Naughty Dog, Bungie, and PlayStation vets form new studio That’s No Moon

Work has already begun on developer’s first project

There’s a new gun in town. A group of industry veterans has come together to form brand new studio That’s No Moon. Based in both Los Angeles and San Diego, the new venture has an eye to creating brand new, big-budget, AAA titles and has already started work on its first release, believed to be a “limit-pushing”, story-driven, action-adventure game.

Among the players involved in That’s No Moon foundation are former PlayStation Visual Arts Group director Michael Mumbauer, Sony Santa Monica’s former Director of Product Development Tina Kowalewski, former EA Senior Development Director Nick Kononelos, PlayStation’s former Head of Finance George Allison, and Bungie’s former Foundation Engineer Barry Genova — a lot of major names from some of gaming’s biggest developers and publishers.

The development of the studio’s first project will be lead by Taylor Kurosaki, who has previously worked in narrative design capacities for both Naughty Dog and Infinity Ward. The title will be directed by Jacob Minkoff, who was responsible for the lead design work on The Last of Us for Naughty Dog and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare for Activision. It seems like the new studio is clearly preparing to make a big splash with its first release, roping in some heavy-hitters when it comes to story-driven gaming. That’s No Moon has already acquired a $100 million investment from Crossfire developer Smilegate.

“We started That’s No Moon with a singular vision of creating unforgettable stories and characters that will define and extend beyond our medium,” said Mumbauer in the company’s debut statement. “I’m proud to share that ambition with such a talented team of creators and our incredible partners at Smilegate.”

You can read more about That’s No Moon and its aspirations in this interview with GamesIndustry.biz.