Yesterday evening, Remedy announced a new development team structure for their studio.
In addition to becoming a multi-game project developer (following the release of Quantum Break), and owning their own technology/engine department called Northlight, they now also have a smaller team called Vanguard, whose goal it is to "act with a startup mentality" and create new types of "ongoing live multiplayer game experiences" according to a new press release on the official website.
While they're an independent studio, Remedy has also released large AAA titles such as Max Payne, Alan Wake, and Quantum Break, and so aren't considered to be an indie developer as such. The Vanguard team would have all the benefits of being an more traditional indie studio; the freedom to create titles that you may not see from larger companies, but will have the safety net and financial support of a larger company.
The approach can be comparable to something like the Lara Croft series, which is a spin off of the Tomb Raider IP but whose development teams behind those titles are much smaller, develop tightly knitted experiences, release titles more frequently, and has the freedom to explore with multiplayer.
The announcement was made on their website, alongside announcements for two new job openings; a Senior Gameplay Programmer (Vanguard) and a Gameplay Designer (Vanguard).
Update 2/9/2018: The Vanguard team will be using Unreal Engine 4, alongside their in-house engine, Northlight.
Introducing, a new Remedy project: the Vanguard initiative. https://t.co/FjBQuEvWFC#UE4 #UnrealEngine pic.twitter.com/0DberyAhR5— Remedy Entertainment (@remedygames) August 29, 2018
Update (14/11/2023) Following the recent refresh of the studio's website and the change in Vanguard to Kestral, the old website has been taken down. The links to the Vanguard website above shows the following text...
vanguard, n.
a position at the forefront of new developments or ideas.
A small group of people working in an unconventional way with an aim to develop something quickly and independently inside an established organization.
As Remedy Entertainment continues to redefine and invest into the traditional “AAA” video games experience with our upcoming franchises such as Control and Crossfire 2 / HD, we have been building a framework for a new internal development team with a slightly different focus.
