A group of triple-A developers have formed a new studio called Look North World to create games in Fortnite.
The six co-founders, which includes former Bungie developer Alex Seropian, used to ply their trade at major studios including Amazon, Disney, and EA.
Look North World is described as a “community-focused game studio.” The nascent outfit intends to create social games and entertainment experiences in Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN), a community platform that allows creators to design, develop, and publish games and experiences directly into the popular battle royale shooter.
The studio’s debut title will be Outlaw Corral, a skill-based shooter set on a wild west island. It’s the first of several titles currently in development at Look North, which says players will be given the chance to participate in production by providing feedback on Discord.
“Developing in UEFN opens a whole new world of opportunities and we are in uncharted territory. Through experimentation we will see what the players like and involve them in decisions. We will throw in a mix of fun game components that players love with a healthy dose of humor when we can,” said Seropian, who’s serving as CEO at Look North.
“We are jumping into it with a ‘the virtual sky is the limit’ mentality. As we develop creative ideas, we will learn how these platforms engage, entertain and boost social interactions in order to iterate accordingly.”
A creative platform that focuses on the fun
Expanding on why the studio is focusing purely on UEFN, Seropian said the toolkit allows the team to flex their muscles within Unreal Engine on a creative platform that takes care of most of the “non-game” aspects of development.
“It is so efficient for us to make something new: we can take creative risks, try things we’d never attempt with a big budget game, and do it all in the environment of a triple–A tool set with a library of assets. Some incredible new experiences are going to launch on UEFN, that’s for sure! We intend to be there leading the way,” they added in a Q&A with Game Developer.
“The ecosystem is also free-to-play, yet still focused on the fun. We are paid to make fun engaging experiences, which is so refreshing these days in the context of having just emerged from the hyper competitive and sometimes manipulative mobile games market.”
Seropian said that being able to create experiences for a community that’s already “energized” is another bonus, noting that there are currently 250 million monthly active players on Fortnite. “We have a chance to develop our games not just for them, but with them,” they continued. “That’s super powerful.”