ArtCraft Entertainment forms new division to build MMO engine tech

Austin indie studio ArtCraft Entertainment has formed a new division to provide fellow game devs with the tools and tech to create their own MMO titles. 

Dubbed ArtCraft Technologies (ACT), the new opening will be led by veteran MMO developer Josef Hall, who's worked on various titles including Wizard101, Pirate101, and Shadowbane. 

ACT's tech will be based on the Artisan Engine -- used in the studio's flagship MMO, Crowfall -- and will purportedly pack a "robust" feature set designed to handle everything from networking and physics to procedural world generation and dynamic world editing. 

"Essentially, the Artisan Engine provides all the interlocking systems that make a virtual world tick," explained company president Gordon Walton. 

"Online game budgets have skyrocketed, with development teams of 100+ and schedules that stretch up to seven years. A significant portion of that time is spent reinventing the wheel. We can shortcut that effort, saving devs $10+ million and shaving two to three years off their schedule"