A new developer by the name of Blue Scarab Entertainment has formed over in Stockholm, Sweden, securing $7 million in funding for its debut project, an MMORPG running on Unreal Engine 5.
The funding round was led by NetEase Games, which has previously invested in startups like Rebel Wolves. Other key contributors include Behold Ventures, Raw Fury founder Jonas Antonsson, and Creandum founder Stefan Lindeberg.
Blue Scarab will be led by CEO Colin Cragg and CTO Enno Rehling. Both have extensive experience with MMOs: Cragg directed and designed Funcom’s Anarchy Online, while Rehling was a programmer on the same game and also Dreamfall: The Longest Journey.
Other notable additions include DICE veteran Craig Morrison (operating here as studio director), Helldivers 2’s community director Ashley Nicollette (similar position), and systems designer Guillaume Lhoyer (principal game designer).
There appear to be about 20 full-time employees in total, who have all worked on titles such as World of Warcraft, IMVU, and Star Sable Online.
According to Morrison, Blue Scarab’s first project will combine cozy escapism and true crime. Its aim is to “fuse and evolve previous gaming and media experiences into something new and fresh for this expanded community.”
“Innovation through iteration can be very powerful,” he continued. “Our goal is to bring all the expertise that our team has accumulated to forge new experiences for a wider audience than ever before.”
At time of writing, Blue Scarab doesn’t appear to be hiring, but its own website notes that its status as a hybrid and remote workplace.