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After leading the big maneuvers in Japan by founding Sakura Studio, Nagoshi Studio and by buying Grasshopper Manufacture, NetEase Games announced last May the formation of Jackalope Games, its first internal studio based in the United States, with Jack Emmert at its head. , an MMORPG veteran who worked for Cryptic Studios for a long time. Business picks up today with the announcement of Jar of Sparks, a new studio first party based in Seattle and dedicated to creating AAA games in the action/narrative genre. The studio is headed by Jerry Hook, former executive of 343 Industries but also more generally of Xbox and Xbox Live, of which he is one of the founders. The veteran will be joined by other 343 Industries defectors, including creative director Paul Crocker, executive producer Greg Stone and gameplay director Steve Dyck.
“We’ve made games for some of the biggest companies in the business, and now it’s time to try our own challenge. We want to create something new, innovative and fun to play. When we sought to create a new studio, the most important element in finding the right partner was to agree on the fundamental objectives, namely to have the freedom to take innovative risks and to put the passion of our creators at the forefront. . This meant that our players’ experience had to come before business, which is a risk in itself. NetEase came to the table with a strong creative approach. They demonstrated the same passion we have for our players and for creating new experiences that we believe players are looking for.“, commented CEO Jerry Hook to celebrate the announcement.