Batman Arkham And Halo Devs Announce Studio Dedicated To Single-Player Story-Driven Games

A bunch of games industry veterans, who’ve worked on a number of huge AAA games including the Batman Arkham trilogy and the Halo franchise, have joined up with NetEase Games to form a new first party studio.

As reported by GamesRadar+, the new studio is named Jar of Sparks, and is being led by Jerry Hook, who left 343 Industries less than two months ago. The studio’s focus will apparently be on “narrative-driven action games”.

While you're here, be sure to check out some of our favourite wins and fails from Halo Infinite below.

“I am excited to announce that our new studio, Jar of Sparks, is up and running. Our mission is to create a new generation of narrative-driven action games in a new world,” CEO Jerry Hook wrote on Twitter. “We will be building games that are a blast to play, with a team that has the creative freedom to innovate and deliver on their dreams. We are just getting started as a remote/hybrid studio and will be opening roles available worldwide.”

We will be building games that are a blast to play, with a team that has the creative freedom to innovate and deliver on their dreams. We are just getting started as a remote/hybrid studio and will be opening roles available worldwide.

— jerry hook (@hookscourt) July 18, 2022

Alongside Jerry Hook (who was not only the head of design for Halo Infinite, but helped launch the original Xbox and had a number of executive roles across the Halo and Destiny franchises), the team includes Paul Crocker as the creative director (formerly lead narrative director of the Batman Arkham trilogy and assistant creative director for Halo Infinite), executive producer Greg Stone (formerly a producer on DOOM [2016] and Halo Infinite), and also gameplay director Steve Dyck (former animation director and design director for many franchises, including Halo).

“We have built games for some of the biggest companies in gaming, and now it’s time to take a shot at putting our own personal lightning in a bottle. We want to create something new, innovative and that’s a blast to play,” Hook said in a press release. “When looking to create a new studio the most critical part of finding the right partner was being aligned on the fundamental goals of having the freedom to take innovative risks and to put the passion of our creators first. This meant that our player experiences came before the business, which itself is a risk. NetEase came to the table with a strong creative first approach; they demonstrated the same passion we have for our players and building new experiences that we believe players are looking for.”