It’s Wednesday (as I write this), and PlayStation has a new studio it’d like to you to meet. Come on, don’t be shy. They won’t bite. Only execs do that. This group of devs that’s just been granted full PS studio status goes by teamLFG, and it’s working on a multiplayery game that also claims to be inspired by “frog-type games”.
All of these teases were dished out by a PS Blog post, which sees Sony Interactive Entertainment studio business group CEO Hermen Hulst introduce his newest child like a proud dad. Well, one that may well cut you out of the family will if you don’t manage to keep your head above water in the very deep and scary live service seas.
The studio goes by the name teamLFG, which stands for Team “Looking For Group”, rather than the cooler sweary alternative. It’s based in Bellvue, Washington, features a mix of newbies and vets who’ve worked on the likes of Destiny, Halo, and League of Legends, and is being spun out from Bungie.
“We are passionate about exceptional action-based gameplay, moment-to-moment game feel, and richly social virtual worlds,” it wrote, adding that its name is all about being “driven by a mission to create games where players can find friendship, community, and belonging”.
Basically, in line with PlayStation’s definitely going 100% hunk-dory so far live-service push, it’ll be working on live-servicey multiplayer games underpinned by action, with the first one being an “incubation project” that’s previously been mentioned in, well, announcements about layoffs at Bungie.
“Our first game is a team-based action game that draws inspiration from fighting games, platformers, MOBAs, life sims, and frog-type games,” teamLFG wrote of this upcoming title, “Players will inhabit a lighthearted, comedic world set in brand-new, mythic, science-fantasy universe. We can’t wait to reveal more.”
Frog-type games? Seemingly not straight-up frog games like you’d consider Frogger and Frog Detective, but Frog-type games. We have no frogging idea what that means, but consider us intrigued. Will we get a team-based hero shooter that’s somehow a bit Tekken, a bit Mario, a bit Dota 2, a bit InZOI, and in which all characters are mid-2000s viral sensation the Crazy Frog – possibly the only creature on Earth that fits the ‘frog-type’ label in my book?
Probably not, but it definitely seems like it’ll be getting some early access playtests, as teamLFG’s pretty clear about the stock it places in those and gathering player feedback here.
Do you think some kind of Crazy Frog Overwatch/Fortnite/insert other flavour of the half-decade here is what PlayStation needs, and are you keen to see what teamLFG cooks up? Let us know below.