ProbablyMonsters Introduces Hidden Grove, Expanding Its Development Footprint

ProbablyMonsters has experienced significant developments in its relatively short history as a company yet to release a game. Founded in 2016 by former Bungie CEO Harold Ryan and publicly announced in 2019, the AAA game development company has established three studios - Cauldron, Firewalk, and Battle Barge. It has also sold one studio, Firewalk, to its publishing partner Sony, and canceled the debut project of another, Cauldron. Today, the company announced the launch of another studio, Hidden Grove, which is currently hiring. Despite the widespread industry contractions over the past year and the company's decision to part ways with Firewalk, ProbablyMonsters seems to be returning to its growth trajectory. However, according to Ryan, this expansion is not unexpected. 'Since our inception, it has always been our plan to expand and grow strategically,' Ryan explains. 'Although we are not immune to the industry's fluctuations, we continue to evaluate and evolve our business, making investments in opportunities as we see them.' Ryan emphasizes that ProbablyMonsters identified a need for a different approach to supporting game developers and new intellectual properties early on, which is why the company was formed in 2016. 'Our mission is to unite, guide, and empower developers who share our vision to make the industry better and create amazing games,' he says. The central services team at ProbablyMonsters supports the multiple development studios under the company's umbrella, allowing them to achieve more collectively than they could individually. Hidden Grove, the newly announced studio, has been in development for some time. Its general manager, Chris Opdahl, left Bungie to join forces with Ryan almost four years ago to establish the development team. 'Chris has kept the team small and has grown it slowly, both to build and maintain our unique culture at ProbablyMonsters and to explore new ideas and try new things,' Ryan notes. 'Often, teams rush to grow and become too large too quickly, which can hinder team cohesion and stifle innovation.' Although Hidden Grove's first project remains unannounced, it will be an original multiplayer competitive adventure game built on Unreal Engine 5. Ryan chose Opdahl for the role because he is 'the kind of leader that highly talented people form strong bonds with.' Notably, Hidden Grove's co-founding design directors, Raylene Deck and Grant Mackay, previously worked with Opdahl on Destiny. The leadership team at Hidden Grove also includes executive producer Lori Ada Kilty, art director Jedd Chevrier, senior engineering director Dean Johnson, and narrative director Kate Welch. In addition to the news about Hidden Grove, ProbablyMonsters announced the appointment of its new chief product officer, Adam Rymer. Rymer's background spans various media and entertainment properties, including a five-year tenure as president of Nerdist Industries and executive roles in the digital operations of Legendary Pictures and Universal Pictures. More recently, he served as the CEO of the esports outfit Optic Gaming during the early years of the pandemic. Despite the headlines ProbablyMonsters has made and the talent it has attracted, the company still lacks a shipped game eight years after its founding. 'We remain focused on delivering our vision and demonstrating our positive approach to game development,' Ryan asserts. 'This is something I believe in now more than ever. While I would like to bring games to market sooner, our approach is geared towards meeting our long-term goal of building and developing talented teams to create and deliver exceptional games.' As for when the company's games will be released, Ryan is non-committal. 'I cannot provide specific timelines yet, but we remain committed to delivering high-quality games that delight a variety of players,' he says. 'We know everyone is waiting for us to launch a game, and we certainly will, but for now, we continue to prioritize development needs and quality over speed to market. We have multiple development teams working to deliver their best, which certainly includes our Hidden Grove and Battle Barge teams for their respective games, and we also have more incubation projects that we're constantly supporting. We appreciate the continued support and patience while we remain focused on our goals.'