Former Doom Developers Reveal New Triple-A Studio

Several veteran video game developers, including those who have worked on the likes of id Software's critically acclaimed Doom reboot, have banded together to form a new independent triple-A studio called Emptyvessel (stylized as «emptyvessel.») The video game industry saw thousands of layoffs in the first two months of 2024 alone, and several studios like Ridgeline Games and Deviation Games were even shattered.

Among the senior staff members who worked at id Software while the company developed its reboot of Doom were Garrett Young and Emanuel Palalic. The former was the studio's general manager until he parted ways with id Software in 2018, while the latter acted as the company's senior character artist for years before leaving in 2020. The two have since reunited to lead a new indie game studio that has managed to attract other experienced talents in the space.

On March 12, the Texas-based Emptyvessel unveiled itself to the public, with Young and Palalic being revealed as its COO and CEO, respectively. Some of the other team members included CTO Wei Ning, an ex-software developer for visual effects company Weta Digital; animation director Ricardo Flores, formerly of BioWare and Naughty Dog; as well as art director Alex Palma, an id Software alum like Young and Palalic who worked on the upcoming Killing Floor 3 that could release in 2024.

Emptyvessel described itself as a developer-founded, developer-first independent studio that wants to create triple-A quality experiences that are new and refreshing. The Austin company also aims to break away from traditional business models, as well as empower its staff members to create high quality IPs with a more attainable scope. There have been many massively successful indie games in recent times, including the beloved co-op horror game Lethal Company that was created by solo developer Zeekerss.

«By prioritizing and aligning with our strengths, we’re confident it’s possible to create [triple-A] games with smaller, focused