A brand new games studio that is promising that it will always operate with totally remote workers was announced on Wednesday, along with a roster of developers that includes some major talent from AAA and indie games.Gardensis being formed by co-founders Chris and Stephen Bell - who might be best known forWhat Remains of Edith Finch- as well asDustforce’s Lexie Dostal.
Chris and Stephen Bell’sWhat Remains of Edith Finchis said to haveoffered a magical realism that other games should aim at, but that’s not the only title either man has worked on. Chris also worked onJourney,among other titles, and Stephen had a hand inBlaseball.While Gardens' founders have a strong background in indie games, it’s clear from the company’s announcement that it has also pulled in talent that has worked on some of the more prominent and more popular games around.
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In an official announcement on Wednesday, Gardens stated the company has already added developers that worked on incrediblywell-reviewed PlayStation blockbusters likeSpider-ManandRatchet & Clank.The new team is also boasting people who have worked onSkyrimand theFalloutseries, among other big and small titles.
While Gardens is hyping up developers who have also worked onquality indie games like Ashen, it’s also apparently trying to set itself apart by being a studio that focuses on its employees' mental health and wellbeing of its employees by being a “remote-first” company. That means that while it is based primarily in Los Angeles and Portland, those who work for it can seemingly do so entirely from a location of their choosing, as long as the work can get done.
While not much is known about what sort of games Gardens is setting out to create out of the gate, one thing was made certain. The studio is planning on focusing on multiplayer titles. Bell talked about his studio’s interest in creating games that are, “compelling, well-crafted, thoughtful games that cultivate novel shared experiences between players online.”
WhileGardenshas put together some of the team that it says will work onco-op games similar toSky: Children of the Light, the firm also announced it’s looking to hire up. The company singled out a desire to add 3D Artist, Animator, and Engineer roles though it made it clear other openings are also available.
