New studio from The Last of Us and God of War devs could be living up to its Star Wars roots with its first game
That's No Moon's first project might be a bit on the nose
That's No Moon, a studio by former Call of Duty and Sony Santa Monica developers, is apparently working on an "upcoming game based on a major IP."
As first reported by PlayStation Lifestyle, writer and producer Andrew M. Henderson is set to give a lecture on Stage 32, a website that hosts creative classes from writers, producers, and other professionals. The website reveals Henderson has just finished a 15-month stint at That's No Moon, where he was working on an "upcoming game based on a major IP."
That's No Moon was formed back in 2021, and at the time, the studio said it was working on "an ambitious AAA single-player, third-person action adventure." The studio is led by game director Jacob Minkoff, who worked at Call of Duty studio Infinity Ward as a design director, and creative director Taylor Kurosaki, who worked on narrative for Infinite Warfare and Modern Warfare. They're backed up by Naughty Dog veteran Nick Kononelos, who worked on The Last of Us.
Minkoff and Kurosaki quickly recruited God of War 2018's lead level designer Rob Davis shortly after announcing the studio. Davis mentioned that he loved the pitch from Minkoff and Kurosaki "from minute one," and encouraged other developers to get in on the studio while they were still on a bit of a hiring spree early on. That's pretty high praise from someone who's worked on the excellent God of War reboot.
The obvious joke to be made here is that the studio's name would be very on the nose if it was making a Star Wars game. Developing a Star Wars game would certainly qualify as a "game based on a major IP," and the "third-person action adventure" qualities of the game could even draw it close to the Star Wars games of the past few years, like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
For now though, we'll just have to keep looking forward to the Stars Wars games that definitely are on the horizon, like Ubisoft Massive Star Wars: Outlaws, coming next year in 2024, and Star Wars Eclipse, which looks to be a little further out.
You can also check out our new games 2023 guide for a look at all the other titles coming next year and beyond.
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Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.