God of War is one of the most popular and critically acclaimed franchises on the PlayStation. The series has also stood the test of time since its inception in 2005. Another series that has been popular recently is the Star Wars Jedi series, which Respawn developed.
A connecting link between the two franchises is that the third installment and the first two installments of the second were directed by the same individual, Stig Asmussen. He recently departed from Respawn and started a new venture in the form of a new AAA studio called Giant Skull. Asmussen also shared his plans and what the studio aims to accomplish.
What God of War and Star Wars Jedi’s master director said about Giant Skull
The studio, Giant Skull, is based in Los Angeles, United States of America. The people who are part of it currently are also industry veterans who have worked on the Star Wars Jedi series, just like Amussen.
Talking to IGN, the ex-Respawn talent talked about what will be on the studio’s roadmap now that it has materialized. Not revealing a lot and still keeping the mystery element intact, Asmussen highlighted that intrigue and mystery would be prime in the studio’s approach.
The video game director also mentioned how the studio would emphasize incorporating a player-first approach, stating that:
“We want our players to have a certain degree of autonomy and ownership in the game and agency as they’re playing it. We want to make a game that has a momentum to it that you want to keep on playing it.”
His vision for the studio also appeared vastly different from the newfound live-service approach taken by many large-scale AAA studios. The ex-Respawn Game Director also elaborated on his time at Electronic Arts, one of the biggest video game companies in the world.
How was Asmussen’s experience working on Star Wars Jedi at EA?
Since the game director had been working on AAA single-player games while at EA, he was also asked why he chose to start his venture and depart from the video game giant. To which he answered:
I was very happy at Respawn. Love the team, love the studio, EA was great. It was more just, I was approached with a really interesting opportunity…It was something that was incredibly enticing.”
The studio employs close to 30 people, many of whom are industry veterans who have worked on the Star Wars Jedi series and tiles like Fortnite. With so much experience under the studio professionals’ belt, the studio should have relatively less trouble starting operations.
There isn’t anything teased by the studio apart from easter eggs that one can find by playing around with their website. If interested, one can explore the studio’s website here, it certainly seems to uphold the elements of surprise and intrigue, as stated by Asmussen.
