NCSOFT's North American subsidiary NC America said on the 12th that it has secured the global publishing (distribution) rights for the new shooting game "DEFECT."
DEFECT is a tactical first-person shooter (FPS) being developed by the U.S. game studio emptyvessel. NC made a strategic equity investment in emptyvessel in May last year.
DEFECT is being developed as a multi-platform title, including PC, based on Unreal Engine 5. Set in a dystopian city ruled by artificial intelligence (AI), its hallmark is PvP (player-versus-player) squad combat in which four teams of four compete simultaneously.
Based in Austin, Texas, emptyvessel was founded in 2023. It was established by veteran developers who worked on numerous AAA global hits, including Doom, Quake, Call of Duty, The Last of Us, Borderlands, Tomb Raider, and Uncharted. Leveraging broad experience in FPS and action-adventure genres, the company is focusing on developing new IP (intellectual property).
Emanuel Pappalardo, emptyvessel chief executive officer (CEO), said, "This partnership will be a very important springboard for bringing a new shooting title to the global market."
Jin Jeong-hee, NC America president, said, "DEFECT's gameplay, centered on tactical close-quarters combat, has a high chance of success even in the fiercely competitive global FPS market," adding, "Because we have closely collaborated with key developers since the early development stage, we will more actively support the studio through this publishing partnership."