Veterans of Fortnite and Call of Duty Secure $15 Million to Launch Methodical Games

A group of seasoned gaming professionals from Epic Games, Respawn, and Infinity Ward have come together to form Methodical Games, a new AAA game development studio. The company has successfully raised $15 million through a funding round led by Lightspeed Ventures, with additional support from notable investors such as Bitkraft Ventures, 1Up Ventures, Transcend Fund, and Jason West, the founder of Infinity Ward and Respawn Entertainment. Several angel investors have also contributed to the funding round. The startup team, consisting of nine members, is led by three co-founders: Francesco Gigliotti, Adam Bellefeuil, and Dave Ratti. Gigliotti, who serves as the CEO and Game Director, previously worked as an engineering fellow at Epic Games, where he played a key role in the development of Fortnite. Prior to that, he was a founding member of Respawn and led the engineering team for Titanfall, and he also spent eight years at Infinity Ward, overseeing gameplay engineering for the Call of Duty series. Bellefeuil, the Design Director, spent 15 years at Epic Games, where he was part of the team that developed Fortnite. Ratti, the Technical Director, is another Epic Games veteran, having spent 10 years as one of the Unreal Engine Directors and working on titles such as Fortnite, Doom, and Rage. According to the team, their debut game will not be a multiplayer shooter, despite their extensive experience in the genre. Instead, it will be a multiplayer action-adventure game that focuses on close-quarters combat and is set in a fantasy world. The team's lineup also includes notable industry professionals, such as Jay Hosfelt, the Animation Director, who has worked on Unreal, Fortnite, and Gears of War; Robert Gains, the Visual FX Director, who has contributed to Titanfall and Call of Duty; Richard Baker, the Principal Engineer, who has worked on Apex Legends and Titanfall; and Lewis Walden, the Principal Environment Artist, who has been involved in the development of Apex Legends, God of War 2, and God of War 3.