Smilegate, the developer and publisher behind the world’s most popular first-person shooter, CrossFire, is now opening up shop in Europe.
Announced early this afternoon, Smilegate has revealed that it is establishing a new studio in Barcelona, Spain. This new branch of the developer, which is (obviously) called Smilegate Barcelona, currently has a team of about 20 employees in total with the hopes to begin hiring more team members immediately.
Perhaps what’s most interesting about Smilegate Barcelona is that the studio is said to be working on a new, AAA open-world game. Furthermore, Smilegate has said that this mysterious project is being prioritized to come to consoles, which is a bit of a departure for the company. Previously, Smilegate has primarily released its games on PC and mobile, with the upcoming CrossFireX being the first game from the publisher planned to head to a console in the Xbox One.
“As open-world games will continue to dominate the video game industry, we are well-positioned to build upon our team’s experience with talent from around the world, and are ready to create a AAA experience from our new studio in Barcelona,” explained Yongil Kim, the CEO of Smilegate Barcelona via an accompanying press release alongside the studio’s announcement. “Barcelona’s vibrant and lively youth culture set to the backdrop of gorgeous old world history is a powerful and inspiring combination. The city welcomes creativity and supports technology industries such as ours with a strong infrastructure and high quality of life.”
Considering Smilegate Barcelona is only just now getting off of the ground, it will likely be a few years until we hear about what the studio has cooking up. Until then, CrossFireX, which is being developed in tandem with Remedy Entertainment, is still said to be releasing at some point later in 2020.
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