What you need to know
- Halo Infinite’s former Art Director Nicolas “Sparth” Bouvier has joined the development studio Team Kaiju.
- Team Kaiju is currently working on an unannounced live service shooter game. The studio is led by Scott Warner and Rositza Zagortcheva, both of which have significant experience in leadership positions for games like Halo and Battlefield.
- According to an interview with Warner and Zagortcheva, Team Kaiju is aiming to make its shooter stand out from other games in the genre, with Warner stating that “gaming has yet to address all the player fantasies we could enjoy in an FPS game” while discussing the project.
A few weeks ago in July, Halo Infinite’s Art Director, Nicolas “Sparth” Bouvier, announced his departure from 343 Industries and Microsoft. At the time, it was unclear where Bouvier would go next, as the announcement didn’t tell fans much other than that he had “decided to pursue other opportunities.” However, thanks to a new post from Bouvier on Twitter, we now know that he has officially joined the developer Team Kaiju as its Senior Art Director.Â
“I am very excited to announce that I have joined Team Kaiju and TiMi G1 Studio to participate in their new AAA adventures as Senior Art Director,” wrote Bouvier. “Delighted to jump to a new team of great creative talents to create an entirely new IP for players around the world.”
Hi all! I am very excited to announce that I have joined Team Kaiju and TiMi G1 Studio to participate in their new AAA adventures as Senior Art Director. Delighted to jump to a new team of great creative talents to create an entirely new IP for players around the world. pic.twitter.com/H9HyD1QAYuAugust 9, 2022
Formed in 2021, Team Kaiju is a new studio working on an unannounced AAA live service first-person shooter. The company is led by Scott Warner (Halo 4’s Lead Designer) and Rositza Zagortcheva (Senior Director on Battlefield 4, Battlefield V, and Star Wars: Battlefront), who currently serve as Team Kaiju’s Studio Head and Director of Operations, respectively.
According to an interview with Gamesindustry.biz, the studio’s goal is to create a unique experience that sets itself apart from other games in the genre. “Gaming has yet to address all the player fantasies we could enjoy in an FPS game,” Warner said while speaking about the project, suggesting that the developer’s new IP will break away from current trends. “In my personal opinion, video games are the preeminent creative medium of the 21st century. We’re in the ‘silent film’ era, as far as I’m concerned, in terms of all the different interactions, fantasies, and everything we can realize.”
Of course, a huge part of creating a game is designing its aesthetic, and since Bouvier worked closely with Microsoft on games like Halo Infinite for over 10 years, he has plenty of experience doing just that. As such, we’re excited to see what he and the rest of the developers at Team Kaiju have cooking up, though it may be awhile before the newly-formed studio has something to show off.
