NCSoft, the publisher of Guild Wars 2 and Blade and Soul, has invested $3.5 million into Moon Rover Games to fund the latter's debut title Project Aldous, which is described as a cooperative shooter.
The upcoming cooperative shooter is set to launch on PC and consoles and NCSoft's investment in the project marks the beginning of a "long-term partnership."
NCSoft co-CEO Byungmoo Park said that the studio's debut title will "enhance" the publisher's portfolio in terms of "genre diversity and regional reach."
NCSoft Invests in Moon Rover Games
He also said that they were actively exploring studios with specialized genre expertise and strong development capabilities as they searched to forge new business opportunities.
Park added that Moon Rover Games stands out with its profound experience in the first-person shooter genre and innovative approaches, according to GamesIndustry.
Moon Rover Games CEO Julien Wera said that NCSoft's investment represents a milestone in the history of the developer. She said that it would enable them to combine the experience and ambitions of her team with the vast knowledge of the publisher.
The developer is based in Stockholm, Sweden, and was founded in 2023 by a team of Electronic Arts and Ubisoft veterans. They have experience working on various high-profile franchises, such as Far Cry, Battlefield, The Division, Halo, and Mirror's Edge.
Park also said that they believe partnering with Moon Rover Games will contribute to NCSoft's global expansion and strategy to develop a robust game development cluster.
During the seed round, NCSoft was the sole investor for Moon Rover Games, said GameDeveloper.
Developing an Emergent FPS Title
Moon Rover Games' Project Aldous is said to be based on an original intellectual property and the team behind it emphasizes that their goal is for emergent gameplay stories and an element of player agency.
The initial funding for the developer is part of what the studio is looking at as a longer-term involvement.
If everything pans out well for the two companies, Moon Rover Games said that they could continue discussing various methods of cooperation, including additional investments and publishing rights."
NCSoft said that it will announce in August later this year a number of new initiatives, including more investments in various areas. One of these is for a Korean game studio, adding that "joint business plans with a global partner."
The company also said that it plans to announce business plans for its proprietary shop/streaming/social platform, known as Purple, according to MMORPG.
