Leslie Benzies, former president of Rockstar North, has raised £32 million in funding to create his new Grand Theft Auto rival entitled Everywhere.
Leslie Benzies is seen as one of the most prominent figures behind the GTA series, but in difficult circumstances, he left Rockstar in 2016.
A new Edinburgh and Budapest-based studio named Build A Rocket Boy was revealed by Benzies in 2017 and more than 130 staff members are currently in the studio including numerous Grand Theft Auto V developers.
According to reports, Build a Rocket Boy has now received funding from businesses such as Netease, the Chinese gaming giant.
The first release of the studio is expected to be titled Everywhere – an open-world game that Benzies first mentioned back in 2017.
In an interview, Benzies said, “Everywhere has a lot of traditional game mechanics but we’re going for something more that draws inspiration from, well, everywhere.”
The developer added, “Players are getting smarter and require more from their games, and we want players to have the real freedom to live in our worlds in the ways they want to. We’re aiming to offer a huge variety of game modes and styles that not only tell our stories but also enable players to live in the identities and adventures they most want to explore.”
Although there’s no news on a release date yet, hopefully, Benzies delivers as he’s had investment from Cayman fund Makers and New York cryptocurrency investor Galaxy Interactive that rounds up to 32 million.
Keep your eyes peeled and for more gaming news, take in our features on everything you need to know about the PS5 and the Xbox Series X.