Sony Interactive Entertainment and a new studio called Ballistic Moon are allegedly working on Project Bates, a codename for a PS5 game using Unreal Engine 5. Multiple leads at Ballistic Moon are former developers at Supermassive Games, known for The Quarry and Until Dawn, so if the project is genuine, chances are high that it will be a single-player, narrative-based game in much the same vein. The game is apparently in early stages, which makes sense as, at the time of this writing, the studio is still looking for employees to fill a dozen positions.
What we know so far about Project Bates
Did we tell you we’re developing our new #game with #UE5? We’re working with a big publisher and our brilliant team of #gamedevs, AND we’ll be relocating soon..🤫
Lots going on! Tell us what you have been up to! 🌚✨ https://t.co/d5Vx62bO13#hiringno #gamedevjobs #Games— Ballistic Moon (@ballistic_moon) August 9, 2024
Based in Farnborough, UK (well, at least for now as they are relocating), Ballistic Moon is a self-described independent game studio who previously announced on its official Twitter account that it is “working with a big publisher.” According to Angie on Resetera, who credits user Toumari for finding information on this new game, this “big publisher” is apparently Sony Interactive Entertainment as one unnamed actor who began motion capture for Project Bates accidentally accredited it alongside Ballistic Moon.
Looking through some of the lead developers at Ballistic Moon, there’s Creative Director Neil McEwan who was a game director at Supermassive Games. Technology Director Chris Lamb also had a stint at the same developer working on Until Dawn and landed the role of lead engineer for Until Dawn: Rush of Blood. The Resetera thread also notes that Joshua Archer, the motion capture director for Project Bates, previously worked on Until Dawn as well. That said, while these clues suggest that the developer is creating a cinematic, choice-based adventure, this is just an educated guess.
As for how new the studio is, its first official tweet was on March 14 this year. Several notable tweets within the last month from the account have posted various images of mocap sessions, notably with actress Nicole Miners, possibly for early prototyping on the game.
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