Former Dragon Age boss making "ambitious new action RPG"
"Taking risks that might not be possible in AAA game development."
Mike Laidlaw, best known for his work heading up BioWare's Dragon Age series, has offered up a few small crumbs on his next project.
The detail comes amid a set of announcements by Private Division, the Take-Two-owned publisher behind Hades, The Outer Worlds and Kerbal Space Progam 2.
Laidlaw's new game - the first from his new studio Yellow Brick Games - will be published by Private Division, though will not release until 2024's financial year at the earliest.
"The studio firmly believes that emergent systems create rich, interactive worlds," Private Division wrote in a press release. "In that vein, Yellow Brick Games is creating an ambitious new action RPG."
"I find myself energised by the challenge of helping build a new studio - full of incredible talent, ambitious ideas, and real focus on our product - while taking risks that might not be possible in AAA game development," Laidlaw added.
"We want to deliver something special for our debut title, and partnering with Private Division provides our team with the support to create a game that's truly memorable."
Laidlaw recently struck out on his own after a turbulent few years elsewhere in the industry. After spending 15 years at BioWare, working on some of its most beloved games, Laidlaw left the company and joined Assassin's Creed Odyssey studio Ubisoft Quebec - but then walked out after 14 months.
Laidlaw's project at Ubisoft was never formally announced, but it was later reported to be a King Arthur game that fell foul of Ubisoft's then chief creative officer Serge Hascoët (who resigned from the company just months later during its 2020 summer of reckoning).
Other games announced as being published by Private Division today include a story-driven adventure game from Mutazione developer Die Gute Fabrik; a 3D action platformer from new studio Evening Star, set up by previous Sonic Mania Plus staff; and the next project from Piccolo Studio, the Spanish developer behind Arise: A Simple Story.
Back at BioWare, work continues on the next big game in the Dragon Age series - but don't expect to hear about it at publisher EA's traditional E3 show. EA confirmed last night it would not hold an EA Play Live this year.