Former Journey, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and Spider-Man developers have formed new studio Gardens, with a focus on making online games that “foster meaningful multiplayer moments and relationships between players around the world.”
Core tenets at Gardens include a focus on being “transparent, sustainable, inclusive, and empowering,” and originally functioned as a fully remote studio but is primarily based in Portland and Los Angeles. They’re hiring for multiple positions include artists, animators, and engineers.
“These artfully-crafted, living environments will be designed to foster rich multiplayer interactions while relying on care by their communities in order to thrive,” the studio said. “They are games that aspire to cultivate lasting friendships (like Journey, Sky, or Way before them) while encouraging players to be considerate of each other and the world they inhabit together.”
Gardens’ first and currently unnamed game builds upon “the special ways members of the team have designed shared online experiences in the past” across games like Journey, Ashen, and others. Players will cross paths in a “mysterious and magical world” driven by concept art from artist ma-ko, art direction by Leighton Milne (Ashen, The Hobbit), and an art team led by Ryan Benno (Spider-Man, Ratchet & Clank).
Gardens is focused on “collective growth” and offers competitive pay, “equitable salaries,” stock options and even “unlimited paid time off” among a consistent 35-hour work week.
Core veteran staff in Gardens include:
- Executive Producer Sarah Sands (Fullbright, Nike, DirectTV)
- Lead Artist Ryan Benno (Spider-Man, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, Ratchet & Clank)
- Principal Engineer Rose Dale (Skyrim, Fallout 3, Fallout 4)
- Senior Engineer Roldán Melcon (Blaseball, Where Cards Fall)
- Gameplay Engineer Tonia Beglari (Monster Hunter World: Iceborne XR Walk, The Under Presents)
- Art Director Leighton Milne (Ashen, The Hobbit).
Gardens has already raised $4.5 million in an oversubscribed July 2021 Seed round, and they have plans to seek more funding and growth in the future.
For now you can visit the Gardens’ official website here.
