Moon Rover nets $3.5 million from NCSoft to develop emergent FPS

Korean publisher NCSoft has sunk $3.5 million into Swedish studio Moon Rover Games.

Moon Rover will use the cash to finance the development of a cooperative shooter "built on emergent gameplay systems."

"This investment represents a milestone in the history of Moon Rover Games. It will enable us to combine the experience and ambitions of our team with the vast knowledge of NCSoft in the development and operations of online games, to bring new gameplay experiences to players around the world," said Moon Rover CEO, Julien Wera.

Far Cry, Battlefield, and Halo vets onboard at Moon Rover

Moon Rover was formed in 2023 by a team of EA and Ubisoft veterans with experience working on franchises like Far Cry, Battlefield, The Division, Halo, and Mirror's Edge. The studio's debut project is codenamed 'Project Aldous' and is billed as an "original IP for PC and consoles."

NCSoft, known for developing and publishing titles like Guild Wars 2 and Blade & Soul, said Moon Rover's "profound experience" in the FPS genre sealed the investment.

"In our search to forge new business opportunities, we are actively exploring studios with specialized genre expertise and strong development capabilities," said NCSoft co-CEO, Byungmoo Park.

"Project Aldous will enhance NCSoft's game portfolio both in terms of genre diversity and regional reach. We’re confident that partnering with Moon Rover Games will contribute to our global expansion and strategy to develop a robust game development cluster."

NCSoft was the sole investor in the seed round, which was described as a "strategic investment" that marks the beginning of a long-term partnership and collaboration between the two companies.