David Vonderhaar, one of the most legendary developers in the first-person shooter space, has revealed a new initiative taking shape at his studio, BulletFarm Games. The revelation comes alongside news that NetEase pulled funding from BulletFarm amid a bid to divest its Western assets, a move that began last year.
Vonderhaar, who spent almost twenty years at Treyarch before parting ways with the Call of Duty firm in 2023, confirmed that a new holding company, GTG, has committed to supporting BulletFarm going forward. This is empowering the team to create a ‘completely new first-person multiplayer/co-operative experience’.
Vondy is Back
In his first post on social media in over a year, David ‘Vondy’ Vonderhaar explained that the developing game at BulletFarm is a new title but with the same DNA as the project that was shut down when NetEase pulled away from the company.
This was in addition to the BulletFarm profile also sharing a (lengthier) update after a year of radio silence:
The studio is now being backed by GTG (GreaterThan Group), an all-new holding firm established by Simon Zhu, who ironically set up the company after withdrawing from a high-profile role at NetEase. His firm has also backed Arcanaut Studios, which is working on Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic.
In a lengthy report from Bloomberg, it was revealed that GTG has $40 million in the bank and a further $60 million in commitments, ready to deploy. The investment in the likes of Arcanaut and BulletFarm comes from a desire to have everyone work on their dream project:
You can have player satisfaction. You can have commercial success. You can have the achievement of art. You don’t need to compromise or sacrifice one thing for the other. Let’s give the best creator the opportunity to work on a dream project. Everyone wins.
In February 2024, David Vonderhaar unveiled BulletFarm, months after departing from Treyarch. The studio was headquartered in Los Angeles and boasted a line-up of industry veterans, all determined to create an ambitious game in Unreal Engine 5 with a keen focus on building something cooperative.
NetEase dropped the studio after funding the project, and it was left to GTG to keep Vondy’s dreams alive.
Are you eager to see what Vonderhaar’s studio can produce? Let us know your thoughts on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that Arena Breakout Infinite is getting permanent PvE
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
More from Grant Taylor-Hill
Comments