Today we got the reveal of a new independent team named Wushu Studios based in Liverpool, that was founded in August 2017 and is finally getting on the map with the tease of its first project.

While the studio is relatively is new, its members certainly are not novices. At the helm are Founder Alan McDermott (formerly Evolution Studios and Sony Interactive Entertainment), Design Director Nigel Kershaw (who also previously worked at Evolution Studios and PlayStation, in addition to Deep Silver, and Revolution Software), and Art Director Stuart Trevor (who shares the Evolution Studios, and  PlayStation pedigree).

The studio currently includes eleven developers and is expanding, aiming to create games "with interesting mechanics, unique concepts and to deliver fun, refreshing gameplay experiences to players."

So, what about their first title? Wushu Studios is currently working on a new sci-fi IP, that they started prototyping in September 2017 using Unreal Engine 4. 

McDermott himself accompanied the press release with a statement:

“Our core team at Wushu have worked together closely on numerous projects over the years so there was no downtime in figuring out how to work together, we just fell straight into a groove kicking around game ideas that appealed to us as players and developers.

We firmly believed in the idea that our initial concepts needed to be gamepad experiences as quickly as possible, so we turned to Unreal Engine for its amazing rapid prototyping capabilities. This approach has helped us figure out which of our concepts would allow us to flex our creative muscle most. It’s definitely not what people will be expecting to see from us; it’s absolutely not a racing game!”

McDermott used to be the Audio Director at Evolution Studios, where he worked on games like Driveclub and MotorStorm for eleven years. After Leaving Sony Interactive Entertainment, he worked as Creative Director on the VR game Tethered in 2016. As you may have imagined, given my love for Driveclub, this isn't the first time he appears on DualShockers. Considering that one of the best aspects of Evolution's racing game was the audio, I can say I have high expectations here.

Nigel Kershaw has nearly thirty years of experience in the industry, culminating at Evolution Studios where Evolution he was Game Director on MotorStorm: Pacific Rift.

Stuart Trevor is also a veteran with fifteen years of experience, his Career at Evolution includes the roles of Lead Artist and Creative Lead. He also worked on brands like Dark Souls, and Saint’s Row.

According to the announcement, progress on the prototype has been "extremely positive," and a number of talented artists are involved. This includes Senior Concept Artist Alex Figini, who followed his tenure at Evolution Studios with five years at BioWare.

There is also another "known name" among the team. The man in charge of PR, marketing, and community management for the team will be familiar to many of you. Known as "Shinobi602," he is finally ending his career as "insider" to actually work inside the industry.

At the moment, we don't know much more about the game the team at Wushu is working on, including platforms and release window, but we'll be sure to keep an eye on their work.