Microsoft's Secretive Game Team Hires Rockstar Game Dev

Game Rant

By Jasmine Henry

Published Oct 16, 2018

Microsoft's secretive game development studio, The Initiative, hires former Rockstar Games and Red Dead Redemption developer Tom Shepherd to the team.

At E3 2018, Microsoft made a splash when it announced that it is now the parent company of five new developers. In addition to existing development teams, it also included a brand new studio called The Initiative, which has set up shop in Santa Monica, CA. and is currently hard at work on an unknown project.

While it's not yet known what The Initiative is working on, the new Microsoft studio has been amassing a roster of high profile talent. The latest person to call themselves an employee at The Initiative is Tom Shepherd, who has been working at the studio since September 2018. Shepherd's previous roles include technical director at Rockstar Games, where the developer led "larger programmer teams" on Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto 5, according to LinkedIn.

Shepherd isn't the only former Rockstar game developer to have taken a role at The Initiative in recent months. Another recent hire includes Christian Cantamessa, who was a lead writer and designer on Red Dead Redemption. The Initiative team also includes former devs who have worked on the Tomb Raider series, the Uncharted franchise, and even CD Projekt RED's hit fantasy RPG, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

Microsoft The Initiative Tom Shepherd LinkedIn

It's unclear exactly what The Initiative is working on but fans are hopeful that these new projects will help address the Xbox One's lack of exclusive games. While recent months have seen games such as State of Decay 2, Forza Horizon 4, and Sea of Thieves launch on the console, many have argued that isn't enough. Fans have called upon Microsoft to invest more in its first-party teams and The Initiative seems to be a very big response.

Unfortunately, fans may have to wait a while for The Initiative to make any official game announcements. While the upcoming X018 event would be a prime opportunity to unveil a new, Xbox One exclusive title, The Initiative's debut game likely isn't ready to be shown off just yet.

According to Shepherd's LinkedIn activity page, the studio is still looking to hire artists, engineers, and designers and over the next year, The Initiative will be "building the team out." This would all suggest that the studio's debut title is still very early in development - if it has even entered production - so don't expect this one to be shown off soon.

Source: LinkedIn - Tom Shepherd (via Windows Central)