Summary
- Stig Asmussen leaves Respawn to create Giant Skull, aiming to craft a new AAA single-player action game using Unreal Engine 5.
- Giant Skull already boasts a talented team with experience from God of War, Star Wars Jedi, Valorant, and Fortnite.
- While details on the debut title are scarce, fans of Asmussen's past work can anticipate a thrilling adventure in the coming years.
Stig Asmussen, acclaimed director of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Survivor, has split from Respawn Entertainment and EA to create his own AAA game studio named Giant Skull. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor launched nearly a year ago to high praise from Star Wars fans and from gamers in general, going on to become one of the very best titles of the year, and leaving fans yearning for the series' confirmed third installment.
Before directing two of the best AAA Star Wars games ever made with Respawn Entertainment, Stig Asmussen spent nearly a decade at Sony's Santa Monica Studio, working on the original God of War games. Beginning as a lead environment artist for 2005's God of War debut, Asmussen became an art director for God of War 2, ultimately ending up as God of War 3's director. Leaving Santa Monica Studio in 2014, Asmussen joined up with EA's freshly created Respawn Entertainment, led by industry veteran Vince Zampella, to direct Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, helping to course correct EA's mishandling of its exclusive Star Wars gaming rights after two sourly received Star Wars: Battlefront games.
What to Expect From Respawn Entertainment in 2024
Respawn Entertainment is quickly becoming one of the best AAA studios out there, and 2024 looks like it could be another great year for the developer.
Several months after departing Respawn Entertainment in September 2023, Stig Asmussen has unveiled his own brand-new AAA studio based in Los Angeles, named Giant Skull. While still growing, the studio already has an impressive roster of developers, many of whom have worked with Asmussen in the past, either at Santa Monica Studio on the God of War series or at Respawn on the Star Wars Jedi games. Other Giant Skull team members come from Epic Games and Riot Games, having worked on massively popular live service titles like Valorant, Fortnite, and League of Legends.
Giant Skull is confirmed to be making a third-person AAA single-player action adventure title, which makes sense considering Asmussen and the team's prior experience building such games. The studio is also confirmed to be using Unreal Engine 5 for this debut title. Since EA's Star Wars exclusivity has ended, it's still possible for Asmussen and Giant Skull to work on a new Star Wars title, though it certainly wouldn't have any connection to Respawn's Jedi games. Star Wars or not, it'll be interesting to see if Giant Skull will self-publish its games or if it'll team up with a third-party publisher like 505 Games, Private Division, or Epic Games.
When Can Gamers Expect To Learn More About Giant Skull's Debut Title?
Since the studio is still forming, it will likely be several years before Giant Skull is ready to share what it's working on, and even longer until the game is ready to release. Fans of the original God of War games and of the recent Star Wars Jedi titles should be looking forward to seeing what Giant Skull has in store over the next several years.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 84 /100 Critics Rec: 87%
- Released
- April 28, 2023
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Mild Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Respawn Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Electronic Arts
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Franchise
- Star Wars
WHERE TO PLAY
The story of Cal Kestis continues in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor™, a third person galaxy-spanning action-adventure game from Respawn Entertainment, developed in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games. This narratively-driven, single player title picks up five years after the events of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order™ and follows Cal’s increasingly desperate fight as the galaxy descends further into darkness. Pushed to the edges of the galaxy by the Empire, Cal will find himself surrounded by threats new and familiar. As one of the last surviving Jedi Knights, Cal is driven to make a stand during the galaxy’s darkest times - but how far is he willing to go to protect himself, his crew, and the legacy of the Jedi Order?
Explore an Untamed Galaxy – Discover new planets and familiar frontiers in the Star Wars galaxy, each with unique biomes, challenges, and enemies. Master new skills, equipment, and abilities that will augment the ways you explore, fight, and roam. With larger areas to explore and more to discover off the beaten path, players who adventure beyond the horizon will find hidden rewards.
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure, Soulslike, Sci-Fi
