Moon Rover Ventures into Uncharted Territory with Emergent Games

Moon Rover Games, a newly established studio, is charting a course to explore fresh frontiers in emergent gameplay. With a founding team comprising developers who worked on renowned franchises like Far Cry, Battlefield, and Crusader Kings, the studio aims to leverage their experience with emergent gameplay to create something innovative. According to Moon Rover's creative director, Jamie Keen, the allure of emergent games lies in their ability to deliver unique experiences, citing the joy players derive from interacting with systems that seem to have a life of their own. Keen expresses his intention to build upon the emergent qualities of Far Cry and Battlefield, combining their strengths to create a distinctive multiplayer co-op action experience. While acknowledging the challenges of marketing emergent games, Keen emphasizes the importance of conveying the sense of possibility and discovery that these games offer. The studio's approach involves starting with a small set of interacting systems and gradually adding more to achieve the right balance. They also plan to utilize machine learning technology to assess vast possibilities and identify meaningful outcomes. Moon Rover CEO, Julien Wera, highlights the benefits of advances in technology, enabling independent studios to create ambitious games without requiring large teams. The studio aims to maintain a 'human-sized' team of around 50-70 members, fostering a culture of transparency, psychological safety, and open communication. Wera emphasizes the importance of creating a healthy work environment, acknowledging the industry's past issues with diversity, harassment, and workplace toxicity. By starting anew, Moon Rover seeks to establish a positive and inclusive culture from the outset.