NCsoft Announces Carbine Studios

MMOG publisher NCsoft has formally announced its newest division, the veteran-laden development team Carbine Studios.

Based in California, Carbine Studios is made up of 17 former employees of Blizzard, including numerous senior developers from the World of Warcraft team. Tim Cain, the Producer, Lead Programmer and designer of Fallout who went on to co-found the now-defunct Troika Games, is serving as Carbine's Programming Director, while World of Warcraft Lead Developer Kevin Beardslee holds the position of Vice President of Design and Turbine co-founder Jeremy Gaffney will work as the company's Executive Producer.

Calling it a "dev team made in heaven," NCsoft North America CEO Robert Garriott said, "This group is as experienced as they come in the area of computer role playing and multiplayer game design. Making successful games is second nature to them. They are a very welcome addition to the NCsoft family. The gaming community should be excited to see what great things come out of Carbine Studios in the coming years."

"NCsoft's established global infrastructure, commitment to their development studios and passion for online gaming makes them an ideal partner," said Beardslee. "In the coming months Carbine Studios will continue to grow and we look forward to bringing many more talented industry professionals into our fold."

The company is currently working on an unannounced MMOG which the studio says will "break new ground in massively multiplayer gaming."