Stig Asmussen, the director behind the Star Wars Jedi series and God of War III, has formed a new AAA game studio based in Los Angeles. According to a press release, Giant Skull will create “gameplay-driven, story-immersed action-adventure games set in captivating worlds.”
Currently, the studio is hard at work on a single-player action-adventure game built using Unreal Engine 5. After leaving Respawn last year, Asmussen is leading development on the project.
“The Giant Skull studio culture is founded on creativity and curiosity. We have assembled a talented team renowned for immersive storytelling, heroic combat, and exhilarating traversal, and our goal is to craft a rich universe that players will want to lose themselves in for years to come,” Asmussen said.
Jon Carr, the former technical director of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, has also joined the Giant Skull. He’s joined by Patrick Murphy, the art director on Valorant, Fornite, and League of Legends, as well as design director Jeff Magers, animation director Brian Campbell, and Anthony Scott. Magers is known for his work on Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, while Scott spent years at Rocksteady Studios.
“We want players to join us on every step of this amazing journey, as we pave the way for our upcoming game,” said Scott. “We’re creating something special and have been fortunate enough to assemble an incredible initial team of developers who are extremely passionate and experienced in creating genre-defining, third person action-adventures.”
In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Asmussen noted that his desire to start his own studio began during his time at EA.
“I really enjoyed my time at Respawn, and the Jedi team is incredible. EA was a very supportive company. But this opportunity presented itself, and…there was this itch that as soon as I started thinking about it, I just couldn’t shake.”
