way), Lexie Dostal (Dustforce) and Stephen Bell (Blaseball, What Remains of Edith Finch). Members also include people who have worked on the Fallout series, Ashen, The Hobbit, Ratchet & Clank, Marvel’s Spider-Man and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

The studio’s name expresses the kind of game worlds it wants to create. In the press release, they wrote, “These artfully-crafted, living environments will be designed to foster rich multiplayer interactions while relying on care by their communities to thrive. They are games that aspire to cultivate lasting friendships (like Journey, Sky, or Way before them) while encouraging players to be considerate of each other and the world they inhabit together.” Their first game is based on past online experiences designed and shared by team members, and players find themselves in a mysterious and magical world. The concept artist will be ma-ko, the art director will be Leighton Milne (Ashen, The Hobbit), and the art team will be led by Tyan Benno (Marvel’s Spider-Man, Ratchet & Clank).

The team includes Sarah Sands (position and previous work in brackets: executive producer; Fullbright, Nike, DirectTV), Ryan Benno (lead artist; Marvel’s Spider-Man, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, Ratchet & Clank), Rose Dale (principal engineer; The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Fallout 3, Fallout 4), Roldan Melcon (senior engineer; Blaseball, Where Cards Fall), Tonia Beglari (gameplay engineer; Monster Hunter World: Iceborne XR Walk, The Under Presents), and Leighton Milne (art director; Ashen, The Hobbit).

In July, they raised four and a half million dollars in funding, which they plan to use to grow the team later. Several positions have opened up at the Gardens (3D artist, animator, engineer…). Good luck to them.

Source: Gematsu