2K opens new studio led by Sledgehammer Games co-founder

2K Games is expanding with a new studio to be headed by Michael Condrey, the former director at Visceral Games and co-founder of Sledgehammer Games. Condrey will serve as president of the the new Silicon Valley-based development team, which is making an unannounced, new game for 2K.

Condrey is best known for his work on the Call of Duty and Dead Space franchises. While at Sledgehammer, he oversaw development of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and Call of Duty: WWII. At Visceral, Condrey was credited as senior development director on the original Dead Space.

Condrey left Sledgehammer Games in February 2018 alongside the studio’s co-founder, Glen Schofield. Both men took other roles at Activision. According to Condrey’s LinkedIn profile, he left Activision in December and started 2K Silicon Valley in January.

2K’s announcement offers little to go on about Condrey’s new venture, other than to say the development team is being built from the ground up. A statement from Condrey included in a press release appears to indicate he may be leading a next-generation video game based on an established property at 2K.

“Great games come from the passion of a team driven by the pursuit of quality and the empowerment of an independent studio model. 2K’s studios have creative and technical autonomy, backed by a world-class infrastructure of support, and that offers the perfect recipe to build a new studio and craft experiences that will lead the next generation of gaming for fans everywhere,” said Condrey. “David and the dedicated people at 2K and Take-Two have an extensive history of rich and established brands, as well as a long tenure of executive leadership committed to supporting the ambitions of their independent studio teams.”

The new studio will join other development teams owned by 2K, including Visual Concepts, Firaxis Games, Hangar 13, and Cat Daddy Games.