Robert Bowling, a key figure behind the original Modern Warfare trilogy during his time at Infinity Ward, has announced the formation of a new game development studio named //18.bravo. The studio is committed to fundamentally rethinking game development practices, pushing back against what Bowling describes as "destructive gaming trends" and over-commercialization within the industry.
Bowling stated that while //18.bravo's games will feature online components, they will not adhere to the live service model. The foundational goal is to ensure games remain playable and enjoyable even if the studio ceases to exist. "While we will support dedicated servers during our peak / launch periods, the foundation of the game is focused around supporting 'forever play,' which means optimized P2P architecture that allows the community to play together even if the company moves on," Bowling explained.
//18.bravo's inaugural project will be a first-person shooter that includes both a single-player narrative and PvP multiplayer. Bowling expressed a critical view of the current industry landscape, telling IGN, “Video games are over commercialized. As an industry, we’ve neglected our players and abused our staff to focus on ever increasing profits projections. Live service is killing development teams, unending content treadmills of [free-to-play] gaming are draining players, and the AAA studio system has failed."
The studio is also implementing a novel approach to employee and external talent compensation. Leadership pay will be directly linked to employee success, and a royalty program will be established for staff. Furthermore, profit-sharing opportunities will extend to external contributors such as voice actors, motion capture performers, and contractors.
In a move designed to safeguard against the impermanence often associated with game development, //18.bravo has committed to making its assets and code open source should the studio ever shut down. This ensures that the game itself will not vanish if the company closes its doors. "It is written into our bylaws that if our studio shuts down, our assets, code, and everything required to extend the game (except 3rd party integrations and licensed music) will become open source by default," Bowling confirmed. The studio also intends to publicly share the legal frameworks enabling this initiative, facilitating its replication by other developers.
Bowling's announcement arrives during a period of significant upheaval in the gaming industry, marked by recent layoffs at studios like Bungie and anticipated large-scale workforce reductions at Xbox, potentially leading to studio closures and project cancellations.